Eisenhower's Military Jeep Could Fetch £150,000 At Auction

A military Jeep gifted to Dwight D. Eisenhower in recognition of his strategic brilliance during the Second World War is to be sold at auction.

Eisenhower served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and oversaw D-Day in June 1944 and the liberation of western Europe.  

In 1946, the National Trust for Scotland gave Eisenhower the Jeep, along with the keys to an apartment in Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coast.

The 1944 Willys-Overland Military Jeep, which has 33,000 miles on the clock, is described by auctioneers at Cheffins in Cambridgeshire as being in full working order.

It has been given a pre-sale estimate of between £120,000 and £150,000 ahead of an auction on 18 April.

The car has leather seats and the registration number of 'ESF 43' to apparently denote Eisenhower’s Special Forces 43.

In 1953, Eisenhower became president of the United States and according to Jeremy Curzon, director of Vintage Auctions at Cheffins, he used his home in Culzean Castle as a "second White House".

During his eight years in office, he would often drive around the estate and the nearby village of Maybole in the Jeep. 

He played golf at nearby Turnberry, now owned by current US President Donald Trump, and may have even driven himself there in the Jeep, Mr Curzon said.

Eisenhower stopped visiting Culzean in the late 1960s and it was eventually sold to a man from Dumfries and Galloway in 1975.

It was then sold on to its current owner, the main Jeep distributor in England, who displayed it at shows.

A full restoration of the Jeep, using all the original parts with some minor exceptions, took place in 2014.

The bodywork is stated as entirely original with the exception of a small plate in the floor, the auctioneers said.

During the restoration, a 1944 silver quarter dollar was discovered and, with the distinct possibility it was owned by Eisenhower himself, it has been mounted on the dashboard.

Also on the dashboard is a brass plaque that records the National Trust of Scotland’s gift.

Mr Curzon said: "Eisenhower’s Jeep is coming to market at a time when our thoughts are very much turning towards heroic contributions from Allied Forces during the Second World War.

"Arguably, no-one played a more significant role in the Allied Forces winning the war than Eisenhower and this is a very rare opportunity to purchase a fantastically presented vehicle with such rich provenance to such a significant man in history."

The Jeep is due to be auctioned at Cheffins’ Machinery Salesground in Sutton, Cambridgeshire, on 18 April.

Cover image: Eisenhower's Jeep could be sold for as much as £150,000 (Picture: Cheffins Auctioneers).