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Famous Jeeps: Sarge WW2 Willys Jeep from Cars

Updated on Apr 17, 2025

In our Famous Jeeps series, we generally cover real-life vehicles. Whether on a film or television set or belonging to a notable figure, all previous features, like Val and Earl's J20 Gladiator from Tremors or Daisy Duke's CJ-7, have focused on tangible vehicles—until now.

In this month's Famous Jeeps feature, we're taking things beyond the physical world to a little town inspired by Old Route 66. In the quaint town of Radiator Springs, Sarge Willys runs a well-stocked Army Surplus store, where you'll find him socializing with its residents and pawning night vision goggles to misguided race cars.

Of course, we're referencing Disney Pixar's Cars and one of its most notable characters—a grouchy, WWII-era Willys MB. Stay tuned as we explore this iconic character, his role in the Cars franchise, and more.

Table of Contents:

The Film

The Jeep

Build Your Own Cars Inspired Jeep CJ

The Film: Cars

Disney Pixar's Cars, released on Jun 9, 2006, follows the harrowing tale of its protagonist, race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson). After becoming lost on Route 66 after a mishap while being transported to California for an important race, McQueen finds himself in legal trouble in the small, dilapidated, yet soulful town of Radiator Springs.

To make it to California on time, McQueen must repair property damage from a police chase with the local law enforcement, appropriately named Sheriff (Michael Wallis). However, after a brief stint in the town, he begins to empathize with its citizens and fall for the slow-paced lifestyle it offers.

Caught between the glory of the winner's podium and his new friends, McQueen is forced to decide what really matters.

The Jeep: Sarge Willys (1942 WWII Willys MB)

In the film franchise, Sarge Willys (Paul Dooley) is a disgruntled resident of Radiator Springs. He is repeatedly seen feuding with his friend and neighbor, a tagged and painted VW Type 2 "Hippie Bus" named Fillmore (George Carlin).

Sarge runs an Army surplus store in Radiator Springs, which is fitting considering his basing off of a WWII-era Willys MB—the first "Jeep." Sarge wears the iconic Olive-Drab green paint and original white markings found on WWII Jeeps.

As one of the grouchier characters in the film, Sarge warms up slower to Lightning McQueen than fellow Radiator Springs residents. However, his obtuse demeanor eventually gives way to a friendship with McQueen.

Sarge Green: A Homage to the Pixar Character

In 2020, Jeep® announced a new paint color for the redesigned Wrangler JL—Sarge Green. Inspired by Sarge from Cars, this color offers military-esque styling reminiscent of the Olive Drab color found on WWII Willys Jeeps.

Though discontinued that same year, Jeep announced that the color would return in the 2025 model year on the JT Gladiator and JL Wrangler chassis.

Build Your Own Cars Inspired Jeep MB

If Cars is a quintessential film in your household, whether for yourself or your family, consider building up a replica of its standout characters, like Sarge. In this section, we'll cover our step-by-step recommendations for piecing together a Sarge Willys tribute.

Platform

In the film, Sarge's design is directly inspired by the Willys MB, the military "Jeep" that transported troops across the Western Front during the Second World War.

Specifically, the Willys MB is a 1941–42 model. Sources report Sarge may be either, and the confusion isn't unfounded, considering he's an animated character. For the basis of our Sarge-inspired tribute, we'd recommend locating a 1941–1945 Willys MB, which should all be virtually identical aside from minor model year changes.

However, the MB is a nearly impossible chassis to find, especially for a decent value. Alternatively, consider shopping for the civilian version—the CJ-2A—which expands the potential year range to 1949 with only minor variances, like the grille and headlights, which are easy to remedy.

Body

Sarge wears a traditional matte Olive Drab (OD) green paint job—a color still offered by Willys in matte and semi-gloss finishes. He also wears Military-inspired graphics, including a white star on his hood, Sergeant Major insignias on each door, and the number "984673" on each fender.

Wheels & Tires

Though Sarge appears to sit on factory steel wheels painted the same Olive Drab color as his body, these components aren't easy to come by second-hand. Plus, the heavy weight of factory steel wheels can significantly weigh down the already underpowered Jeep.

As an alternative, consider a set of similar aluminum wheels, like the Nomad Field. Wrap these wheels in a modern all-terrain, like the General Grabber A/TX, for a comfortable ride and long treadwear.

Top

In the Cars franchise, Sarge typically wears an OD green soft top with soft doors. While period-correct soft tops are difficult to find, especially in good condition, similarly styled reproductions are plentiful.

Consider outfitting your Sarge replica with a high-quality Rugged Ridge OEM Replacement soft top for a similar look and suitable weather resistance.

Suspension

Regarding suspension, Sarge appears to sit at factory height. However, that's not to say improvements can't be made. Especially if your starting platform is unrestored, consider upgrading the aging stock suspension with all-new dampers, like Superlift Shadow Series shocks.

Additional Details

Lastly, let's discuss the details. After all, with the aforementioned upgrades, you're essentially left with a basic Willys MB rather than a Pixar character. As a final touch, we recommend ordering a custom windshield sunshade or static-cling graphics to add eyes to the windshield and bring the tribute to life!

With these upgrades installed, you'll have your own Sarge Willys tribute.

As always, we offer all the parts and know-how to piece together this build and countless others at RealTruck. For additional information, check out the rest of our articles on RealSource, and don't hesitate to contact the experts.