Willys Jeep "Mash", 1944
Willys MB
Willys MB•
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Chassis No.: MB16242
Auction: Kissimmee 2020
Auction date: January 12, 2020
Lot No.: S269
$22,000 | Sold
- Transmission: Manual
- Exterior: Green
- Interior: Green
- If sold to a Florida resident, this vehicle must be titled as a former military, restricted Florida registration
- 1944 “MASH” Jeep
- In 1984 CBS had a Mash display contest for video stores, the Grand prize was a 1944 Willys Jeep used in the hit show MASH and was awarded to the Video Shack Chain
- The Mash Jeep was kept on display in the Video Shack in Paramus, New Jersey store through 1988
- Copy of 1984 title issued to Video Shack
- Presented in screen-used condition
- Inline 4-cylinder engine
- Downdraft carburetor
- 3-speed manual transmission
- 4-wheel drive
- Manual folding top
- Jerry can and rear mounted spare
When it’s hotter than “Hot Lips” Houlihan, this topless 1944 Willys Jeep is a TV-star-level classic that you can enjoy showing and driving. MASH stood for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and in the waning days of the Vietnam War, Hollywood created this popular comedy-drama showcasing the Korean conflict of a quarter-century earlier. The Jeep here is a 1944 edition painted up for the MASH 4077 unit. While the show ended in 1983 after running 11 years, in 1984, producer CBS created a special MAS*H display contest for video stores with the grand prize being one of the 1944 Willys Jeeps used in the hit show.
This is that Jeep, awarded to the Video Shack chain and then kept on display in Video Shack’s store location in Paramus, New Jersey, until 1988. This sale will include a copy of the 1984 title issued to Video Shack. Rather than being a spotless restoration, it was presented in screen-used condition, and it retains that state to this day. Developed in World War II, the Willys Jeep is credited as an amazingly simple yet extremely durable personnel vehicle. With its inline 4-cylinder engine and downdraft carburetor, tuning was straight-forward in the field.
This is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission, and Jeeps featured 4-wheel drive and large-diameter tires with abundant underbody clearance. While there is no A/C (sorry, Margaret), this Jeep has a manual folding top, as well as in-dash gauges and simple operation knobs. The Willys production data tags remain on the dash. In addition to the “Jerry” gas can and a rear-mounted spare, several armed forces items are also in this vehicle. Thanks to late-night cable, you can still watch Hawkeye, Hot Lips, Klinger and Coronel Sherman T. Potter in action. This Jeep is luckily not “in-country” like they were cast as, but it offers the owner a real sense of star quality in a military vehicle package.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL20-397418/1944-willys-jeep-mash/
