a late homecoming 70 years in the making.

Willys MB Celebrates its 70th Birthday

After surviving World War II, a 1943 Willys MB finally returned home to Toledo on June 3, exactly 70 years from its production date.

When it rolled off the assembly line in 1943, the vehicle (better known as the original Jeep®) was sent to the U.S. Army in Sicily.

After seven decades in Italy, the current owner Vittorio Argento, an Italian radio journalist and history enthusiast, decided to bring the Willys MB back for its 70th birthday. “I thought that to bring the Jeep back here was a kind of a gift for its birthday. It’s something romantic.”



Argento created the “A Jeep Comes Home” campaign, having the vehicle retrace its steps to the factory where it was built. The Willys MB began its journey by being shipped by boat from Italy to New Jersey.

Once it arrived, Argento and his team continued their trip the old-fashioned way, by driving the Willys MB from New Jersey to Toledo, Ohio.

Even though the original plant where the Willys MB was born has been torn down, Argento was able to visit the Toledo Assembly Complex, the birthplace for current Jeep Wranglers.

As Argento drove the Willys MB throughout Toledo Assembly, plant workers huddled around to take pictures, cheer and even salute the historic vehicle. The Jeep stopped midway to satisfy the admiring gear-heads asking for a look under the hood.



The Willys MB was then parked next to a current edition of Jeep vehicles, a Rubicon JK, which actually looked very similar. Even 70 years later, the Jeep vehicles have remarkable similarities.

And for just celebrating its 70th birthday, the Jeep still has great off-road capabilities. The Willys MB drove up a grassy hill with no issue for a photo-op at the giant “Jeep” sign in front of the plant.

Argento purchased the vehicle in 1984 and was dedicated to be a faithful restorer by keeping about 95% of the parts original.

From Chrysler Blog

by Catherine Gasior

June 14, 2013 11:00 AM