It is pretty safe to say that the Jeep brand has some of the most devoted followers in the automotive world. As it turns out, this is nothing new. The culture around the Jeep which was born in WWII continues strongly today and this amazing video from the 1950s/60s shows us the real explosion of that culture in the enthusiast world all those years ago. We perhaps think of things like Jeep clubs, trail rides, and Jamborees as relatively new things. Nope. Not a chance.
The reality is that the deep seated love for the Jeep was carried home from places all over the world by millions of returning soldiers who had either driven them, been driven in them, seen their toughness and capability, or simply wanted to keep a piece of their service close to to them, so they bought one when they got home. Not shockingly, these guys were also outdoorsmen, adventure seekers, and wanting to enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice and hard work in the war by seeing America. Jeep clubs sprung up and when clubs spring up, activities are soon to follow.
Here we watch some truly amazing color footage from a massive trail ride/camping trip, a wild Jeep mud race in Washington State, and then a very difficult and dangerous desert race in New Mexico. The film is narrated and wonderfully made. It also shows that Jeep executives knew exactly what they had in their grasp at this point. A vehicle that was transcending its purpose and becoming an icon. The world would not see anything like it again until the Ford Mustang was introduced in the front half of the 1960s.
Everything about this, aside from the fact that we lack a time machine, rules.
