Wyllis History
Added on 03-08-2006
The Willys company emerged from a small Standard Wheel firm located in Terre Haute town in Indiana state, that was founded in 1903. At first it was producing bicycles, then it expanded its field of production with light automobiles with 1-cylinder engines making 8 horsepower located in the front part, equipped a steering handle instead of a usual steering wheel and massive rubber tires.
The company functioned for two years, and then in 1905 it moved to Indianapolis and was renamed to Overland Automotive Company. Its products improved significantly, although they still produced light open-body 2-seaters, equipped with 2-cylinder engines of 1.3-liter volume making 8 hp and universal-joint drive gear on rear wheels and a regular steering wheel.
This small firm also didn’t manage to survive for more than two years. Big financial difficulties led Overland to the very verge of bankruptcy.
Everything would end up at that if John North Willys, a famous Maecenas merchant from Elmira. After investing big money into the company he named it after himself. For producing automobiles the company purchased the workshops of broken Pope-Toledo company and moved to Toledo, Ohio state.
Chasing the leader
For some reasons the Willys title didn’t work out from the very beginning, so in 1912 the firm was renamed to Willys-Overland Company. In 1912-1913 Willys released several successful Overland cars with 3.2-liter engines, magneto-electric ignition and 2- or 3-stage gearboxes (models 58 and 59).
In 1914 the new Overland 79 equipped with 4-liter engine joined the rows of the most demanded cars of United States. That very year the company sold 80 thousand that was the highest sales-rate of these years.
Now Willys could afford to incorporate a small Edwards Knight automobile company. During the two years of its existence it managed to develop and release a big automobile titled Knight, equipped with a 4.5-liter engine making 25 hp and a 4-stage gearbox. Then in 1914 it turned into Willys-Knight Company and extended the scope of available car models, which still were produced by a different firm, named Harford, assembling automobiles for Studebaker Company.
Soon another Willys-Knight model appeared equipped with a 6-cylinder 5-liter engine. The little-known Willys-Knight Company kept the honorable 18th place on the market. In 1915 Willys took the second place after Ford for the first and the last time. That was probably the year when her last swan-song was sung.
In 1917 a big model equipped with an 8-cylinder V-shaped engine appeared; its wheelbase was over 3 meters long. But that was too cool for the market. At that time the demand for big cars decreased significantly. Until 1919 Willys assembled only one 4-cylinder car. Yet that didn’t discourage the company, so in 1920 they opened a filial in England that was named Willys-Overland Crossly, which assembled automobiles equipped with American 2.4-liter engines or local Morris ones of ...
The company functioned for two years, and then in 1905 it moved to Indianapolis and was renamed to Overland Automotive Company. Its products improved significantly, although they still produced light open-body 2-seaters, equipped with 2-cylinder engines of 1.3-liter volume making 8 hp and universal-joint drive gear on rear wheels and a regular steering wheel.
This small firm also didn’t manage to survive for more than two years. Big financial difficulties led Overland to the very verge of bankruptcy.
Everything would end up at that if John North Willys, a famous Maecenas merchant from Elmira. After investing big money into the company he named it after himself. For producing automobiles the company purchased the workshops of broken Pope-Toledo company and moved to Toledo, Ohio state.
Chasing the leader
For some reasons the Willys title didn’t work out from the very beginning, so in 1912 the firm was renamed to Willys-Overland Company. In 1912-1913 Willys released several successful Overland cars with 3.2-liter engines, magneto-electric ignition and 2- or 3-stage gearboxes (models 58 and 59).
In 1914 the new Overland 79 equipped with 4-liter engine joined the rows of the most demanded cars of United States. That very year the company sold 80 thousand that was the highest sales-rate of these years.
Now Willys could afford to incorporate a small Edwards Knight automobile company. During the two years of its existence it managed to develop and release a big automobile titled Knight, equipped with a 4.5-liter engine making 25 hp and a 4-stage gearbox. Then in 1914 it turned into Willys-Knight Company and extended the scope of available car models, which still were produced by a different firm, named Harford, assembling automobiles for Studebaker Company.
Soon another Willys-Knight model appeared equipped with a 6-cylinder 5-liter engine. The little-known Willys-Knight Company kept the honorable 18th place on the market. In 1915 Willys took the second place after Ford for the first and the last time. That was probably the year when her last swan-song was sung.
In 1917 a big model equipped with an 8-cylinder V-shaped engine appeared; its wheelbase was over 3 meters long. But that was too cool for the market. At that time the demand for big cars decreased significantly. Until 1919 Willys assembled only one 4-cylinder car. Yet that didn’t discourage the company, so in 1920 they opened a filial in England that was named Willys-Overland Crossly, which assembled automobiles equipped with American 2.4-liter engines or local Morris ones of ...
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