1926 Wills Sainte Claire T-6

Much of the rock-solid characteristics of the original Ford Model T were courtesy of Childe Harold Wills, a skilled metallurgist and an early proponent of vanadium steel. Wills also designed the famous Ford script logo. When Mr. Wills left Ford in 1919 of his own volition, he used the $1.5 million he received in severance from Henry Ford to help capitalize on his new car. Wills named his automobile the Wills Sainte Claire, after himself and the river that ran near his new Marysville, Michigan factory. The Canada grey goose, a bird greatly admired by Wills, was portrayed on the new car's radiator ornament.

The engine powering the Wills automobiles was a 265 cubic inch monobloc V8 inspired by the Hispano-Suiza World War I aircraft engines and featuring two overhead camshafts. The noisy straight gears of the Hispano design were replaced by precise bevel drive gears, greatly reducing the noise.

The 121-inch wheelbase Wills Sainte Claire automobile was built using lightweight and nimble molybdenum steel. Beginning in 1925, Wills offered a six-cylinder model with single overhead camshafts. Between 1922 and 1927, the year production ceased - the company proved over 12,000 Wills Sainte Claire vehicles.

Mr. Wills' passion for perfection resulted in an enviable reputation, but ultimately was the company's Achilles heel, as he constantly shut the production line so he could make improvements. What was meant as a mid-market automobile eventually became a high-priced vehicle and as a result, production remained low and the company never yielded a profit. Wills would fade away in 1927, with some of his team helping to develop the Ruxton front-drive car.

The Wills Sainte Claire T-6 was a six-cylinder model with 65 horsepower, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and resting on a 127-inch platform. It was one of the first cars to have back-up lights.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2021