Vehicle Description
1941 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 fiberglass model. The
car started production in 1937 with somewhat traditional styling, a
product of the internal reorganization that turned Willys-Overland
Motor Company into Willys Overland Motors. It was itself an
evolution of the aging Willys 77. When Joseph W. Frazer joined the
company in 1938, he decided that a modern-looking and cheap compact
car was the answer for the struggling Willys. Models 37, 38 and 39
gradually evolved into a more Ford-like appearance, culminating in
the very much DeLuxe-like '40 model. Only the 1941-1942 models were
called "Americar", (441 and 442 models respectively), following the
patriotic trend of the time. It sold 22,000 units in 1941 and 7,000
more in 1942. Its price was about $630. As war broke out, civilian
production was abandoned by all US motor companies, in order to
assist the military, and the Americar was no exception.
It was the car for everyman, although there were relatively few
takers. "On the reefs of roast beef and apple pie are socialist
utopias of every society sent to their doom," spoke Warner Sombart
to the possibility of a Marxist-style revolution of the proletariat
here in America. In other words, fat chance. Mark it down to the
shortage of dedicated proletarians. And so it went for every
automaker that decided that America needed a proletarian car. All
met their downfall in the creampuff Oldsmobiles on the menu at
every used car lot. But the few that survived are cherished by
their owners because let's face it...not everyone wants a
Chevrolet, Olds or Ford. Such was the case with our consignors, who
purchased this rarely seen example in 1988 and enjoyed it for
tours, local car shows and jaunts to their mountain home. With some
recent maintenance performed, this Willys in bright red one of our
low hanging fruits ripe and ready to be plucked from our Hallowed
Halls.
Exterior
Very straight rust-free steel panels with well minded gaps adorn
all aspects of this 4 door Americar sedan. A simple electric razor
style front grille and a bumper with vertical guards and yellow
lensed driving lights lead the way below along with the stylized
jet hood ornament with AMERICAR embossed in the front. The long
beak-like hood leads back to an oval single pane windshield and on
either side is a shiny trim spear looking just fab. Chrome bezel
headlights lead the way on the bulbous pontoon style front fender
which diminish into the rear of the front fenders. We note the hood
trim spear continuing down the beltline of this sedan, ending at
the sloping rear roof line. On the back are less bulbous rear
fenders with Art Deco pyramid style taillights within shiny bezels.
Another AMERICAR embossment is on the shiny rear bumper with more
vertical pushers attached. Body complimenting steel wheels in beige
with eagle and Willys Americar badged moon caps in the center are
wrapped by wide white wall tires all around.
Interior
Opening the doors we see tan mohair panels with tan metal framing
and shiny knobs and actuators for the door panels. A long solid tan
mohair bench with light moth damage to the driver's cushions is in
front, and another bench with light staining and front matching
material in back. Up front a tan metal dash has red painted inserts
in front of the driver and passenger and in the center is a long
sweeping speedometer and supporting gauges. Cream bakelite pulls
are down below and flank a central ash receptacle. A large round
tan bakelite steering wheel in 2 spoke format exploits the Americar
name on the round central horn button. The 3-speed manual shifter
is on the right side of the column and clean textured black rubber
mating covers the floors. Above is a tight paneled tan mohair
headliner just like the seats. Also, a note to the trunk which has
a nice gray checkered vinyl liner and a spare tire along with the
jack and lug wrench. All in very nice condition.
Drivetrain
More eyecandy under the hood in the form of a 134.2ci L-head inline
4-cylinder engine. It is painted gloss black and has a 1-barrel
carburetor on top. A 3-speed manual transmission is on back with a
4.44 rear axle. All presenting well and very simplistic.
Undercarriage
As one would expect from a restoration all we see is nicely
undercoated rust-free surfaces, and barely any surface rust. We
note a repaired fuel tank with a new float, (performed in 2021),
and a new master cylinder for 4 wheel drum brakes. Giving the
smooth ride is leaf spring suspension front and rear. A single
exhaust works its way to the back through the near perfect black
metal field.
Drive-Ability
It was a bit of a tight fit for my crack decoder and myself as we
squeezed into the front bench seat, (thank the lord he wore
deodorant). It started right up with just a bit of manual choke and
after a brief warmup we were off to the test track. Here it ran
very nicely, although the shifter seemed a touch sloppy all the
gears had positive engagement. A few other frowns also made an
appearance on our drive, those being the entire left side of the
car had nonfunctional lighting, the headlight switch is broken but
the stalk can still be pulled to illuminate the lights and the
horn, while working is a touch on the quiet side.
A rarely seen model from the end of an era for the Willys group.
Lovingly cared for by our consignor and now ready to be passed on
to a new caretaker. Wonderful Art Deco styling combined with simple
Willys charm work together to bring this overshadowed model to the
forefront. Why not let this pre-war gem become the apple of your
eye?
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
