26 AUGUST 20, 2018 Wagoneers and Grand Wagoneers were among the stars. Jeep plans to bring back the nameplates in 2019. STREETS OF JEEPS Toledo’s venerated vehicles put on a show A 1960 CJ-5 wrecker, used to move Jeeps around the factory A 1946 Willys Jeep CJ-2A, one of the first civilian Jeeps lvellequette@crain.com T Larry P. Vellequette Bantam BRC, a Willys MA and a Ford GP — from which the brand now owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles drew its name. OLEDO, Ohio — More than 1,600 Jeeps of every size, stripe and flavor filled the streets here Aug. 10 to Some of Jeep’s popular past products — including a few set to return to the brand’s portfolio — took starring roles.
A lineup of Grand Wagoneers showed the history of the Jeep’s decadeslong Aug. 12 for the city’s second Jeep Fest — a celebration of the north- west Ohio town’s long love affair with its most famous local prod- uct. luxury halo. A variety of Jeep pickups also put in an ap- pearance. Te first Jeep Fest, in 2016, marked the 75th anniversary of the original Willys MB, but no anniversary was needed to lure Jeepers back to the birthplace of most of their vehicles. Organizers drew Jeeps from 27 states to take part in either static displays or a two- hour-plus parade through downtown Toledo. Tens of thousands of visitors came just to watch and gawk.
But for the most part, the Jeep Fest was a celebration of the individualized nature of the Jeep Wrangler and the myriad ways that each Wran- gler — as well as its CJ prede- cessors — can be acces- sorized by consumers to make their off-roader unique, both in style and functionality. This 1962 Willys Traveler featured wooden floorboards. Jeep pickups were plentiful, including this beauty. Te rarest of the Jeeps were dis- played indoors at the city’s SeaGate Convention Centre, including pristine examples of the earliest military mod- els from 1941 displayed side by side:
a More than a dozen displays from vendors featured Wranglers with one or more wheels atop a tall obstacle, demonstrating the odd angles their ax- les will traverse to keep their wheels on the ground. a 1962 FC-150 Forward Control: Jeep’s answer to a work truck A 1958 M274 Mechanical Mule Accessorized Wranglers still showed off after a lengthy parade.