Willys Jeep History By Greg Zyla

Q: Greg, I enjoyed your tidbits about the Willys Jeep history in a recent car review you wrote on the Jeep Liberty. (Editor Note: Greg writes a syndicated newspaper test drive column that appears in many newspapers). When did Willys make its last Aero car?
Alvin L., New Port Ritchey, FL.

A: Alvin, Willys-Overland Motors was founded in 1912 and recognized worldwide for its design and production of the military (GP) and civilian version (CJ) Jeeps. Specifically, in 1908, John North Willys purchased the Overland Automotive Division of Standard Wheel Company and renamed it Willys-Overland Motor Company. In its first six years of operation, Willys-Overland was second only to Henry Ford in the production of automobiles in the U. S.

For my Auto Round-Up readers that may not have seen my newspaper test drive of the Jeep Patriot, Jeep’s legacy dates back to the Willys-Overland World War II days, where the Jeep carved a rich history as the vehicle of choice for military transportation. In 1941, Willys demonstrated the off road capability of its new vehicle by having a driver maneuver a Jeep straight up the 365 steps leading to the U.S. Capitol.

The origin of the name Jeep has two popular myths, one the letter nomenclature of “G.P.” which stood for “Government Purpose.” When recited together quickly, “Gee-P” results in a sound similar to “Jeep.” The other tale has to do with soldiers naming the vehicle after “Eugene the Jeep” from the Popeye cartoons of the era. Regardless, by the time Mort Walker’s famous daily newspaper comic strip “Beetle Bailey” came along in 1950, where Beetle chauffeurs his Sergeant Snorkel and the Sarge’s dog, Otto, in a Jeep, the name was forever etched in our minds.

As for automobiles, at the end of World War II and inspired by the Jeep model popularity, Willys decided not to build any more cars to concentrate on Jeep vehicles. In 1946, Willys produced the first ever 4x4 production Jeep vehicle available to the public, and it became a hit with off-roaders of the era, including hunters, lumberjacks, ranchers, and farmers.

However, in 1952, Willys decided to re-enter the car wars, debuting its Aero model in 2-door form with 6-cylinder power. In 1953, a four door was added to the model lineup, along with a Taxi model.

The car production in America didn’t last long, as the very last Willys Aero was built in 1955. However, for “pure blood” reasoning, Willys-Overland was sold to Kaiser Motors in 1953, and Kaiser renamed the company Willys Motor Co.
The Aero cars were called Falcon, Lark, Wing, Ace or Eagle depending on year from 1952 to 1954, and Custom and Bermuda in its final year of 1955. (The names Lark, Falcon and Eagle would surface again in the future ala Studebaker, Ford and AMC/Chrysler, respectively.) In the end, a total of 91,377 Aeros were built at its Toledo, Ohio, Plant.

Additionally, the Willys Aero was produced in Brazil under the company name Willys-Overland do Brasil SA, and sold there until 1963 at Ford dealerships. Ford then bought the “Willys Brazilian” company, and changed the name to Kaiser-Jeep Corporation. This sale effectively ended the history of the Willys name in automobile manufacturing. A total of 117,000 Aeros were built in Brazil.

Thanks for your question.

For more articles like this, visit www.Auto-Roundup.com or pickup a printed copy of your favorite Auto Round-Up Publication from a Store near you.