Couple weekends ago a buddy and I were out hunting and he ended up with a 1930 Whippet coupe project. The next day I was over at a guys place delivering parts,mention the Whippet coupe and he shows me a 1929 Whippet 2 dr sedan project in a garage. Last Sunday a few of us were looking over a car collectors inventory and there was a 1929 Whippet 4 door sedan in the collection. One of the guys then pulls a picture from his wallet of his restored 1930 Whippet 4 door 4 Whippets in 2 weekends. Strange coincidence or do they have a small mortality rate?
In their day Whippets were 3d in sales behind Ford and Chevrolet, and sold in the same price bracket. So there were quite a few around. It is not surprising a lot survive although not as many as Ford and Chev. You seem to have had an unusual run of luck Whippet wise.
In 1926 Willys-Overland introduced a new line of small cars named Willys-Overland Whippet. In the economic depression of the 1930s, a number of Willys automotive brands faltered. Stearns-Knight was liquidated in 1929. Whippet production ended in 1931; its models were replaced by the Willys Six and Eight. Production of the Willys-Knight ended in 1933.
A friend restored a '27 Whippet Colegiate Roadster. Cool little car, very stylish especially with the top down. That engine, once beefed up, powered the WWII jeep.
Ya the Whippet engine went on to power the Willys 77 and Americar, then the WW2 Jeep and was redesigned again into the F head Jeep engine. Barney Roos did a major redesign in the late 30s. The earlier and later engines look alike but the only part that fits both is the head. The redesign nearly double the HP and multiplied engine life. From being a mediocre, not very reliable engine it went on to be one of the toughest.
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