Badly damaged in an accident, this 1954 M38A1 presented Mike Scorer with a restoration challenge
Those of us growing up in the 1970s may remember the popular television series M*A*S*H which gave a light-hearted take on the very real challenges facing the US Army in the 1950s. Between the laughs, the M*A*S*H motor pool reflected, often accurately, the story of the Korean War through the vehicles of the time. One vehicle stood out; a smart, new, satin-finished Jeep with round fenders, fit to transport a visiting general to the show in the episode, ‘Welcome to Korea’ and which the cast pinched and drove around for larks. This was the M38A1, for Willys a radical new look for the post-World War Two era.
Not everyone was convinced by the M38A1’s merits. Philip C Johnson, the director of architecture and design at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, when asked to comment on the newly-designed M38A1 for an article in the Standard Fact Book of 1953 Cars, responded that it was “a typical case of styling - and ugly styling at that - ruining a good, clear example of machine art. It is the usual case of bloating used to make cars look bigger by adding unnecessary curves.”
He had a.
Fast forward 60 years and in England…
