Man Builds a Willys X98 Prototype Clone and Wheels the Hell Out of It
The man who wrote the book on the CJ-3A built a X98 prototype clone based solely on some rare photographs.
Bob Westerman has forgotten more about the CJ-3A than most of us will ever know. In fact, he wrote a reference guidebook on the subject The Civilian Jeep Model CJ-3A. So, the guy is all-in when comes to these early Jeeps. How else would you describe a man that saw a picture of a prototype that was built in 1950 and decides to build one for himself? And that is what has been done here. The Jeep you see is a clone of a X98 prototype that Willys built way back when. The vehicle was never officially produced so seeing one on the trail could certainly cause you to do a double take.
The folks at the Gone-Gpn YouTube channel recently spotted the man and his Jeep and decided to ask about it. The cool thing is this is not a walk around video with no action. In fact, the bulk of the video is of this X98 getting thrashed on the trail. Westerman did not build this as a show truck, he built it to use. If you need any proof of that checkout this video that was filmed at Carnage Canyon in Colorado.
X98
The X98 was not exactly a radical prototype for Willys. The F-head engine was the big news. It produced a healthy 72 horsepower. Yes, saying 72 horsepower was healthy sounds sarcastic. But it was more powerful than the ‘Go-Devil’ engine commonly found in Jeeps at the time. Besides the more powerful engine the X98 had some design tweaks that help it to stand out. X98 prototype had a raised cowl and a new hood profile. It just looks better to Westerman and we suspect that many people would agree with him.
Wheel It
Building a prototype Jeep of your own from old pictures is impressive enough. But really the best part here is how the Jeep is used. Westerman shows it no mercy. He wanted it to be an off-road rig and he drives it that way. The center cut of this video shows Westerman taking this Jeep on some pretty rocky terrain. And the Jeep takes all the abuse that is thrown at it. This X98 prototype was built on a 1953 CJ-3B. It took two years to complete but based on the way it handles itself it was built properly.
It’s Just Cool
Westerman is asked if there is any personal meaning behind the X98 build. He says no and that he just thought it was cool. That right there is what the Jeep life is all about. Build something because you like it. The opportunities are endless when it comes to Jeep builds, and it is refreshing to hear of stories like this where someone just builds an oddball because they like it. And then to go beat the hell out of the thing is when you are really living the Jeep life to the fullest. Checkout the video below to see this incredible prototype clone in action.
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