Willys M 38 A1 (1956)
for sale
Price: US $7,500.00
Price: US $7,500.00
The vehicle with the longest service record in the Dutch military, serving in the Royal Army for more than 40 years from 1952 until 1996, is the
M38A1 Jeep. During and shortly after World War II, the Dutch army used
jeeps left behind by American forces. By the early 1950's however, the army was
looking for a replacement, and in 1952 received a number of U.S.-built M38A1's
under the Mutual Defence Assistance Program
The army had two principal options for purchase of additional
vehicles: the M38A1 and the DAF YA 054 light terrain vehicle. The DAF was
designed by the Dutch company of the same name, with the requirements of the
Royal Army in mind, but may have lost the race simply because its price was a
couple of hundred guilders higher than the M38A1's.
According to the contract with Kaiser-Willys, parts for the Dutch
M38A1 Jeeps were to come from the U.S., but as an aid to the Dutch industry, the Jeeps would be assembled at the Nederlandse Kaiser-Frazer
(NEKAF) factory in Rotterdam. The first of what became known as the Nekaf
Jeeps was delivered on 28 May 1955.
The initial order was for 4000 Jeeps, plus a rolling prototype
which served the purpose of establishing the conformity of all parts.
Eventually some 24 percent of the parts would be delivered by local suppliers.
Batteries and tires were supplied by Dutch firms Bataafse Accufabriek (now
known as Varta), and Vredestein. This increased the price of a Nekaf to 12, 670 Dutch
guilders, which made it a very expensive vehicle at that time.
The Nekaf Jeep was basically an M38A1 with a few additions needed
to comply to the Dutch traffic regulations of the time: extra reflectors
screwed to the front fenders, low-intensity city lights added to
the grille, and turn signals mounted to the left and right sides of the tub
just behind the seats. The Nekaf was equipped with a canvas roof; provisions
were made for mounting a hardtop but these were not used in the Dutch army.
At start of production, Kaiser-Frazer delivered about 55 Nekafs
per week. An additional order for another 150 Jeeps for the Royal Army was
placed in 1956, as well as an order for 156 Jeeps to be delivered to the Air
Force. However, deliveries apparently went down to 27 per week by 1957, and
production finally ceased when the factory was faced with a large penalty for
failing to make deliveries at the rate stated in the contract. The 5676th and
last Kaiser-Frazer-produced Nekaf was delivered to the army in 1958.
The Dordrecht firm Kemper & Van Twist Diesel took over
production from 1958 to 1962, and held on to the Nekaf name. Kemper
& Van Twist assembled about 2000 Jeeps.
When the Ministry of Defence (then called Ministry of War) decided
to acquire the Nekaf, its life was expected to be twenty years; ten years in
active duty and the remainder in storage. During the 1960's and beyond, changed
priorities meant the Ministry spent a large part of its budget buying tracked
and wheeled armoured vehicles for the mechanization of the Royal Army. There
was no money left to replace the Nekaf, and therefore the Jeep remained in
active service much longer than originally intended.
Alongside the standard issue Jeep used for general purposes, the
Nekaf was used as a radio Jeep, ambulance, fire engine and snow plow. After
1959 it was used as a weapons carrier equipped with the 106mm M40 recoilless
rifle (in Dutch, Terugstootloze Vuurmond or TLV.) With the use of
American part sets, 355 Nekafs were converted to M38A1C TLV carriers. In order to be able to
carry the extra weight of 217 kilograms, heavier springs were mounted. The
windshield had separated window panes, a gun barrel support was mounted, and
ammunition storage racks were added. From 1983 until 1989, forty M38A1Cs were
equipped with cable-guided TOW missiles.
update: 2015-12-02
Used |
“Original Condition with all original parts in good running and driving condition.” |
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): | M38A1 | Year: | 1956 |
Transmission: | Manual | Make: | Willys |
Vehicle Title: | Clear | Model: | M 38 A1 |
Options: | 4-Wheel Drive | Engine: | 4 cyl |
Fuel Type: | Gasoline | Drive Type: | 4 wheel drive |
For Sale By: | Private Seller | Exterior Color: | olive green |
Trim: | jeep | Interior Color: | khaki |
Mileage: | 1 | Number of Cylinders: | 4 |