Problems from the Get-Go
It wasn’t that Charles Minshall, president of Standard Wheel of Terre Haute, Indiana, didn’t have the money. Undercapitalized auto companies were a dime a dozen in the early aughts of the twentieth century. In fact, on a whim, Minshall had hired Claude Cox, fresh out of engineering school in 1902, to create a marketable automobile for Standard Wheel to sell. Over coffee they had decided that “Overland” would be its name, and by 1903 Minshall had started the company and Cox had a car to show for it.
1903 Overland single-cylinder Runabout.
The 1903 Overland Runabout was a tiller-steered vehicle, powered by a single-cylinder engine that produced five horsepower and used a planetary transmission. Over the next few years Cox would improve on the concept, adding cylinders and other innovations. Sales went from 11 in 1903 to 36 by 1905.
Catalog images courtesy Horseless Carriage Foundation Library unless otherwise noted.
Switching Horses
Minshall, however, had lost interest in his baby, but the good news for Cox was that one of Minshall’s business clients, David Parry, was very interest in purchasing the rights to the Overland as an extension to his successful carriage trade, which Parry did in 1906.
This allowed Cox to improve on his runabout concept, which he did for 1907. The 1907 Overland employed an inline-four of 153 cubic inches that produced 16-18 A.L.A.M.-rated horsepower. Using a planetary transmission housed in the rear, it propelled the 86-inch wheelbase runabout to customary speeds of up to 35 mph.
Cox’s aim was reliability through simplicity, which Overland embodied. As stated in their brochure for 1907,
“…simplicity is the prime factor in making a perfectly satisfactory automobile, and the OVERLAND is the simplest of all.”
The brochure went on to summarize the Overland’s unique qualities:
“The OVERLAND is simple, reliable, durable, easy to operate, noiseless, and therefore is the car of perfect satisfaction.”
First, Panic, and Then, Switching Horses Again
Unfortunately for David Parry, the Panic of 1907 swooped in and trashed his dream of owning an automobile company. He would be totally bankrupted, even losing his home, but in 1910 Parry would return again make an automobile, this time under his own name. That, too would go under by 1912, but that’s another story, which we covered in blog post 54 from November 20, 2020. Go back and check it out!
Meanwhile, Overland was in full stoppage when its chief car dealer, John North Willys, decided to visit the factory in late 1907 to see why his orders weren’t being fulfilled and why no one was answering the phone at the Overland factory. Arriving there after Thanksgiving, and seeing nothing but an empty factory and scattered parts, Willys, a take-charge kind of personality, decided to do just that.
He wired for money to rehire the help, calmed disgruntled creditors to keep them at bay, set up a circus tent to operate an assembly line, and got to work making Overlands to fulfill his customers’ orders. 1907 production turned out five Overlands, but in 1908, 465 were produced. By 1909, Willys had turned the company around, and it produced 4,907!
Willys had a bit of Henry Ford in him in that he believed in a sturdy low-cost car made in large numbers would sell and sell big. He was also like William C. Durant, a conglomerator who believed that a family of firms all grouped together into a corporation offered strength and safety. Plus, Willys was a bit like P.T. Barnum: He knew how to educate, promote, and sell, which he did through his sales brochures.
The Overland Scout was a way to distribute information to dealers as well as interested clients. The stories in it were more personal than a factory brochure, and advance notice of new models appeared as well.
Through his persistence and his ability to connect on a personal level with his dealers, Willys was able to distribute his cars and grow his market share at an exponential rate, requiring Overland to expand to a vacated Pope factory in Toledo, Ohio. For 1910, Willys-Overland, as it was now known, offered four models, and in their new factory, Willys-Overland would turn out 15,598 units. Not bad when compared to 1907!
J.N. Willys believed in keeping it simple, and this formula worked spectacularly well in this market. The Model 38 served as an example of simplicity, and this concept would be repeated in successive models of runabout roadsters for the next several years.
This was a pretty conventional runabout for the time, but Overland would sport them up in subsequent years.
Consistency Matters (if only for a time)
Willys had taken over Marion, as he had been their chief salesperson, and he had then reorganized Overland, which he now owned, into the Willys-Overland Company in October of 1909. Willys would later sell his share of Marion and use the proceeds to build up Overland.
