Who says you need a fancy sports car to catch a lady’s eye? This 1948 Willys Jeep Wagon was my ride during my first three years of college in the late 1950s (after a brief relationship with a high maintenance ’47 Cadillac). Maybe it was reverse snob appeal or some such, but everyone loved this ol’ Jeep, though the young lady in the photos was briefly tempted by a brand new ’57 Ford convertible and a ’56 Austin Healy (the Jeep beat’em both).

I really loved that Jeep wagon, though it was constantly giving me grief. So much so, it was necessary for me to have Sammy, my “mechanic”, with me at all times. Who, though she didn’t have a clue as to what was under the hood, had a wonderful ability to calm me down whenever a problem developed. And, to this day, she hasn’t lost her touch.

During my last two years of college in Massachusetts, my gal moved on to graduate school in Ohio. I had to drive 1,400 miles round trip for a date, which I did several times, both in the Jeep and in my father’s 1955 Buick Century. What always intrigued me was, it didn’t matter which car I drove, it always took about the same amount of time. From fourteen hours (one way) to a snow – delayed fifteen hours, and the second fastest time was in the Jeep. Yet, with the Jeep, I could hardly maintain the speed limit on roads like the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I was generally well over the limit in the Buick. Lesson learned: speeding doesn’t get you there any faster.

Roger