Today's car of the day is Matchbox's 1933 Willys 77 hot rod.
Willys (pronounced "Will-is") was the brand name used by the United States automobile company Willys-Overland Motors, best known for its design and production of military Jeeps (MBs) and civilian versions (CJs) during the twentieth century.
For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Willys 77
Models of stock 1930s cars are uncommon in 1/64 scale. Oddly enough, Hot Wheels has been among the most prolific producer of stock cars from this time period. However, hot rods from the 1930s become more commonplace every year. This was Matchbox's foray into vintage hot rods.
In 1926, production of the Overland ended and was replaced by the Whippet brand of small cars. Following the stock-market crash of 1929 and the economic depression that soon followed, a number of Willys automotive brands began to falter. Stearns-Knight was liquidated in 1929. Whippet production ended in 1931, its models replaced by the Willys Six and Eight. Production of the Willys-Knight ended in 1933.
At this point Willys decided to clear the boards and produce two new models - the 4-cylinder Willys 77 and the 6-cylinder Willys 99 - but the firm was on the verge of bankruptcy again, so only the 77 went into production. They were forced to sell their Canadian subsidiary, itself in weak financial shape, and started a massive reorganization. In it, only the main assembly plant and some smaller factories remained property of Willys-Overland. The rest were sold off to a new holding company that leased some of the properties back to W-O. The company was thus able to ride out the storm.
In 1936 the Willys-Overland Motor Company was reorganized as Willys-Overland Motors. In the 1920s and 1930s, Willys was an unremarkable automaker based in Toledo, Ohio, one of dozens in the U.S. It was one of several bidders when the War Department sought an automaker who could begin rapid production of a lightweight truck based on a prototype designed by American Bantam.
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