Willys 77
| Willys | |
|---|---|
 Willys 77 sedan 4 doors (1936)
|
|
| 77/37/38/48 / Speedway / Americar | |
| Production period: | 1933-1942 |
| Class : | Middle class |
| Body versions : | Sedan , station wagon , coupé , pickup |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 2.4 liters (35-46 kW) |
| Length: | |
| Width: | |
| Height: | |
| Wheelbase : | 2540-2642 mm |
| Empty weight : | |
| Previous model | Whippet |
The Willys 77 was an American passenger car released by Willys-Overland in Toledo, Ohio , in 1933. Basically, the vehicle was a further development of the Whippet . Willys-Overland had to file for bankruptcy in the same year, but production continued.
The car had a four-cylinder in-line engine with 2388 cm³ displacement and 48 bhp (35 kW) power, which was installed lengthways at the front. The wheelbase was only 2540mm and the car was sold for less than $ 500, making it the cheapest American car of its time. The operation was also quite inexpensive, as the car was only 9.4 liters. Gasoline used per 100 km.
The Willys 77 reached a top speed of 120 km / h, which made it a good base for racing vehicles. A converted vehicle achieved an average speed of 104.93 km / h in the 24-hour race on the Muroc Salt Lake.
In the years up to the entry of the USA into the Second World War , the model series continued to be built under the names Willys 37 , Willys 38 , Willys 48 , Willys Speedway and Willys Americar . When civil car production in the USA had to be stopped in 1942, this vehicle also disappeared from the market.
Models year after year
Model year 1933
From the first series there was a 2- and a 4-seater coupé with 2 doors each and a 4-door sedan. Of all three models, better-equipped versions with the suffix "Custom" were supplied, which cost US $ 20 more than the basic models.
Model year 1934
In the following year the model range remained unchanged; only a pickup was added. However, the prices rose by around 100 US $. The four elongated air inlets on the sides of the bonnet became five short ones and the split grille showed a grid instead of the longitudinal bars. The 77 was now the only model range from Willys-Overland. In the same year the Ford Model B is discontinued. The Willys 77 and the Plymouth Model U are the last American 4-cylinder mass-produced cars before the Second World War.
Model year 1935
In 1935 the Willys 77 was only available as a coupé and sedan; all other superstructures fell away. In the same year the Plymouth Model U is discontinued. From then on, the Willys 77 is the last American four-cylinder mass-produced car until the Willys Jeep appears. If you don't see the Jeep as a real passenger car, the next American four-cylinder production car is the 1946 Crosley CC. In 1954 the Nash Metropolitan, built in Great Britain, appeared.
Model year 1936
In the following year there was also a "DeLuxe" version of the limousine for a surcharge of US $ 40.
Model year 1937
The car was stylistically revised for the 1937 model year. A forward alligator hood with horizontal grille bars in the body color and the headlights embedded in the massive front fenders gave the model series a more modern look. It was renamed Willys 37 , but the technology remained the same. There was also a luxury version of the coupé.
Model year 1938
The Willys 38 now received a rocket-shaped radiator emblem and there were new models in standard and luxury versions.
Model year 1939
The essentially unchanged car was now called the Willys 48 and in addition to the "DeLuxe" models there were also "Speedway" versions (only 2-door). For a short time the vehicles were also sold under the traditional name Overland .
Model year 1940
In the following year there was another stylistic revision: The alligator hood was now flatter and no longer had a radiator grille; this was now under the hood and had horizontal bars in the color of the car. The model was now called Willys Speedway and its wheelbase was now 2,591 mm. In addition to the 2-door coupé and the 4-door sedan in basic and DeLuxe equipment, there was for the first time a station wagon in a DeLuxe version.
Model year 1941
Willys Speedway was renamed Willys Americar that year ; Speedway was just a name for the structure. There were also the more expensive "Plainsman" versions. Stylistically, the cars remained unchanged, but got more powerful engines with 63 bhp (46 kW) and the wheelbase grew to 2642 mm.
Model year 1942
In the shortened model year 1942 (until February 1942), the Americar models continued to be built almost unchanged; only the grille was now chrome-plated.
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- Kimes, Beverly Rae, Clark, Henry A .: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1st Edition, Krause Publications Inc., Iola (Wisconsin) (1985), ISBN 0-87341-045-9