Willys Cars and Autos

The Willys motor car company
This section provides access to the cars and autos manufactured under the name of the Willys motor car company. An online guide for auto enthusiasts covering old and new cars and autos. If you like car talk then you will love this website! A free, online resource with facts and company information about the cars and autos made by the Willys motor car company.

History of Willys motor car company

• 1908: John North Willys buys the Overland Automotive Division of Standard Wheel Company

• 1912: John North Willys the company Willys-Overland Motor Company

• 1913: Willys acquire a license to build Charles Knight's sleeve valve engine

• 1914: John Willys acquire the Electric Auto-Lite Company

• 1916: Willys acquire Russell Motor Car Company of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• 1917: Willys Corporation was formed to act as his holding company

• 1919: Willys acquired Duesenberg Motors Company plant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, This was replace by a larger and newer facility and was to be the used for producing the new Willys Six

• 1920: The recession struck bringing Willys Corporation to its knees, the invested bankers hired Walter P. Chrysler to sort the mess out, he began by first, getting ride of the Willys Six model, seen as an engineering disaster, Walter P. Chrysler began work on a new car with the help from auto engineers Owen Skelton, Carl Breere and Fred Zeder to create the Chrysler Six. In order to pay of debts, cash was risen by putting Willys Corporation assets on the auction block. The Elizabeth plant in New Jersey along with the Chrysler Six prototype were sold to William C. Durant, he was at that time in the process of building his third empire, he would use the plant to build Durant's low priced Star with the Chrysler Six prototype being modified and improved to become the Flint in 1923

• 1920's: Willys acquire F.B. Stearns Company of Cleveland, Ohio

• 1924: January: Walter Chrysler moved to Maxwell-Chalmers launching his own version of the six cylinder Chrysler

• 1929: A number of Willys automotive brands began to falter due to the stock market crash and the economic depression that followed

• 1933: Willys decided they would clear their board and produce two new models, unfortunately the company was on the verge of bankruptcy again, and only 77 models went into production. Willys was forced to sell their Canadian subsidiary being in weak financial shape itself and began a massive reorganization. Willys Overland remained the owners of only the assembly plant and some smaller factories, with the rest being sold off to a new holding company that would leas some of the properties back to Willys Overland, this allowed Willys company to ride out the storm

• 1936: Willys-Overland Motor Company reorganized into Willys-Overland Motors, based in Toledo, Ohio, it was one of many auto makers in the US, they were one of a few to make a bid for the War Department who sought after an automaker who could begin rapid production of a lightweight truck

• 1938: Leaving Chrysler and joining Willys, Joseph W. Frazer became chief executive, he saw the need to improve their 4 cylinder engine so that it could handle the punishment to which a Jeep would be required, this was achieved by an ex-Studebaker chief engineer Delmar Barney Roos, he wanted   "an engine that could develop  15 horsepower at 4,400rpm and run for 150 hours without failure. What he started with was an engine that developed 48 horsepower at 3,400rpm, and could run continuously for only two to four hours... It took Barney Roos two years to perfect his engine, by a whole complex of revision that included closer tolerances, tougher alloys, aluminium pistons, and a flywheel reduced in weight from fifty seven to thirty one pounds".

• 1941: Willys MB or more known as the Jeep began its production and was utilised during the War, car production stopped with the Jeep continuing to be made after the War

• 1952: Willys re enter the car market with the Willys Aero, a new compact car

• 1953: Willys-Overland was purchased by Kaiser Motors who changed the company name to Willys Motor Company, production of the Kaiser car was moved to Willys plant in Toledo, Ohio from Willow Run, Michigan. The Willys Jeep production was steady with Willys and Kaiser cars sales continuing to fall.

• 1955: The last Willys car was produced, tooling for the Aero was shipped from Willys to Brazil

• 1963: Ford purchase Willys-Overland and change the name to Kaiser-Jeep Corporation, from which the Willys name disappeared

• 1970: Kaiser Industries decided to leave the automobile business and sold the Kaiser-Jeep to American Motors Corporation (AMC)

• 1979: Renault purchase a major stake in AMC taking control over operations of the company producing the CJ series

• 1987: Chrysler purchase AMC with the CJ being replaced by the Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep vehicles are still produced at the Toledo Complex under Chrysler LLC.

What models and types of cars and automobiles does the Willys motor car company produce?
The models and types of cars and automobiles produced by the company include those detailed on the following list. Whether you enjoy comparing cars and autos, want to conduct some research before you buy a new car or a used car or finally an automobile enthusiast who loves fast, cool, new, old, vintage, classic, antique, sports, top, muscle or exotic cars we have the info you are searching for! Select the automobile you are interested in and click the link for access to an online overview of this Willys vehicle with car guides, online facts, information, statistics, specs, specifications, design details and ratings of cars and autos.