Willys (Willys-Overland) Willys Aero History
History
The Aero Willys, designed by Clyde Paton and Phil Wright, returned Willys to the passenger-car business for 1952 with a modern unibody compact on a 108-inch wheelbase — well ahead of Detroit's broad move to compacts. It was offered in trims such as the Lark, Wing, Falcon, Eagle, and Ace.
After Kaiser bought Willys-Overland in 1953 (forming Kaiser-Willys), the Aero was rationalized; for 1955 the line was reduced to two models marketed as the Willys Bermuda (hardtop) and Custom (sedan). US production ended in 1955 — the last Willys-branded passenger car built in America — but the tooling was shipped to Brazil, where the Aero Willys was produced from 1960 into the 1970s.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Hardtop coupe
Notable special editions & performance variants
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Willys Bermuda / Custom
The final US Aero models: the Bermuda two-door hardtop and the Custom sedan, the last Willys-branded passenger cars built in America.
Related models