1953 Willys Station Wagon

The Willys Jeep Station Wagon emerged in the mid-1940s and was the work of industrial designer Brooks Stevens. It was given a 104-inch wheelbase, a length of 176.25 inches, a width of 72 inches, and stood 74 inches tall. The bodies were built by independent coachbuilders as Willys did not produce their own bodies. With raw materials scarce due to World War II, limited financial resources, and with most customers preferring sedan bodies, Brooks designed the bodies so they could be constructed by sheet metal fabricators who were familiar with building parts for household appliances. This created opportunities for a broader array of builders to contribute to the construction process.

The use of steel rather than wood made the bodies much easier to mass produce, and Willys was one of the few U.S.-based manufacturers to offer an all-steel wagon. Crosley was the sole U.S. manufacturer that nearly matched the price range of the product, having launched an all-steel wagon in 1947.

Willys introduced its station wagon (known as the 463) in July 1946, and it came equipped with an L-134 Go-Devil flathead inline four-cylinder engine. At the front was a 10-slot flat grille. It was the first Willys automobile produced with an independent front suspension which was the work of the company's chief engineer, Barney Roos. It was called the 'Planadyne' and was based on a transverse seven-leaf spring, a design similar to the 'planar' suspension Roos had developed for Studebaker in the mid-1930s.

A year after its introduction, Willys introduced a panel van body style that had a pair of doors instead of the wagon's tailgate. It was devoid of side windows behind the front doors, and the interior housed a single seat.

The model 663 was also introduced in 1947 and came equipped with an L-148 Lightning straight-six engine. Due to its late arrival in 1947, just 50 examples were built.

Willys introduced the Station Sedan in 1948 that wore solid body colors and basket-weave trim on the sides. This was a luxury version that was better appointed and had more trim and standard amenities than the wagon.

Four-wheel drive became optional in 1949.

As the world entered a new decade, Willys abandoned its flat 10-slot grille and replaced it with a new design that featured a pointed V-shape with five horizontal bars across the vertical ones. The all-new Willys models were introduced in mid-April of 1950, and the previous model production continued into March. The station sedan was discontinued.

The 473 was powered by the F-134 Hurricane engine and the 673 was equipped with a new 161 cubic-inch version of the Lightning Six. The flathead Lightning engine was dropped in 1952 and replaced by the F-161 Hurricane. A host of changes included the addition of chrome strips on the hood and cowl sides of the wagon, the replacement of the previous floor start with a key start, and flush side mount taillights replacing the single light.

The year 1954 was the inaugural year that Willys was under Kaiser's ownership. Minor styling updates were introduced, perhaps the most visual being the reduction of the number of horizontal slats in the grille from five to three. A version of the Kaiser Supersonic/Continental Red Seal engine became available on four-wheel drive versions.

Willys left the passenger car market in 1955, but wagon production would continue through 1964. Now known as the Utility wagon, over 300,000 examples of all variants were built in the United States during this time (1946 to 1964). Production would continue in Argentina until 1970 and in Brazil until 1977.

The 4WD Willys Jeep Wagon is often considered the first production sport utility vehicle.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2025