1941 Willys Coupe

Description

This 1941 Willys is the kind of car that scares off a lot of potential buyers before they can finish the deal. You can love the look and the build quality, but until you experience all 502 horsepower trying to rip up the pavement under those rear tires, you just don't know if you're man enough to drive it. But if you are, there definitely aren't many rides that are more entertaining than this one.

With 1941 Willys coupes becoming as scarce as dinosaurs, it's a good thing that Antique & Collectable Bodyworks in Buffalo, New York stepped up to put fresh fiberglass replicas into circulation. This one was professionally finished, smoothed, and modified with shaved door handles and that trick flush-mounted taillight along the bottom of the trunk opening. Once everything was in order, multiple coats of the stunning black cherry paint went on. There was more sanding and buffing, and the result is a spectacular finish that seems to glow from within and emphasizes the coupe's many complex curves. Up front, that pointed hood sits above a Willys "electric shaver" grille and the split rear window is a Willys design cue that dates back to the '30s. It shows almost no signs of use (it shows just over 4600 miles, but the actual figure is less than that due to a calibration error on the speedo), and if there's a car that will draw a crowd at the local cruise night, this is it.

You'd think that the interior would be small, but you'd be wrong. There's actually plenty of stretch-out space for two, thanks to wide, comfortable buckets with built-in armrests. The gray upholstery is a low-key alternative to the flashy bodywork, and it makes it easy to spend a lot of time behind the wheel. A custom fabricated aluminum center console is the highlight of the entire passenger compartment, accented with neat ball-milled details and tapering into a recessed are with the secondary controls stashed out of sight. Integral power window switches, plus the controls for the Vintage Air A/C system and the Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo system. Classic Instruments supplied the beautiful stainless-faced gauges and there's a Sun SuperTach up high in true racer fashion. In back, despite the massive wheel tubs, there's a fairly spacious trunk with an electrically-actuated lid and full upholstery, including on the fuel cell.

The powerplant under the hood is a GM crate 502, which is legendary for both durability and prodigious power output. In the relatively lightweight Willys, performance is explosive, although the full potential of this car has never been explored; as it has never been raced. A trick aluminum air cleaner and cover add an Art-Deco look to the engine compartment, with just about everything else being stock 502 fare, although you will note an authentic Willys firewall tag that carries the car's serial number. The engine is backed by a built 700R4 4-speed automatic feeding a 9-inch Ford rear custom narrowed with Currie axles inside and a set of 4.11 gears on a Detroit locker. Tubular A-arms with rack-and-pinion steering make up the front suspension, while the rear is a 4-link with coil-overs and Alden Eagle shocks all around. Beautiful aluminum wheels have a vintage dragster look and wear 26x7.5R15 front and 31x18.5-15 rear Hoosiers.

When you take this car out for a drive, just make sure it's pointed where you want it to go before stomping the loud pedal. Just because this Willys is pretty, that doesn't mean that it isn't also wickedly fast. Call today!