Made famous by John Wayne and various Hollywood heroes in epic WW2 films, the little Jeep seemed to be able to perform remarkable feats of off-road driving, completely unfazed by machine gun fire, grenades and the attentions of the odd Panzer tank.

In 1949, the CJ (Civilian Jeep) was offered with the 2.2 litre four cylinder side valve engine of 60hp, coupled to a 3 speed manual gearbox with selectable high and low range and four wheel drive.

As this little vehicle was expected to last rather longer than the military version and satisfy road legal requirements, the CJ had sturdier suspension to cope with hard usage by rural buyers and proper lights.

The separate body and chassis had rigid live axles with leaf springs to front and rear.

The windscreen could be folded flat and the Jeep could be driven without doors.

A hood frame and soft top were offered with side curtains.

The CJ version also had a drop down tailgate with the spare wheel mounted on the side.

Seating was tubular fr...