With the South Dakota ground barely starting to settle over the geocached Motor Mountain USA belt buckle, 15-year-old Lane Arthur has successfully unearthed it.
What’s even cooler, he sent us a picture of him, the buckle, and a 1946 Jeep Willys, restored by his grandfather.
The original Willys were used by the Allied forces in World War II, before becoming available to the public in 1946. The lightweight 4×4 vehicles knocked out 85hp and 105 lb/ft of torque, mated to a 3-speed manual transmission.
Lane Arthur wrote us saying, “Dear TFLcar crew, Here are some pictures of the belt buckle for you to choose from. I took these photos with a 46 Jeep Willy that my Grandpa restored. I am 15 years old and live in Custer, SD. Thank you for the fun adventure in finding this belt buckle! I also went up to Crook’s Tower looking for it when you uploaded your MMUSA road update video. Luckily we went on a warm day and everything, for the most part, was dry. I really like the buckle and I am proud that I found it. I think this road trip to every state is really great! Thanks again for this opportunity. Sorry you didn’t get to see Mt. Rushmore in its full glory. Next time you stop by, I would really like to meet you guys. Thanks again!”
For 2015 Jeep has brought back a specially badged Willys Wheeler with a 3.6 Pentastar V6 engine, good for 285 hp and 260 lb/ft of torque. You can even get it with a 6-speed manual transmission.
What a difference 70 years make?
Remember to tune in every Monday for the latest Motor Mountain USA video and to learn the coordinates of the newest geocached belt buckle. We want to feature YOU next!
Check out this video of a war time Willys.
Here is the South Dakota – Motor Mountain USA episode!
Thanks to Jeep for the 2015 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and for the loan of the Jeep Extreme Trail Addition Camper that serves as our home away from home as we traverse the country.
And thanks to Turtle Wax and their ICE premium car care products with new Smart Shield Technology for helping make the Motor Mountain USA adventure possible and for keeping the Jeep Wrangler looking good! #FreeTheSoul Check out the Turtle Wax ICE system at HERE.
