The Mura Brothers Willys

Few other cars of recent memory have given me a run for my story-finding money than this wildly-painted Willys, known as the Mura Brothers’ truck, or “Mura’s Bomb” as it was originally called. Phone calls, emails, and games of message board tag all came into play, and in the end I’m both in awe, and have a few more questions. I rest easy knowing I am not alone. Each time this truck has changed hands since being unearthed from a Livermore backyard it has spawned folklore and speculation, and generated even more questions. Pat Ganahl did an amazing piece for Rodder’s Journal when it made its return to the limelight at the 2010 Grand National Roadster Show. They ran a lengthy feature in issue 48, detailing everything they had learned. It left off with the truck in a non-functional “display” state with at least one pending question: Will it ever run? The resounding “yes” is thanks to the efforts of Kevin Doolittle of Erie, Pennsylvania.

After writing a complete article with the information I had gathered, curiosity got the best of me, and I began searching the Mura family online. We knew Nick had passed away, and according to the magazine articles he had a brother named George, who seemed to have disappeared.

I didn’t find George, per say, but I learned why nobody had ever heard of him. I did find Nick’s REAL mother Ron, and was able to call him and get a few answers. I’ll try and split the legend and his recollections in this text. According to legend, (and car magazines), the Mura pickup was built by two Japanese brothers from northern California named Nick and George. Their parents owned a large flower nursery in San Leandro in the ‘60s and were also known for rewinding slot car motors under the name Mura Products. Ron says George was their father’s name, and the other guy in many of the early photos was a friend of the family. That’s why George seemed to have disappeared; technically he never existed.

Read the rest of this article in Issue #41 Mura Brothers’ Willys