Jeep heads to the hills for birthday bash

Jeep models dating back to the Second World War will turn out at a special event near Auckland next week to cap the year-long celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the legendary four-wheel-drive vehicle.

The display will be the highlight of celebrations being held at the Extreme 4WD Park at Peak Road, Helensville.

Among the vehicles turning out is an original 1942 Willys MB that was shipped to New Zealand with the American armed forces during the war and is still in original working condition.

The event is being planned as a fun day for Jeep owners and their friends.

In addition to the displays, owners will be able to drive their own Jeep vehicles around the off-road park and take part in other activities, while members of the public can view the displays and join in the fun.

Only Jeeps will be allowed to drive the course on the day.

A special attraction will be the first major public outing for the new Jeep Cherokee (launched in New Zealand during the week) and there will be opportunities for people to take the newcomer on a test drive.

"We hope to see Jeep models of every type and era from the 1940s through to the modern day and we want to make it a special occasion to celebrate a very special vehicle," says Brett Aspden, general manager of Chrysler Jeep New Zealand.

The Jeep brand can trace its roots back to 1941 when delivery of the first batch of four-wheel-drive, light reconnaissance vehicles were made to the American military.

Those first vehicles were not originally known as Jeep when they entered service in the second half of 1941, but were formally named after the manufacturer Willys.

The early model Willys MA was soon superseded by the Willys MB, with its familiar grille and round headlights, which continued virtually unchanged through the war.

Its tough construction, reliability and agility caused General Dwight Eisenhower - later to become US President from 1952 to 1960 - to remark that without the Jeep, America and the Allies would not have won the war.

By war's end, the name Jeep had become synonymous with the Willys MB, although no one knows exactly how that name was coined.

Some say it goes back to the US Army acronym for a General Purpose vehicle, a GP, while others believe it came from a character in the Popeye cartoon strip. Whatever its origin, Jeep became a registered brand name in the 1950s and is credited with launching four-wheel-drive to the masses. Today, Jeep is still faithful to its four-wheel-drive heritage and all new Jeep models must prove their ability on the tough Rubicon Trail in the Eldoraro Mountains of northern California before they can be released to the public. The brand new Jeep Cherokee is the latest to be tested on the Rubicon Trail.