4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY NAMED MODEL · 1952–71
NAMED MODELMilitary · OtherCanadaUnited States

M38A1 CDN.

The Canadian Army’s M38A1, built by Ford of Canada at Windsor from 1952 and by Kaiser Jeep from 1967, with Canadian-pattern lighting and a 24-volt system; the CDN3 of 1967–71 served into the 1990s.

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Sources & evidence
M38A1 CDN — Willys M38A1 at Military Heritage Day, Chatham, OntarioCrisco 1492 · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
BASE VEHICLEM38 / M38A1BUILT BYKaiser Jeep Corporation, Ford Motor CompanyIN SERVICE1952–71OPERATED INCanadaPRODUCTIONAbout 6,000 across three batchesLAYOUT4 wheels · 81″

The record

Ford of Canada built the M38 CDN and from 1952 the M38A1 CDN for the Canadian Army; the CDN2 and CDN3 batches followed, the last from Kaiser Jeep in 1967–71. Canada kept the M38A1 as its light utility vehicle until the Iltis replaced it in the 1980s, and reserve units used it into the 1990s.

Specification

MANUFACTURERKaiser Jeep Corporation ↗, Ford Motor Company ↗
Windsor, Ontario; Kaiser Jeep
MANUFACTURED1952–71
ENGINE2.2-litre F-head Hurricane four, 72 hp
PRODUCTION RUNAbout 6,000 across three batches
COUNTRY OF ORIGINCanada
OPERATED INCanada
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEM38 / M38A1
FAMILYM38 / M38A1
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE81″
CATEGORYMilitary · Other

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.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

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 M38A1 ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE
  2. 2Canadian Army M38A1 ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

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