The Jeep "Surrey" or "Gala", was a package on the two-wheel drive DJ-3A Dispatcher. Produced by Willys starting in 1959, the Surrey was usually seen in pink (actually Tropical Rose/Coral Mist), but also offered in Cerulean Blue/Glacier White, and Fountain Green/Glacier White (see the Willys Paint Samples page for paint chips).
The rare color advertising photo above dates from 1960. See also the rear view photo (120K JPEG). The chrome hubcaps all have red trim, whereas most pink Surreys have body color trim on the hubcaps (100K JPEG). Also the pink steering wheel appears to be painted the darker Tropical Rose, rather than the usual lighter Coral Mist steering wheel (70K JPEG).
Please see the DJ-3A Bulletin Board if you have questions to ask or information to offer about the Dispatcher or Surrey.
The story of the origin of the Jeep Surrey is not well known, but Jeep historians Bruce Agan, Bill Norris, Keith Buckley and Ron Szymanski have been contributing to piecing it together, and for the first time in many years here are some of the facts:
The Jeeps seen here at Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco, Mexico were the prototypes for what first became known as the "Gala". The resort decided to make DJ-3A Dispatcher Jeeps with striped canvas halfcab tops available to guests. According to the back of this postcard, "more than one hundred pink and white jeeps are available for guests." (See Las Brisas: Birthplace of the Jeep Gala on The CJ3B Page.)
Louis Yocich, a salesman for Willys Export, thought the idea would also work well in Hawaii, where Henry Kaiser owned the 1,100-room Hawaiian Village Hotel. Kaiser had become a major developer in Hawaii when he "retired" there in 1954, shortly after his Kaiser Industries bought Willys-Overland. An article in Time magazine (1 September 1967) reported that his Hawaiian Village Hotel had been sold to Conrad Hilton for $21.5 million, and that other businesses owned by Kaiser included the car rental agency which offered the Galas starting in summer 1959.
A newspaper clipping headlined "New Jeep Galas Bring Rosy Hue to Islands' U-Drive Car Business" (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 16 September 1959, 120K JPEG) mentions Louis Yocich and his role in bringing the Gala to Hawaii. It describes the paint on the 50 Jeeps offered for rent to tourists in Hawaii as "Kaiser Pink," and reports that 20 in "Sheraton Blue" would soon be available.
The details of the Gala design were clearly influenced by the Fiat Jolly which had been created by Italian coachbuilder Ghia and become popular in Europe. A Jolly was purchased for testing by Willys, perhaps even before it was first imported into the U.S. by Fiat in 1958 (at almost double the price of the standard Fiat 500, according to the Microcar Museum, which owns the Jolly seen here.)
Louis Yocich says the idea for the surrey fringe on the top was initially his. He still has many stories from the Kaiser-Willys era, although unfortunately most of the documentation he saved from his days with Willys Export was lost in a fire. Henry Kaiser and his wife apparently also had some input into the design and marketing of the new model. Willys or its advertising agency finally decided to use the "Surrey" name to advertise the model domestically.
This Surrey (left) belonging to Jim and Peg Marski's Historic Civilian Jeeps Collection in Colorado, was on display at Chrysler's touring Camp Jeep in 2000 (photo by Mike Albright.)
Rear view: at the 2002 Toledo Jeep Employees Car Show I photographed my wife Roseanna in Ron Szymanski's 1960 Surrey (photo by Derek Redmond.)
The Surrey is an unusual restoration challenge, because of the unique parts involved. Ernest McCoulsky has been working on one in Texas (50K JPEG).
There are a number of chromed parts -- see a rear view photo (70K JPEG) -- but the engine (90K JPEG) is the standard L-head with no chrome added. And the serial number tag (70K JPEG) has the standard DJ-3A prefix 56337, so serial number records don't tell us how many Surreys were actually built.
Bruce Agan found an 11x17-inch Willys booklet titled "Jeep Gala Rental Plan Guide: A New Dimension to the Rental Car Industry". It was certainly one of Willys' most expensive pieces of advertising, and even includes vinyl fabric samples (110K JPEG) in a pocket inside the back cover. But the artist who did the many colorful sketches in the booklet clearly didn't know what the final paint schemes were going to be: see more of the booklet.
Two Gala promotional photos are found in the Images in Time collection at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. This beach scene was likely taken at the same time as some of the photos for the rental promotion booklet.
Another lovely shot overlooking a harbor with cruise ships (100K JPEG) was probably the inspiration for a sketch found on a rental rate card (60K JPEG) printed by Willys for Tropical Motors in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Richard Sargent, Sales Manager for Tropical Motors in the late 60's and early 70's, identifies the location of the photo as Mafolie Hill in St. Thomas.
See also a Tropical Motors map of St. Thomas (260K JPEG) with little Jeeps on all the roads.
Move Over, Darling, starring Doris Day, James Garner and Polly Bergen, was a 1963 Hollywood remake of the 1940 screwball comedy My Favorite Wife. The plot revolves around a woman who is lost and presumed dead after an airplane accident at sea. But she survives on an island, is rescued, and returns to her husband just as he remarries.
The Jeep, apparently with a non-original soft top, is seen only briefly in the background of the scene above, but the Surrey colors in the movie poster (right) suggest that the style of the Jeep was a perfect fit for the film. Thanks to Vilero for sending the frame.
According to Wikipedia, Move Over, Darling was originally intended to be a comeback vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, playing opposite Dean Martin, under the title of Something's Got to Give. Following Monroe's death, Doris Day and James Garner were eventually cast in the roles originated by Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in My Favorite Wife.
The film also features a 1963 Chrysler Imperial, and there are stills and movie clips on the Imperial Web Pages.
A Surrey also pops up in another 1963 film, Jerry Lewis' classic Jekyll and Hyde film The Nutty Professor. Lewis plays both the klutzy professor and his alter ego the suave Buddy Love ("Here y'are, baby. Take this, wipe the lipstick off, slide over here next to me, and let's get started.") The Surrey is unfortunately missing its front bumper, but it does fit perfectly into the film's very colorful art direction and costume design (70K JPEG). Thanks to Mike Boyink for the movie frame.
This frame from the old CBS-TV series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was also found by Vilero. The episode is "One of Our Shells Is Missing" from Season 3, original air date 5 April 1967, and features Marine Pvt. Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) and Sgt. Vince Carter (Frank Sutton) searching for a live mortar round lost by Gomer during practice.
Elvis Presley owned a pink Surrey which is still on display at his Graceland mansion in Memphis (see Matchbox 1960 Jeep Surrey). A Surrey appeared briefly in his movie Blue Hawaii, and one had a starring role in the much better beach movie Ride the Wild Surf.
Anybody recognize the movie or TV show that featured this Surrey with loudspeakers (50K JPEG)?
In 1960, Willys Australia built a unique CJ-3B Surrey to advertise the movie Pepe (see Promoting the Australian-Made CJ-3B.)
Thanks to Bruce Agan for the Gala rental brochure and the Las Brisas postcard, and Mike Albright for the Camp Jeep photo. -- Derek Redmond
See the DJ-3A Bulletin Board if you have questions or information about the Dispatcher or Surrey.
Not surprisingly the Surrey Gala has been the inspiration for a few kiddie toys over the years, notably the Tonka version. See photos of a Tonka with a full-size Surrey in the The Original Tonka Surrey on The CJ3B Page. And see other Surrey Jeep Toys.
See more of the 1959 Jeep Gala promotional booklet.
For more on the DJ-3A, see The Dispatcher Jeeps.
Return to Siblings of the CJ-3B.
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