World War-II jeeps a major draw in vintage rally held in Jaipur

JAIPUR - The sturdy and masculine looking jeeps of the Second World War era participated in a vintage rally here on Saturday. It was a feast for admirers of jeep lovers when these fascinating vehicles rolled out on the roads.

Majority of the participating jeeps belonged to the World War-II era, with the oldest Jeep model participating was of 1942 of Ford.

Organised by Rajputana Jeep Club, it was named “Ford and Willy’s Jeep Rally”. This year was rally’s second edition, which saw participation of 35 jeeps from various parts of the country.

The event was aimed to maintain the passion for old jeeps so that this heritage can be carried forward for all times to come.

“This is the second event we had since last year. We are carrying forward our legacy of jeeps. It is basically only one of its kind in the world I think Ford and Willy’s Jeep rally, which is original left hand drive petrol engine…creating a heritage for them,” said Adhiraj Singh of Rajputana Jeep Club, organiser of the rally.

Jeep owners who took part mentioned that it is extremely tough task to maintain these vehicles, as their spare parts are not easily available in the market.

“We are doing hard work from many years in maintaining this car. This jeep belongs to the year 1942. It is Willy’s. It takes entire year to prepare the car. If any part of the car stops working, then, we have tough time in arranging replacement for it. As it is difficult to get similar parts, we have to search,” said Vikram, a participant.

It was also a delightful moment for vintage jeep lovers.

Jeep was first designed as a general purpose (GP) vehicle for the defence forces by the Americans just prior to the commencement of Second World War. The word GP was adapted as jeep and this has become the conventional name. By Lokendra Singh (ANI)