The Willys 77 was an American car first sold in 1933 by
Willys-Overland
Willys (pronounced , "Willis" )
was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs) ...
from
Toledo. It was a successor to the
Willys
Willys (pronounced , "Willis" )
was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs ...
Whippet
The Whippet is a dog breed of medium size. It is a sighthound breed that originated in England, descended from the Greyhound. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller Greyhound. Part of the hound group, Whippets have relatively few ...
.
In the same year, Willys-Overland went into receivership but the 77 was still released on the market.
The car had a four-cylinder engine in the front with a , which produced . The
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
was only and the car was sold at a price below $500, making it the cheapest American car of its era. The car was also highly economical, delivering 25 miles per gallon.
The 77 had a top speed of 65 mph, which made it a good base for equipping a racing car. A tuned-up Willys 77 achieved an average speed of 65.2 mph in the 24-hour race on the
Muroc Dry Lake.
In the years leading up to the United States participation in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the model range was continued under the names
Willys 37
Willys (pronounced , "Willis" )
was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs) ...
,
Willys 38,
Willys 48
Willys (pronounced , "Willis" )
was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs) ...
,
Willys Speedway and
Willys Americar
The Willys Americar was a line of automobiles produced by Willys-Overland Motors from 1937 to 1942, either as a sedan, coupe, station wagon or pickup truck. The coupe version is a very popular hot rod choice, either as a donor car or as a fiberg ...
.
When civilian auto production was discontinued in 1942, the car disappeared from the market.
Racing
The 1933-36 Willys coupés and
pickups were very popular
gassers. The best-known would be the 1933 Model 77. Only 12,800 were sold in 1933, 13,234 in 1934, 10,644 in 1935 (including a new
panel delivery), and 30,825 the company's final year, making it a puzzle why it became popular: it was neither cheap nor plentiful.
[Taylor, "Wrenchin' @Random: Why the Rare Willys Was the Go-To Gasser]
Hot Rod Network online
(accessed 19 April 2017)
Notes
Sources
*Kimes, Beverly Rae, Clark, Henry A.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942, 1st edition, Krause Publications Inc., Iola (Wisconsin) (1985),
*Taylor, Thom. "Wrenchin' @Random: Why the Rare Willys Was the Go-To Gasser
Hot Rod Network online(accessed 19 April 2017)
77
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