‘I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLD’
Lyn’s beloved Jeep expected to fetch £30k
A STOKE-ON-TRENT car enthusiast is ready to part with her beloved historic 4x4 – and could be set to pocket her around £30,000.
Lyn is no stranger to the world of doing up motors and then selling them.
Now the 62-year-old, who was once manager of Newcastle Motor Auctions, is preparing to say goodbye to her 1942 Willys Jeep.
The Willys MB and the Ford GPW – commonly known as the Willys Jeep – was the world’s first mass-produced light four-wheel drive car.
It was a hugely successful offroad American utility vehicle and was produced in large numbers for the States and Allied forces in World War Two.
Lyn’s Jeep, right, is being sold with spares, receipts, technical and WW2 manuals and a new black period steering wheel.
Hansons Auctioneers, who are overseeing the sale, say the vehicle has a guide price of £25,000 to £30,000. Lyn bought the Jeep back in 2015 with the vehicle having undergone a ‘ground-up restoration’ by its previous owner.
It’s also proved to be a real headturner. Lyn said: “One man asked permission to photograph it while I was loading it up with my shopping at Tesco.
“It’s been much admired by people of all ages and all walks of life. It’s visited the beaches of Normandy in France, attended charity events, car shows, car cruises and car meets, and it’s been used to visit family or for trips to eat out.”
When it comes to maintaining motors Lyn, whose daily drive is a Ford Ranger, knows what she’s talking about. She said: “I can service cars and do most jobs. I’ve done the suspension on a Ford Capri and changed shock absorbers, brake pads and tyres. I passed my driving test at 17 and my first car was a Mini van. In our family, if you had a nice car you had to learn how to look after it.
“I worked in the motor trade for nearly 30 years starting in 1984.
In 1999 I took over as manager of a family firm, Newcastle Motor Auctions. I’ve always been a woman in a man’s world.”
Lyn had long been looking for such a classic Jeep before the iconic WW2 4x4 came her way.
She said: “I bought the Jeep in 2015 because I’d always liked them. It took me many months and miles to find it. The previous owner, a joiner by trade, had carried out a groundup restoration which was completed in 2009. He’d previously restored two other Jeeps. This was his third and funds were needed to complete the restoration of number four. I was told the engine had been rebuilt by a gentleman who’d worked on Spitfires.” Lyn hopes whoever lands it will enjoy it as much as she has.
She added: “I’ve had great fun driving the Jeep for the last seven years. I am only parting with it because it’s time for something new.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to turn the key, start it up and set off on a journey in it, regardless of distance. I hope its new owner gets as much enjoyment out of it as I have.”
During WW2, Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, said most senior officers regarded it as one of the five pieces of equipment most vital to success in Africa and Europe. Meanwhile, General George Marshall, chief of staff of the US Army during the war, said the vehicle was ‘America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare’.