When John Willys had been taken his chief engineer with him on a trip to Europe, they sent several European cars back home to Toledo Ohio.
After having decided that the cars were too little and therefore unsuitable for the American roads, they wanted to design a “better automobile”.
The 1927 Whippet was a four cylinder model with 30 hp and a length of just over 12 feet. It was the smallest car in America. Not long after that, Willys offered a six cylinder with 40 hp that was only a little longer for $ 695. The Wippets grew. Within a couple of years they had 50 hp and the wheelbase itself was longer than the entire 1927 unit.
1929 Willys-Overland Whippet:
- Engine – L-head straight-six, cast iron block and cylinder head, 50 hp
- Chassis – body on composite steel frame
- Body style – four door, five-passenger sedan
- Wheel base – 112.5 in
- Length – 159 in
- Width – 68 in
- Front track – 56 in
- Rear track – 56 in
- Shipping weight – 2,691 pounds
- Top speed – 50 mph
- Production in 1929 – 242,000
