Almost 83 years have passed since the first Willys jeep roared out of a US factory. which would later become a key piece for the movement of commandos and military patrols during World War II. November 1941 was then passing, a month before the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which in record time sent thousands of units to all fronts. Before the Allied victory in 1945, the versatile, light and powerful ‘all-terrain’ They had already earned a place of honor in history, according to the ‘willisero’ Osman Patzi in a well-made publication of his about the Willys in Santa Cruz.
The legendary Willys was the first 4×4 or four-wheel drive vehicle used as the main means of motorized transportation to cross, without any traffic jam, the sandy areas and neighborhoods of the old Santa Cruz bell tower for at least three decades, starting in the 1950s. Or a little before. This is reflected in the graphic testimonies of those distant times and with which a simple but good story endures.
Initially held in the Urban Park, some meetings between friends and neighbors who recognized themselves as Willys fans, would later lead to the founding of the Willys Santa Cruz Club on October 3, 2003, until its full consolidation in the 21 years just mentioned. Between walks, exhibitions and caravans, the williseros enjoy a hobby that has even taken them to travel, from end to end, the good land of Santa Cruz and contact their friendly communities.
