June 5 – As the Willys enters the Jeep production plant in Toledo, its American adventure officially comes to an end. The septuagenarian Willys, owned by Vittorio Argento, took part in the Italian Campaign of World War II, and, with the support of the Historical Italian Automotoclub, Argento was able to bring it back to where it had been produced for its 70th anniversary. The "Granny," as Argento calls it, was put on a temporary exhibition at the Wrangler plant, where the employees were able to see up close one of the company's historical pieces. Later, Argento visited the Silver Jeep Parkway, where the Overland factory released the Willys on June 3, 1943. The event was attended by journalists and local authorities, including Mayor Michael P. Bell, who launched the idea of creating a Jeep museum. The journey of the Willys was included in the events that characterize the Year of Italian culture in the United States, with the support of the Italian Embassy in Washington. The Jeep has shown great reliability, considering its age and the age of the design, covering 800 miles in five days to reach Toledo without any problems. Not surprisingly, Argento’s Willys received the Asi the Gold Plate.

THE JOURNEY OF THE WILLYS
The transfer to Toledo, about 800 miles long, was made on minor roads through New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Jeep stopped at West Point, home of the famous Military Academy, Poughkeepsie, where Fiat, the current owner of the Jeep brand, opened its first factory in 1908. It also stopped at the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt Hyde Park residence, and in Cleveland, where the crew handed over to soldier Richard R. Radigan’s family the recognition platelets, recently found near Lake Bracciano. The Jeep bears the insignia of the 10th mountain division that still exists at Fort Drum in upstate New York. During the war, the division operated in the Tosco-Emilian Apennines. After several ownership changes, the Jeep ended up in the hands of Vittorio Argento, who has personally performed the manic restoration works.