Willys, known for its WWII Jeeps, was once a major carmaker. Bill Vance recalls the car that sank the marquee.
Although Willys-Overland became famous for building Jeeps during the Second World War (Ford also built many under the Willys licence), it built cars far longer than it did Jeeps.
The Willys-Overland name went back to 1908 when John North Willys rescued the Overland Co. of Indianapolis and moved it to Toledo, Ohio, renaming it the Willys-Overland Co. From 1912 to 1919 W-O sales were second only to Ford's venerable Model T.
A brush with financial disaster in the early 1920s brought in management expert Walter P. Chrysler to revive the company. Once Chrysler accomplished a turnaround it was returned to John Willys and again flourished producing Overland, Whippet and sleevevalve-engined Willys-Knight cars.
The company survived the Depression and during the Second World War W-O got back on its feet by landing the big military contract for its Jeep, a 1/4 ton, four-wheeldrive military utility vehicle.
In 1945 Willys-Overland decided its pre-war cars were unsuitable for the post-war market so it developed a civilian version of the Jeep called the CJ (Civilian Jeep). There was also a Jeep truck, allsteel Jeep station wagon and sporty four-passenger Jeepster convertible, the American industry's last phaeton model.
Willys decided to resume building cars in 1952 with a vehicle that was smaller than the standard Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth. The trail had been blazed by Nash Motor Co.'s attractive little 2,540 mm (100 in.) wheelbase 1950 Nash Rambler and Kaiser-Frazer's small 1951 Henry J.
The new Willys car was based on a concept proposed to Willys-Overland chairman Ward Canaday in 1948 by independent engineering consultant Clyde Paton. Assisted by ex-Pierce Arrow and Packard stylist Phil Wright, Paton was largely responsible for the new car's design.
W-O chose unit construction, then relatively new in American cars, for the Aero-Willys. Its modern and attractive, envelope body's fender line ran level front to rear with stylish little vestigial fins housing the tail-lights. The grille was a single, chromed horizontal bar adorned by a big W.
With a 2,743 mm (108 in.) wheelbase and over-all length of 4,572 mm (180 in.), Mechanix Illustrated's colourful car tester Tom McCahill (6/52) said the Aero-Willys "tucks itself into a parking space as easily as a short beer sliding down a barfly's throat." Weight was just under 1,179 kg (2,600 pounds) and it came initially as a twodoor; a four-door soon followed.
There were four series of the 1952 Aero-Willys: Aero-Lark, Aero-Wing, Aero-Ace and AeroEagle. Power came from a 2.6 litre (161 cu in.) six-cylinder engine. The Lark's had side valves, and developed 75 horsepower. The others had the same engine with an F-head conversion (inlet valves in the head, exhausts in the block), designed by W-O engineer Barney Roos. It produced 90 horsepower. An F-head 134-cu.in. (2.2 litre) four became available in the 1953 Lark but the six was always the market favourite.
Performance with the F-head six was fairly competitive with similar cars. Road & Track (6/52) reported zero to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 22.5 seconds for an overdrive-equipped AeroWing. Top speed averaged 130 km/h (81 mph). The Henry J with the 80 horsepower six and overdrive did 20 seconds to 97 (60) with a top speed of 129 km/h (80 mph) (R&T 1/52).
While the Aero-Willys had acceptable style, performance and economy, it suffered from one serious disadvantage: price. Willys-Overland priced it at more than $2,200 – $200 to $300 above the larger Fords and Chevrolets. Most buyers saw more value in established larger cars.
McCahill was moderately impressed with the Aero-Willys but pulled no punches about the price. In his June 1952 test the ever forthright McCahill said Willys-Overland should be awarded the "Greaseball Oscar for the year for introducing the most overpriced car in America."
First year Aero sales were 31,363, climbing to 42,244 in 1953, the year a GM HydraMatic transmission became available. It was also the year Willys-Overland was acquired by Kaiser Industries and renamed Kaiser-Willys.
In spite of the 1954 availability the 3.7-litre (226 cu in.) 115-horsepower side-valve Kaiser six for the Ace and Eagle, creating what many considered the best Aero yet, sales slid to 11,865.
Even with the addition of a smart, two-door hardtop "Bermuda" model, 1955 sales of just over 5,300 convinced Kaiser to withdraw it from the North American market at midyear.
The operation was moved to Brazil where the Aero Willys was marketed as a luxury car and would live for an amazing 13 more years.
Another attempt to launch a new American car had failed. A high price, strong competition from the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) and perhaps concern about the company's viability had hurt it from the beginning.