I want you to remember something as you watch this footage: the 1968 Jeepers Jamboree had been around sixteen years, providing a trail ride for fans of the World War II hero vehicle to come out and try 22 miles of absolutely punishing trails. 2018 marks the 66th anniversary of the event, which will be held July 25th-29th, 2018, but we’re looking back in time today. Back to when lift kits, 38″ tires, and rock sliders were not the normal. We’re going back to the day of the flatfender, when the one CJ-5 we see looks radically out of place by comparison. We see four-cylinder Willys, Bantam, and Ford-built machines in pretty much stock form bounding along the rocky trails like goats. We see windshields down for better views, skinny tires that make you wonder just how traction is even possible. There’s little in the way of winches or recovery items that we can see but we don’t see many issues or hangups that can’t be undone by shifting into reverse gear. This is footage that argues that less is more…you don’t need the V6 or the aired-down, beadlocked tires to handle what’s out there. You just need enough fuel to make it to the other end of the trail, enough people with you to make sure you don’t get stranded out in the California sun, and enough fortitude to keep your foot in the throttle as you’re bounding up and over a rocky hillside.
