Willys Jeepster Overview: Generations, Specs, and Which One to Buy
The Willys Jeepster is a rear-wheel-drive cabrio built from 1948 to 1951, offered in a single generation with a 61 hp 2.2-liter engine and a manual gearbox.
The Willys Jeepster is a cabrio produced from 1948 to 1951, with every version rated at 61 hp. It was built in one generation, with a single 2.2-liter modification driving the rear wheels through a manual gearbox. It suits collectors and enthusiasts of early post-war open-body cars who value a simple, single-variant model over a wide lineup of trims and engines.
Willys Jeepster generations
1 generation (1948–1951)
The first and only generation of the Willys Jeepster was produced from 1948 to 1951 exclusively as a cabrio. The power range is flat at 61 hp: the lineup consists of exactly one modification, the Willys Jeepster 2.2 MT (1 generation), with a 2199 cc engine, a manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. The 2.2 MT is listed as the mass-produced version of the model, and the manual gearbox is the only transmission ever fitted. There are no alternative bodies, transmissions, or drivetrains in the data — the generation offers one clearly defined configuration, which makes comparing individual cars straightforward: any Jeepster from these years shares the same 61 hp mechanical layout.
Which Willys Jeepster to buy
- 2.2 MT (1 generation): the only modification in the lineup, a 2199 cc engine with 61 hp, manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive, produced across the full 1948–1951 run.
Buying used here means buying a car that is at least several decades old, so the condition of the specific example matters far more than choosing between versions — there is only one. The single-modification lineup works in the buyer's favor: with one engine, one gearbox, and one drivetrain across the whole 1948–1951 production run, there are no rare configurations to hunt for, and any surviving Jeepster is mechanically the same 61 hp cabrio as any other.
Summary
The Willys Jeepster is a one-generation, one-modification model: a cabrio built from 1948 to 1951 with a 2199 cc engine, 61 hp, a manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. The choice is not between versions but between individual cars, since every Willys Jeepster 2.2 MT (1 generation) left the factory in the same configuration.