The Willys Overland do Brasil was a subsidiary of Willys in Brazil, founded on August 26, 1952 in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo. In 1954 its assembly lines began putting on the streets Jeep Willys also fitted with American parts and marketed under the name Jeep Universal. Valente, with traction on two or four wheels and three rates with reduction gears, so the jeep was adequate roads and Brazilian farms.
History[]
The Rural Willys version appeared in 1956. In 1957 parts of the vehicle began to be manufactured in Brazil in 1959 and the engine also became Brazil --- one six-cylinder 90hp 2.638cc and power that would be adopted in most vehicles the automaker.Although the subsidiary has received the tools to mount the Aero model when the U.S. parent ended the production of passenger vehicles, the first urban car was the small Brazilian Willys Dauphine, in 1959, produced under license from Renault. The economic vehicle was one of the biggest rivals of the Volkswagen Beetle in the Brazilian market of the 60s, in its various versions that have emerged in the following years, and was also the basis of a winning Team Willys competitions in Brazilian motorsport, with riders like Christian Heins, Emerson Fittipaldi and Luiz Bueno.
The Alpine 108, known in Brazil as Willys Interlagos. In 1960 he was finally released the Aero-Willys, even with the rounded body of the American model, which earned the nickname this first version of "Aero-Ball". In terms of mechanics, the Aero was simply the Jeep bodied urban. Weighed 1440 kg and reached 120 km / h top speed, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 17.8 seconds. Fuel consumption was around 7 km / liter. In 1961, the Willys launched another vehicle produced under license from Renault, the Interlagos copy of the Renault Alpine, and the first sports vehicle serial Brazil, with body in fiberglass style in three versions (coupe, convertible and Berlineta) and mechanical based Dauphine, but with several carburetor options or power options.
In 1962 he was made a complete restyling of the bodywork of the Aero, led by American designer Brooks Stevens, and was released in December 2600 the Aero model, with straight lines, modern for the time, and some changes to the engine, which increased power to 110hp. This new Aero has created a deluxe version in 1966 that was sold as a different vehicle, the Foreign Ministry.In 1965, Willys began studying a successor to the line Dauphine / Gordini, and again in partnership with Renault created the "Project M".
However, for reasons now cited as business administration and inefficient overspending with the athletic department, Willys went into financial crisis, and in 1967 Ford assumed control of the company. The Project M, already well advanced, was completed and led to Ford Corcel --- the first copies still left the factory with glasses stamped with the mark of the Willys.
The lines of cars and Jeep Aero continued to be produced under the Ford brand Willys until 1970, and later for a few more years, only the Ford brand. The Jeep line still continued in production until 1983.