Friday,
September
6th,
2024
~ Sent to us by Mark Niedbalski
As a young child, I had a Willys Station Wagon toy. I had long forgotten about a call from my younger brother Chris, he said dad had given it to him. He described it as a Willys woody wagon, all scratched up, front and rear bumpers missing, the tires and axles long gone. Al TOY is embossed on the spare tire that’s still inside. He asked, I wonder where it came from. Without hesitation, I said it was mine. I’m the one who did all that damage. I went on to describe how I would sit on the roof and push along with my feet or push it up and down the driveway as fast as I could make it go. Of course, there were plenty of collisions into the house, or other things, a rollover or two from going too fast. I was not a good driver at 3 or 4 years old. Chris agreed to send it to me, and the Station Wagon now has a place on display in the living room.
Little did I know how rare that toy I tore up as a kid was. There’s not a lot of information out there about Al Toys. They were made by Toledo Casting, sometimes referred to as Toledo Brass out of slush cast aluminum. Released around Christmas 1948. The Station Wagon was given to Willys executives and top-selling dealers. It is believed there were only about 300 ever made. What little information we have about it was relayed by Mom who said her uncle Ray had given it to her, and if she ever had boys, they could play with it one day. And play with it I did! Ray was a reporter for the New York Times and traveled the world. My best guess is that maybe he wrote an article for Willys back then and received the Al Toy as a gift. If you look closely, you’ll see Uncle Ray and Aunt Margaret behind the wheel of the Al Toy having a great time on a grand road trip.
Fast forward to Chris, always sharing Willys news forwarded a FB listing he found while scouring the web. It was a 1949 Willys Overland Station Wagon. Yup, you guessed it, the same color as the Al Toy. I hadn’t ever really pursued getting one, never seen a real one in this color either. Something was different about this one, I had to take a closer look. The listing described the vehicle as being in excellent running condition. It certainly looked good from the pictures. A couple of phone calls later, I decided I would buy it. I guess that iconic 3 color wood grain style Willys Station Wagon was ingrained in me.
A couple of weeks later I took delivery. The Willys Wagon was every bit as pictured and described by the seller. The brown paint (actually has a distinct purple hue) on the front end and roof is still original. The interior is mostly original with only the driver seat vinyl replaced and carpeting added to the front floor. It still has its original wheels and hubcaps. There’s an oil change sticker pasted inside the driver-side door jamb. Its day, month, and year are the exact date of my wife’s birthday, not that it means anything, but it’s still cool.
The 1949 Willys Station Wagon joins its older siblings, a 1944 Willys MB Jeep, and younger brother, a 1951 Willys 451 pickup Truck. Parts-wise, not much is needed. New shocks along with some under-the-hood items such as radiator and heater hoses, air cleaner crossover tube, and hoses were replaced. Future items will include a new steering wheel and trim ring.
The 49 Willys Wagon made its first car show debut taking a Top 20 trophy. As with any vehicle, you always learn more as you go. I discovered the 1948 Willys Ad campaigns featuring the brown, wood grain Station Wagon pictured in two different cities across the country and around the world. The ads were published monthly, there are a total of thirteen known ads.
Residing in the metro Atlanta area, of interest is the Atlanta Joins Amsterdam Ad. Originally published December 18, 1948, in the Saturday Evening Post. Referred to in the original Ad as a Famous Atlanta landmark. The location is in Historic Grant Park just a short drive up the street, so I decided to see if I could recreate the picture. The building now known as Savanna Hall is maintained by Zoo Atlanta, and the staff were receptive to my request to recreate the picture. Although the landscape has changed a bit, the trees are much larger, and the parking lot is different. I was able to park My Willys Wagon and capture the picture. Who knows what the next adventure will hold?
- Mark Niedbalski Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – If you would like to share your Willys Jeep Story please send us a line. We’d love to meet your Jeep.
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