Whippet (make of car)

Whippet Model 96A Sedan (1930)

Whippet Overland

Whippet was an American automobile brand that from 1926 to 1931 by Willys-Overland in Toledo (Ohio) was prepared. The cart was named for the English breed of dog of the same name, and the radiator emblem featured a whippet jumping through a tire.

description

After the production of the Overland vehicles ended in 1926, John North Willys wanted to make a particularly small and cheap vehicle. The result was a car with the shortest wheelbase of all American cars manufactured at the time, measuring just 100.25 "(2,546 mm). The Model 96 had a four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2,196 cc and produced 30 bhp (22 kW) This car was available as a 5-seat touring car, a 5-seat sedan or a 2-seat coupé.

In January 1927 the wheelbase of this car was extended to 2,648 mm and there were a number of other bodies. At the same time he was given the 93A model with a six-cylinder engine that delivered 40 bhp (29 kW). The chassis of this car had a wheelbase of 2,775 mm and it had the same superstructures as the smaller model. This car demonstrated its speed in the 1927 Indianapolis 24 hour race , where it reached an average speed of 56.52 mph (90.54 km / h).

The cheapest Whippet, the four-cylinder convertible, was available in 1928 for US $ 545 - US $ 5 less than the cheapest Ford . The prices of the other models ranged between US $ 615 and 745, and so the Whippet 93A was marketed as the cheapest six-cylinder of its time. Despite the low price, the cars had mechanical brakes for all four wheels and seven crankshaft bearings in the engine and pressure lubrication.

In the first full year of production in 1927, 110,000 vehicles were built; in 1928 and 1929 together, 242,000 units were built (of 315,000 that Willys-Overland produced in total!).

In 1928 the Model 93A changed to the Model 98 . In 1929 the four-cylinder was called the 96A and the six-cylinder was called the 98A . These vehicles were manufactured with a wide variety of superstructures for 2 - 5 passengers, but little changed in the appearance and technology of the vehicles.

All Whippet models were also manufactured and sold in Australia by Holden bodyworks, but with 21-inch instead of 19-inch wheels and minor changes to the body.

However, the collapse of the Wall Street stock exchange on Black Friday and the resulting global economic crisis put an end to the brand: In the spring of 1931, Willys-Overland decided to discontinue the Whippet in favor of the Willys Six and the new Willys 77 .

Model chronicle

Model year	Models
until 1926	Overland
1926	Whippet Four 96
1927	Whippet Six 93A
1928	Whippet Six 98
1929	Whippet Four 96A, Six 98A, Six C101

Web links

Commons : Whippet - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

literature

Beverly R. Kimes (Ed.), Henry A. Clark: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, 1985, ISBN 0-87341-045-9 .