Willys Cars

The Willys-Overland Motor Company operated from 1912 to 1918, giving Ford Motor Company a run for its money as a close follower of the largest producer of automobiles in the United States. Willys-Overland stayed in second place, meanwhile producing a vehicle that harnessed the power of a sleeve-valve engine. Afterwards, Willys continued the production of the Stearns-Knight luxury car by relieving the previous owners of the F.B. Stearns Company.

The Great Depression

The Willys-Overland Motor Company suffered severe losses during The Great Depression and was replaced by Whippets; however, Willys was not out of production for long. In 1931, the Willys 77 and Willys 99 took over the show. Once again facing bankruptcy, Willys turned to a different approach.

From sedans to jeeps

Willys turned to jeep-based vehicles, producing the CJ-2A, which many farmers favored. The ability to have a four-wheel-drive function and a lightweight frame that resisted getting buried in the mud was a benefit for farmers. There was not, however, a huge market for any of the jeeps that Willys produced.

Changing of the names

After several more vehicle productions, the Willys-Overland Motor Company was bought out by Kaiser Motors, which later changed its name to Kaiser-Jeep. Once the name change occurred, the only reminder of the Willys-Overland Motor Company was the name of the few vehicles which John Willys once produced.

Many car collectors and fanatics have restored Willys cars and vehicles to showroom quality. Today, the vehicles that have maintained original parts and quality sell for several hundreds of thousands of dollars.