Meet the Mysterious Jeep I Found in Thailand
Sometimes, you find the coolest things in the most unexpected places. I was recently in Thailand in an area called the Golden Triangle. It was a wonderfully beautiful place full of wild land, steep hills, and lots of elephants. It also came equipped with a classic Willys-style Jeep.
Now I saw “Willys-style” because there is absolutely no way for me to really track the provenance of this thing, and discussions with some of the locals were confusing at best. The most thorough explanation I got was that it was a “WWII Jeep from Vietnam.” So yeah… did that mean it was a WWII Jeep that was used in Vietnam during conflicts with the French and Japanese? It is just an old Jeep that was built in Vietnam? Was it used in the Vietnam War but built like old Jeeps?
I don’t really know, but one thing is for sure, it has Jeep badges on most of it, a Mitsubishi icon on the nose, and it looks as awesome as two bikini-clad girls firing AK-47s at a statue of Hitler.
The Jeep was used as a shuttle for guests and volunteers to get from the main hotel down to the elephant camp for various experiences. It bounces, it rumbles, and it feels like the ’40s rolled up into one little slab of metal. I loved the hell out of it. Sadly, I was unable to drive the beast, but I did get a few rides in it, and I had the chance to get some nice detail shots.
So now, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to sort through these photos and see what information you can give me on this slab of metal and history. Even if I never see this particular Jeep again, I would love to know more about it. So let’s hear from all the classic Jeep gurus in the JK-Forum, what do you say?
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
