April represents a symbolic month for Jeep, a month in which it celebrates the brand’s distinctive feature: 4×4 traction, commemorated with Jeep Day which falls on 4/4. In 2025, this period takes on an even more special significance, marking the 70th anniversary of one of the most extraordinary adventures ever experienced aboard a Jeep vehicle: Operation Pineapple.
In 2025, the 70th anniversary of one of the most incredible stories aboard a Jeep is celebrated
In 1955, three explorers, Hugo Vidal, Charles Downey, and Jan Stekly, departed from São Paulo aboard a Jeep CJ-3B with Canada as their initial destination, to participate in the World Scout Jamboree. The ambitious journey extended all the way to Alaska, transforming into an epic expedition of over 73,000 kilometers across 19 countries, completed in just over a year without the aid of modern technologies available today.
This endeavor was nicknamed “Operation Pineapple” because some local automotive component manufacturers helped finance the trip. The Jeep used demonstrated extraordinary reliability, not only passing the tests at the Willys factory in Toledo but also facing all the challenges of the route without experiencing any mechanical problems.
Jeep has celebrated this extraordinary adventure through various commemorative projects, including an emotional video documenting Hugo Vidal’s return to Alaska more than sixty years after the original expedition. The entire story has also been told in the book “Flashes of an Adventure – Operation Pineapple”.
Hugo Vidal, nicknamed “Jeep Legend 001” in Brazil, participated in the web series “Jeep Legends,” sharing additional details of this incredible journey. As he himself states: “From this life we take only the good memories and the unique moments we have lived… and I believe that what I am accumulating is a nice package!” In this month dedicated to adventure, Jeep celebrates its iconic legacy in the automotive and off-road world, inviting everyone to create new unforgettable experiences.