— Member Story by Don Koepp
This is our 1949 Jeepster “Sunshine” with the “Go Devil” 134 engine with overdrive. My wife and I have “Sunshine” garaged on the Central Coast of California in Cambria, CA. We enjoy cruising HWY 1 and the back-roads of San Luis Obispo County with its scenic countryside and vineyards. The Central Coast of California has some of the best wineries and is for us the perfect place to enjoy this classic car. When we stop we draw a crowd and it’s not unusual to hear folks say, “My Grandfather had a car just like that…”. I’ll never forget the person who came up to me and said that he bought his first Jeepster in 1949 at the Niemen Markcus Dept. Store in Dallas, TX, which had Jeepsters on display!
The fun part for me of owning this Classic Jeepster is the emotions and memories that it brings out in other people when they first see it. What a great way to be a part of automobile history! I think the difference between a Jeepster owner versus a Jeep owner is this:
“Owning a Jeep is like going out on a date with a gal that is fun to be with, but do you want to marry her? When you see a Jeepster, it’s “love at first sight” and there is no doubt this is the gal you’re going to be married to for a long, long time!”
Last year Sunshine was 60 years old and still running on all four cylinders. She seems to be saying, “growing old is mandatory….growing up is not –So let’s have fun!!!
A special thanks to Don Koepp for allowing us to publish this article.
In case you didn’t know…Kaiser Willys Auto Supply carries a large selection of used Willys parts — If you don’t see a part you need on our site, give us a call – we will do our best to get it for you!
To inquire about used Willys parts and availability, call
(Toll Free) 1-888-648-4923, Mon-Fri from 9:00am-5:00pm (EST)!!!
Hi Les, the next time your in Cambria give us a call…we are in the book. You don’t have to wait until you get the wagon finished. FYI there is a 47 restored Willys Station Wagon in Thousand Oaks. I haven’t been able to catch up with the owner yet! I think he has to much fun driving around.
I will be in Cambria this next week. Great weather for crusing the coast. I will stop in and say hello to your friends. Anyway good luck on the project.
Don
Our friends Rob and Kim Maston moved to Cambria a few years ago and love it there. She works for Cambria Pines Realty and Rob is a contractor. My wife and I live in Ventura and we just started work on a Willys Station Wagon which will become my worktruck for a few more years. Say Hi to our friends–Thanks–Les