WWII Jeep in a Crate
The military needed a tough vehicle that could carry heavy loads, pull heavy objects and move quickly over rough ground. 648,000 Ford GPW’s and Willys MB’s were built during World War II – 15 percent of military vehicles produced were Jeeps. The Jeep was used by every branch of the U.S military, with an average of 145 assigned to each infantry regiment.
Boxing up a jeep was expensive and time consuming so it was only done when absolutely necessary. Jeeps that were crated were complete vehicles, not a box of parts — windshields were folded, wheels taken off and a few other things done to minimize the cubeage.
It is doubtful if any crated Jeeps remained in the United States to be sold to civilians after the war. Dealers and organizations have offered substantial amounts of money for anyone who can produce a Jeep in a crate.
“No one has ever presented photo evidence or a bill of sale of a surplus WWII jeep in a crate,” Adams-Graf told The National Interest. In fact, back in the mid-1990s, Daryl Bensinger, owner of Beachwood Canvas in Island Heights, New Jersey, made an open offer of $10,000 to anyone who could prove the existence of surplus WWII Jeeps still in the crate that were sold after WWII or still locked away in a forgotten warehouse. To date, no one has claimed that prize.