In the late 1970's, the Spanish CJ-3B which had previously been dubbed "Jeep Viasa" was renamed "Jeep Ebro" when licenced manufacturer VIASA was purchased by EBRO, the truck division of Motor Iberica. EBRO also soon started using the name "Bravo" (see Los Jeeps: Made in Spain) but I wasn't aware of the designation "CJ-3B-E" until seeing these photos of an Ebro belonging to Jaime Gomis (40K JPEG) in southern Spain.
Jaime, who lives in Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, says "My Jeep was bought by my father on exactly the 29th of May 1979 so
the Jeep now is 24 years old. In one more year I will try to make it an historical vehicle (getting lower taxes). The serial number is 505530."
"My mother learned to drive in the Jeep and also me and my two brothers, and my girlfriend Sara. For me to teach Sara to drive was very special. She has always loved the Jeep and is very impatient to get her driving licence."
"Here in Valencia we have formed a club of Jeeps and when we go all together during one weekend we have thirteen CJ-3, five CJ-7, four YJ, and one TJ.
"Two years ago I went with my father and some Jeeps from our club, to a meeting of the official Jeep club, and the total distance we travelled was 1500 km in four days; I will never forget it. I'm 20 years old now and my idea for this summer is to make a trip through Spain with the Jeep."
The wider view of the club lineup (50K JPEG) shows some of the other Jeeps, as well as a token Land Rover.
"The tires are Firestone Town and Country 6.00x16. One day on the highway I drove the Jeep at 135 km/h (80 MPH) which was very exciting.
"The engine is the 'famous' Perkins 4108 with 4 cylinders and 1760 cm3. The power of the engine is 57.5 cv. The Jeep was completely rebuilt 8 years ago, and nowadays I use it every day to go to the university."
"I love to go to the beach with my girlfriend and my Jeep. Two weeks ago one of my two brothers married and the wedding car was the Jeep; this was one of my best days of my life.
"The Jeep has all the original parts except the typical things that get worn out (radiator, tires, upholstery in the front seats, the starter....) I always go to the official dealer for the repairs, and I'm very happy with the service that I receive."
"When my father bought it, the Jeep had a soft top but as an option he bought the hard top (white) because the wind, the sound, the water were a problem. Two years ago was the first time that I took off the hard top. I am trying to make a little bikini top to reduce the sun and the heat."
See also a front view (50K JPEG) of the original fiberglass top.
"The most important addition is the sound system that I have installed in it, with a radio/CD and 4 speakers with 500 watts."
See a wider view of the dashboard (60K JPEG) which, along with the Barreiros diesel (110K JPEG) and the tailgate, is perhaps the most noticeable difference from the original Willys CJ-3B. Also note that the gas tank is under the passenger seat.
Thanks to Jaime for most of the photos, and Jean-Francois Lavie for the hardtop photos. -- Derek Redmond
See more of Los Jeeps: Made in Spain.
Return to Jeeps Around the World on The CJ3B Page.
CJ3B Home | Site Map | Updates | Search | Bulletin Board
