1927 Willys-Overland Whippet 30hp Tourer
At its late-1926 introduction, the Whippet was one of the smallest production cars in America, riding a 100-inch wheelbase developed by W-O chief engineer A.J. Baker with input from Crossley of England. The Continental character came through in an upright, Fiat-like radiator shell (an unusual visual reference for a car priced well under $1,000).
Under that shell sat a 134.2 CI L-head four producing 30 horsepower. The specification was ambitious for the price point: four-wheel mechanical brakes, a three-bearing crankshaft, and a pressure-assisted lubrication system.
A 40hp six-cylinder variant on a 109-inch wheelbase followed in January 1927, setting a 24-hour American endurance record at Indianapolis for production cars priced under $1,000.
First-year sales reached 110,000, and Willys-Overland climbed to third in national sales behind Chevrolet and Ford in 1928. The Depression reversed that momentum; from third place in 1928, Willys-Overland had fallen to the bottom of the top ten by 1930, and the Whippet was discontinued in early 1931.
The 134.2 CI four outlasted the nameplate (later developed into the Go-Devil engine, it powered the wartime Jeep and remained in production in revised form through 1971).
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