Willys-Overland Motors, Inc.- Miscellaneous records

In 1908, John North Willys formed a portion of the Overland Automotive Division from the Standard Wheel Company in Toledo, Ohio, which he later changed to Willys-Overland Motor Company 1912. From 1914 through 1919 Willy’s-Overland Motor Company added the Electric Auto-lite Company and the Russel Motor Car Company in Canada, then John Willys founded the Willys Corporation as a holding company. While the company struggled financially during the first decades of its business and had to file for bankruptcy during the Great Depression, the company managed to survive by Willys adjusting his model program. He did this by producing only two models, which were the four-cylinder Willys 77 and the six-cylinder Willys 99, but later to try and avoid bankruptcy he decided to have only the four-cylinder Willys 77 to be produced. But unfortunately, he had to sell the the Canadian subsidiary was soon the only main plant in Toledo with a few others after the rest was sold to a newly established real estate company in order for the company to be able to stay afloat during difficult times.

During World War II Willy’s-Overland became famous for its Jeeps and in 1940 when the United States army asked multiple companies to submit plans for a vehicle that would be able to travel different types of terrain, Willys was one of the two companies that submitted designs. Soon after, the Army awarded a government contract to the company for their vehicle, and Willys-Overland also provided the Ford Motor Company with its specifications so they could manufacture addition Jeeps for the U.S. Army. Once the war was over, the company continued to make Jeeps for the civilian population that was similar to the one that was used in the armed forces and made other vehicles that were based on the Jeep. Some of these vehicles became known as the Jeep Wagon, the Jeep CJ-2A, and the Jeep Truck. By 1953 the company was bought by the Kaiser Motor company and then in 1961, the company changed its name to Kaiser-Jeep Corporation. The Willys name continued with Brazilian operations until the 1980s.

Sources Cited: “Willys-Overland Company.” Willys-Overland Company - Ohio History Central, ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Willys-Overland_Company. “Willys-Overland Motors History (1908).” Motor Car, motor-car.net/willys/item/12268-willys-overland-motors-history.