1914 Willys Overland Speedster

When you least expect it, a gem turns up.

2y ago
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When you least expect it, a gem turns up.

The evening was supposed to be about railroad history, like it is every month. The meeting location had changed for a special presentation. Being unfamiliar with the new location, I took a wrong turn and stumbled into a garage housing this: a 1914 Willys Overland Speedster, in yellow.

The Willys Overland Model 79 Speedster was built in Toledo, OH. During this period, Willys-Overland was the second largest US manufacturer of automobiles, behind the Ford Motor Company. Overland had been saved from closure only seven years earlier by John North Willys, an auto dealer from New York and a major Overland customer.

The Speedster was offered in right-hand drive, as were all Overlands built prior to 1915. It came with a crank-started 35-hp four cylinder engine.

In 1995, this Overland was entered in the Great North American Race between Ottawa and Mexico City.

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