Willys-Overland

Automotive · Founded 1908

Willys-Overland's 1953 sale to Kaiser-Frazer ended the company that built the WWII Jeep. Willys couldn't convert wartime success into peacetime automotive competition. The Jeep survived as a product, eventually reaching Chrysler through AMC. Willys demonstrated that government contracts create capabilities that don't necessarily transfer to consumer markets.

Key Facts

1908
Founded