The Jeep Willys first went into production in the middle of World War II and almost immediately attained iconic status, becoming indispensable for the military and then single-handedly introducing the concept of sports utility vehicles decades before the concept became fashionable.
One South African fan, Vincent Koekemoer, spent his entire life yearning to have his own Willys. In fact, he loves the vehicle so much that his wife threatened to divorce him when she had to count out R21 000 in cash for his second one which – at the time – was lying in bits on a farm in Patensie in the Eastern Cape province.
But let’s start at the beginning…
Never give up
The Kariega-based building surveyor had managed to find his first Willys in Cape Town, fulfilling a desire that burned within him for more than 40 years ever since he’d first fallen in love with the idea of owning one.
“When I was growing up, I used to go to auctions all over the Eastern Cape,” he remembers. “The military were selling their old vehicles and although I couldn’t afford a Willys, I could still dream.”
Eventually Koekemoer just gave up, matriculated from Muir College, went off to what was then PE Tech, got conscripted and then went to work in construction. The bug had bitten deep though. He started looking again, this time in the Eastern Cape’s Weekend Post, scouring the motoring classifieds. Each time he found a Willys he would be disappointed. It would have be gutted or modified, rebuilt in fibre glass and the original engines replaced by others. Disheartened, he eventually gave up his search.
However, about five years ago, he and a friend got chatting about the Willys and Vincent became motivated again. This time though, he started scouring the internet on sites like Gumtree and OLX. There was a hit in Cape Town, and after his brother went to give the vehicle the once-over. It was in bad condition, having been modified and fitted with a different engine, but he bought it anyway.
Then came the Willys in Patensie. It was in bits, but the parts were original.
Three years and about R60 000 later, his first restoration was finished. Every part was original. He had loosened, cleaned, greased and tightened every nut and bolt. If he couldn’t get the parts sent to him from America, he’d make them himself.
He started taking his restored Willys to local fairs, including the George Old Car Show hosted by the Southern Cape Old Car Club. In February, on his third trip to George, someone offered him R900 000 for it, but he has no intention of selling it… yet. Instead, he got his hands on another two Willys when a farmer from nearby Kirkwood phoned him up to say that he had two wrecks on his farm and asked if Vincent could restore one of them.
“I agreed on condition that I could restore one and keep the other,” he says.
Koekemoer’s fame has spread far and wide. He has met Willys lovers from as far as Swakopmund in Namibia, Colesberg in the Northern Cape, Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay. “The best part of owning a Willys,” he says, “is the friends you meet.”
