Once again I captured another classic with my dash-cam, this time of the iconic Overland Jeep- possibly the best definition of the modern SUV’s granddaddy.
No doubt this Jeep was on its way to some classic meeting nearby, as this was taken on a Saturday (in Israel it’s a day of rest). Since I’ve already wrote about Overlands here, I’ll simply post the video and invite you to read PN’s post about the Overland and its influence on what we know today as SUVs.
And here are two more Overland Station-Wagons, photographed at local classic meetings. I like that red Willys:
What a great catch! That’s the first one I have ever seen with swing open rear doors.
Interesting! The Overland part of the name wasn’t used in US after ’42. The Israeli version has two notable differences: the modern rounded back end with 1970ish taillights, and the forward-slanting face. The back end seems like a reasonable response to legalities and modern tastes, but the slanting front seems like an unnecessary expense for a subtle difference.
It looks to me like the front’s a distortion effect from Yohai’s dashcam or windshield. The back end has the same swing doors (and narrower rear opening) as used on the home-market Panel Delivery which might have something to do with what could be taxed as a commercial vehicle vs. a car in Israel when it was new.
Nice sight. I had one back in the day. The roof would resonate like an oill drum on some roads. I’m pretty sure mine had a tailgate.
Your description of the roof resonating like an oil drum might explain why from 1963 until the end of production in the early 90’s, the Wagoneer had horizontal ribs pressed into the roof. They were stylish, and may have had a functional purpose too.