1922 Overland Model 4 Sedan

John North Willys was an Elmira, New York dealer who saved the struggling Overland Auto Company. He contracted 500 cars in 1907. When the cars failed to appear, he traveled to the factory in Indianapolis to learn the reason. Upon arriving, he found the area in disarray. He took charge and went to work on making the company successful, paying the workers out of his own pocket and building cars in a circus tent until more factory space could be built.

By 1909, production had reached nearly 5,000 cars and escalated three times a year later. By 1912, Willys-Overland was second only to Ford in production.

Willys-Overland built a successful range of models that were powered by both four- and six-cylinder models. For 1919, the company concentrated on the entry-level market. The Overland Light Four was powered by a 32-horsepower four-cylinder engine and rode on a 106-inch wheelbase. Priced at $985, it was still expensive, selling for twice the price of Ford's Model T.

For 1920, the Overland was downsized slightly, receiving a 100-inch wheelbase and a 27-horsepower engine. It would keep this platform until the model was phased out in 1926 in favor of the low-priced Whippet.

This 1922 Overland Model 4 Sedan was purchased from Kermit Wilson of Edina, Minnesota in 2001 by the Nethercutt Collection. It wears an older restoration and is finished in maroon over black, with white wire wheels. There is a sliding gear transmission and oil-filled clutch, two leaf springs in both the front and rear, but in triangulated 'triplex' configuration. Two-quarter elliptic springs at each axle cantilever inward to the chassis at an angle. The engine is a 143.1 cubic-inch L-head four-cylinder unit that offers 27 horsepower.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Hershey Auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $5,000 - $8,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $11,000 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2011