4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1950–71
BASE MODELUnited States

M38 / M38A1.

The post-war military Jeeps: the M38 of 1950–52 (a militarised CJ-3A, 80-inch wheelbase, 24-volt electrics) and the M38A1 of 1952–71 (the rounded-bonnet body later sold as the CJ-5, 81-inch wheelbase, F-head Hurricane engine), built by Willys and Kaiser and under licence in Canada, the Netherlands and elsewhere.

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Sources & evidence
MODEL LINEM38 / M38A1BUILT BYWillys-Overland / Kaiser Jeep, Toledo; NEKAF (Netherlands); Ford of CanadaPRODUCED1950–71PRODUCTIONAbout 62,000 M38 and about 100,000 M38A1 in the United StatesLAYOUT4 wheels · 81″

The record

The M38 replaced the MB in US and NATO service with waterproofed 24-volt electrics and a stronger frame; about 62,000 were built. The M38A1 of 1952 introduced the body that became the CJ-5 in 1954 and stayed in production for export and licence until 1971, with roughly 100,000 built by Willys/Kaiser and more by NEKAF in the Netherlands and Ford of Canada.

Research status: draft — identification, dates or figures could not all be pinned down; the summary says what is unresolved.

Specification

MANUFACTURERWillys-Overland / Kaiser Jeep, Toledo; NEKAF (Netherlands); Ford of Canada
MANUFACTURED1950–71
ENGINE2.2 L L134 (M38); 2.2 L F-head Hurricane (M38A1)
PRODUCTION RUNAbout 62,000 M38 and about 100,000 M38A1 in the United States; licence production additional
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited States
STATUSsucceeded in US service by the M151
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINEM38 / M38A1
FAMILYM38 / M38A1
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE81″
BODY STYLEOpen ¼-ton
VARIANTS1

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Factory colours

  • Olive Drab (wartime)

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Willys M38 ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE
  2. 2Willys M38A1 ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: draft