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1915 Overland Model 82

The first Overland was built in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1903 by Claude Cox and featured numerous advanced features including a water-cooled single-cylinder engine installed vertically under the hood. Approximately twelve examples were built and then were followed by a twin in 1904 but production barely doubled. Early Overland vehicles featured a removable ignition plug that prevented automobile theft when left unattended. Prospects brightened when the upstate New York agency for Overland was taken on by an Elmira-based individual named John North Willys. Mr. Willy's talents allowed him to sell Jeffrey and American Underslung automobiles faster than they could be produced. Needing more inventory, he placed an order for 500 1907 Overlands and placed a $10,000 deposit. With little response from the Overland factory, he jumped on a train and headed to Indianapolis. There he discovered....nothing....well, practically nothing.

The early history of the Overland company was a roller coaster ride typical of many of the early automobile manufacturers. In 1907, the company was in danger of collapsing, and in an effort to prevent losing the sales he had generated, John North Willys assumed management of the struggling company. He used more of his own personal funds to pay the small workforce's back wages, and got production back on track, with 465 vehicles built in 1908 and 4,907 a year later. He later took over the Marion Motor Car Company of Marion, Ohio, and in 1909, he acquired Col. Albert Pope's Pope-Toledo factory in Toledo, Ohio, then consolidated his automotive holdings in the Willys-Overland Company. The newly reorganized company oscillated between the verge of bankruptcy and years of multi-million-dollar profit, and production continued until the 1930s. In 1914, Overland was the second-largest producer of cars in the US, behind only Ford. While the Model T was an everyman's car, the Overland was an upmarket model selling for about twice the cost of a T. It had a larger and more powerful engine, a larger footprint, and a more spacious interior. Overlands featured a four-cylinder engine with separately cast cylinder jugs. An electric starter was available as a $125 option in 1914 and was the last year for right-hand drive.

The 1915 Overland model lineup included the Model 81 resting on a 106-inch wheelbase, the Model 80 on a 114-inch wheelbase, and the range-topping Model 82 on a 125-inch wheelbase. The Model 81 was equipped with a four-cylinder engine delivering 30 horsepower and body styles included a five-passenger tourer priced at $850, a roadster at $795, a Panel Delivery at $895, and a delivery at $850. The Model 80 had a 35-horsepower four-cylinder engine and the five-passenger tourer was priced at $1,075, the coupe at $1,600 and the roadster at $1,050. The Model 82 was built solely as a seven-passenger tourer priced at $1,475 and powered by a six-cylinder engine delivering 50 horsepower. It was a Continental L-head unit with a 303 cubic-inch displacement.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer
Chassis number: TLH82601

This 1915 Overland Model 82 Tourer was originally owned by an individual who had only ever owned and driven Ford Model Ts. The Overland was more powerful and intimidating than he was used to, so it was parked after just a few thousand miles. He then allegedly traded it to a neighbor in exchange for livestock. The second owner rarely, if ever, drove the car and subsequently stored it in their barn. The car remained dormant for the next sixty-five years and when it was unearthed it was remarkably complete, and the Stewart odometer displayed just 6,500 miles. There are currently 7,900 miles on the odometer which is believed to be original.

The Oakland was treated to a sympathetic restoration and used for occasional tours and shows by its previous owner. It is finished in a bright blue and black exterior with a black canvas top and black button-tufted leather upholstery. The rear compartment features a pair of folding opera seats and a plated robe rail. There are large-diameter artillery wheels, dual rear-mounted spares, cast alloy step plates, cowl lamps, nickel-plated klaxon horn, and a Biltrite running board-mounted storage trunk.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer
Engine number: 313

The automobiles built by Charles Minshall and Claude Cox in 1903 were christened 'Overland,' a fitting name describing its intended purpose. For its day, the Overland was an advanced vehicle powered by a single-cylinder, front-mounted engine with jump-spark ignition and paired to a two-speed planetary transmission. Like many other pioneers of the horseless carriage era, the Overland Company struggled to make a profit, and by 1907, the company was in crisis. It was saved from extinction by John North Willys, the company's Elmira, New York dealer.

Customers eager to own an Overland automobile placed orders with Mr. Willys, but when the vehicles failed to arrive, he went to Indianapolis to investigate. Dissatisfied with what he found, he put his creativity and managerial skills to use. With orders exceeding the capacity of the factory, he used circus tents for additional space, and within months, production was back up to par. By 1910, Overland was the third best-selling car in America, after Ford and Buick. Under Willy's leadership, Overland surpassed Buick in 1912 to claim second place behind Ford, a position it would retain for seven years.

1915 Overland Model 82

The Overland Model 82 was the company's top-of-the-line model for 1915 and had a 125-inch wheelbase and a six-cylinder, 303 cubic-inch L-head engine developing 50 horsepower. The only available body style was the seven-passenger tourer, and like most of the industry, now used a left-hand drive configuration.

This particular Overland Model 82 is an early example that was assembled on December 20, 1914. It came into the care of its current owner in 2017 and was the subject of a full frame-off restoration. It has new wheels, rims and felloe bands, black buttoned leather upholstery, a full top and side curtains. The exterior is painted in the correct Overland Blue with contrasting red wheels.

by Dan Vaughan