Willys-Overland had expanded to two factory locations, and both were sorely needed to fulfill the demand for Overlands. By 1915, the two factories had increased sales to 93,724!
Roadsters, Roadsters, and More Roadsters
During Overland’s salad days of car production, the Overland Scout was produced to inform its clients of what Overland owners were doing with their cars. Issues dedicated to new products, to travel, and even an issue devoted to women and topics of interest to them. “Why I like my Overland,” an article written by a female owner, appeared in that issue. After all, women were 50% of the potential market!
This human interest story probably sold well to women looking to step out a bit. A car meant freedom!
1910 to 1915 was a time for runabouts and roadsters as a core component of any successful car company, as this model was used extensively for business professionals, doctors, and singles who wanted a gadabout to get in and go. Overland provided!
For 1911, the Model 38 was continued, and there were also some torpedo roadsters produced (enclosed cockpit in typical roadster fashion), but the model that improved on the sporting image that the 1910 Overland Model 38 had insinuated was the Model 45.
Overland was beginning to jazz up their roadsters, and this example was pretty spiffy!
This model was the bee’s knees in roadster fashion of the time: simple, light, and fast. Why it wasn’t called a speedster is anybody’s guess, and why it didn’t have a bigger engine, well, who knows?
But we’ll get to the topic of a speedster in a bit.
In 1912, three models of roadster were offered, all with torpedo bodies. The largest was the Model 61-R, and the other two were shorter-wheelbase versions.
This was a hot number for 1912!
For 1913, another roadster, the Model 71-R, again with torpedo body cladding, dominated.
As Overland described it in their literature:
“Compact, with surplus power, seats of ample depth and plenty of leg and elbow room. The roadster par excellence.
Finally: Something Special
In late 1913, the 79 series would issue a Model 79-R roadster with almost identical dimensions when compared to the Model 71-R.
This view of the engine shows the leather fan belts in great detail.
However, not listed in the general sales brochures, but nevertheless in the model lineup, was a special model known as the 79-S, or “Speedster.” Its appearance was similar to the 79-R, except it had no enclosed passenger compartment. Given other Overland practices, we can assume that it had the same specs as its 79-series kin.
The 79-S was a classic “Gen-1” speedster, but without the power of a Mercer Raceabout or a Stutz Bearcat.
How come the 79-S was not promoted? Who knows….
Overland experts speculate that only 50 or fewer Model 79-S’s were made. Two or three are presently known to exist; below are photos of a currently restored 79-S.
This is a restored example of a 1914 Overland-79-S. Probably only two or three exist at this time.
A truly beautiful restoration!
One Mess After Another
The story of the Overland speedster ends with the Model 79-S, but Overland as a company flourished and crashed, flourished again, and crashed again. This routine played out through two world wars, several recessions, and the Great Depression.
John North Willys gave his full measure to Overland, and in turn, Overland took its last piece of Willys’ heart on August 26, 1935, when J.N. died of a heart attack while serving his last term as Overland’s president.
Overland itself (the car) would peter out over the next several years, but the Willys-Overland Company did not. Rather, it was tasked to produce American Bantam’s design for an Army personnel transport, affectionately known as the Jeep, for the duration of WWII.
Postwar, the history connecting Overland, Willys, and the U.S. Army’s Jeep would motor on through mergers and acquisitions, with their heritage linked to the present-day Humvee military vehicle built by AM General. Simple, rugged, and powerful; just like an Overland.
Not many companies can trace their connection to AM General’s Humvee!
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This week I initiated a Kickstarter campaign to raise awareness of my book, Classic Speedsters, and hopefully the campaign will recruit new readers. The comments that I’ve been receiving from those who have already purchased a copy from my website have been very complimentary, and I am very grateful for that support.
Although the purpose of my campaign is to raise money, you can just visit to indicate that you are a reader of my blog or my book (if you already have a copy). I would appreciate your support in this effort. You can access my Kickstarter campaign using this link below:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ronalddsieber/help-fund-my-book-production
The campaign will go live on the Kickstarter site on Wednesday, May 4, but you can activate that link to get a notice when the campaign is live. Please check in and read my story about my book’s journey.
Hope to see you there,
=Ronald Sieber