You’re on a beach. It’s 1960-something. Suntanned girls in strip-striped swimsuits and flared sunglasses stroll by while you sip a mojito and fan your brow with a copy of Playboy (for the articles, of course).
And this jolly little beach ranger? That’s your ride for the week. The jewel of Waikiki’s motoring scene.
Now fast-foward 50 years.
You’re still in Waikiki. Things have changed. The car, however, remains blissfully intact.
Some 60 odd years ago, Henry Kaiser retired to Hawaii and purchased a Willys-Overland. Among the businesses the successful gent owned was a Hawaiian Village resort on Waikiki Beach, which he later handed over to Conrad Hilton. And hence the Gala edition of the original Jeep Dispatcher DJ-3A (i.e., a USPS mail delivery truck) was born. Adorned with striped upholstery and a fringed top, the ride became a rental vehicle for resort guests.
In ‘59, the Gala was added to the export line and churned out through the islands and Mexico in three colorways: Tropical Mist (light pink), Cerulean Blue and Jade Tint Green. All in all, they produced approximately 1,000 of these joyful little pranksters before discontinuing the model in 1964.
But this here Jeep Willy still runs like a Deere, and it’s up for auction this upcoming January at RM Sotheby’s affair in Arizona. And while it won’t win you many drag races, it’s likely to induce a lot more sick (er, beach) days.
via Carscoops
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