Although Willys-Overland became famous for building Jeeps during the Second World War (Ford also built many under a Willys licence), it built cars far longer than it did Jeeps.
The Willys-Overland name went back to 1908, when Willys dealer John North Willys rescued the Overland Co. of Indianapolis and moved it to Toledo, Ohio. He renamed it the Willys-Overland Co., and from 1912 to 1919 W-O sales were second only to Ford鈥檚 famous 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 sleeve-valve-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-wheel-drive military utility vehicle.
In 1945, Willys-Overland decided its pre-war cars were unsuitable for the postwar market, so it developed a civilian version of the Jeep called the CJ (Civilian Jeep). There was also a Jeep truck, all-steel Jeep station wagon and sporty four-passenger Jeepster convertible, a rare American industry 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.鈥檚 attractive little 2,540-millimetre- wheelbase Nash Rambler in 1950 and Kaiser-Frazer鈥檚 small 1951 Henry J.
The new Willys car was based on a concept proposed to Willys-Overland chairman Ward sa国际传媒y in 1948, on a suggestion from independent engineering consultant Clyde Paton. Although assisted by ex-Pierce Arrow and Packard stylist Phil Wright, Paton was apparently largely responsible for the new car鈥檚 design.
W-O chose unit construction, then relatively new in American cars, for the Aero-Willys. Its modern and attractive body鈥檚 fender line ran level front to rear with stylish little vestigial fins housing the taillights. The grille was a single, chromed horizontal bar adorned by a large W.
With a 2,743-mm wheelbase and overall length of 4,572 mm, Mechanix Illustrated鈥檚 colourful car tester Tom McCahill said the Aero-Willys 鈥渢ucks itself into a parking space as easily as a short beer sliding down a barfly鈥檚 throat.鈥�
Weight was just less than 1,179 kilograms, and it came initially as a two-door; a four-door soon followed.
There were four series of the 1952 Aero Willys: Aero-Lark, Aero-Wing, Aero-Ace and Aero-Eagle. Power came from a 2.6-litre (161 cu. in.) six-cylinder engine. The Lark鈥檚 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 as an economy model, but the six was always the market favourite.
Performance with the F-head six was fairly competitive with similar cars. Road & Track reported zero to 100 km/h in 22.5 seconds for an overdrive-equipped Aero-Wing. Top speed averaged 130 km/h. Competitor Henry J with an 80-horsepower six and overdrive did 20 seconds to 100 with a top speed of 129 km/h.
While the Aero-Willys had acceptable style, performance and economy, it suffered from one serious disadvantage: price. Willys-Overland priced it 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 鈥淕reaseball Oscar for the year for introducing the most overpriced car in America.鈥�
First year Aero sales were 31,363, climbing to 42,244 in 1953, the year a GM Hydra-Matic transmission became available. It was also the year Willys-Overland was acquired by Kaiser Industries and renamed Kaiser-Willys.
In spite of the availability of a 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, 1954 sales slid to 11,865.
Even with the addition of a smart, two-door hardtop 鈥淏ermuda鈥� model, 1955 sales of just over 5,100 convinced Kaiser to withdraw it from the North American market at mid-year.
The operation was moved to Brazil, where the Aero Willys were marketed as luxury cars and would live for an amazing 13 more years.
Another attempt to launch a new American compact car had failed. A high price, strong competition from the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) and perhaps concern about the company鈥檚 viability had hurt it from the beginning.
