1912 Overland Model 61

Tourer

The Willys-Overland Company was organized in Toledo, Ohio in 1910 by John North Willys, who went on to create one of the largest automobile companies of the first quarter century.

By 1912, with sales climbing, the company offered four different four-cylinder models, ranging from 25 horsepower to 45 horsepower, at prices ranging from $850 to $2,000.

This Overland touring car is the top-of-the-line Overland for 1912 - the Type 61, featuring a 45-horsepower, four-cylinder motor on a 118-inch wheelbase chassis.

5-Passenger Tourer

By 1912, Overland was number 3 in sales behind Ford and Buick. In 1913, they were second and stayed there until midway through the 1920s. This 1912 Model 61 was the largest built, featuring a 45 horsepower engine with 5 main bearings and coupled to a 3-speed sliding-gear transmission. The car rides on a 115-inch wheelbase and sold for $1,500 in 1912. This car was restored by the current owners from 1972 until 1975.

In 1903, Claude Cox built his first single-cylinder Overland in Terre Haute. There were around a dozen examples produced before a twin-cylinder version was introduced in 1904. Sales were steady, but slow until an Elmira-based individual named John North Willys agreed to help.

Willys' placed an order for 500 1907 Overlands and made a $10,000 deposit check, but it went virtually unnoticed. He took a train to Indianapolis where he discovered progress was slow. He took charge, writing his own check for back wages. Using his skills, he quickly drove production to 465 cars in 1908. The following year, 4,907 units were sold.

Willys' took over Ohio's Marion Motor Car Company and later Colonel Albert Pope's Pope-Toledo factory in Ohio, where he consolidated his automotive holding under the Willys-Overland umbrella in 1909.

For 1910, Overland organized its products around a new small car, the Model 38. The car was powered by a four-cylinder engine offering 25 horsepower and resting on a 102-inch wheelbase. The Model 38 was joined by the Models 40, 41, and 42, each having a larger 112-inch wheelbase and a more powerful, 40-horsepower four-cylinder engine. Sales were very strong, with 15,598 units built in 1910.

By 1912, Willys-Overland was second to only Ford in the American automobile market.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer
Chassis number: 611191
Engine number: 11380

The Overland automobile were advanced vehicles for their time. The early models had a removable ignition plug that prevented auto theft when left unattended. Despite their ingenuity, the firm was in danger of demise by 1907. John North Willys, a dealer from Elmira, New York, changed the company's fortunes when he placed a $10,000 deposit on an order of 500 cars. With his investment in jeopardy, he stepped in and assumed management of the struggling company. Part of the reorganizing included a name change, to the Willys-Overland Company. The company would continue its roller-coaster ride from being on the verge of bankruptcy to years of multi-million-dollar profits until production ceased in the 1930s.

This particular vehicle is a 45-horsepower Model 61T. It is the largest Brass Era Overland made up to this point in history. It is believed that just seven examples are known to have survived. The car was originally restored in the 1960s and later acquired by Wendell 'Ohlly' and Marilyn Ohlendorf. It was eventually sold in 1979 to Don and Nancy Sonicsen of Illinois, who toured with it for the next 25 years. The current owners acquired the car from Mrs. Sonicsen in 2008.

Within the last 4,000 miles, it has received a paint job. The engine has been rebuilt, and an overdrive has been added to the transmission. A 12-volt electric starter and lights have been added, along with an alternator, and the ignition updated with a Henschel two-spark distributor.

by Dan Vaughan