This Willys-Knight was discovered in a barn where it has sat parked for over 60 years! It is claimed to be one of just 13 known to still exist and restored examples can go for six figures! This is an amazing discovery and it’s listed here on eBay where the auction is ending soon. The big question here is would you restore it or just leave it as-found?
Would it be horrible to just throw some old leather on that seat frame and call it good? After doing so, I would enter it in every Concours that has a preservation class and then patiently wait to see if it gets accepted anywhere. I have a feeling it would draw more looks than any of the overrestored machines at those car shows.
One thing that made this car unique was the engine. When John Willys met Charles Knight during a trip to Europe, he knew he had to give Knight’s new sleeve valve design a try. Rather than using traditional valves in the head, it used two sleeves around each piston. The intake and exhaust ports were just holes in the sides of the sleeves. The design was very novel and made for a quieter engine.
Another special feature of this car was its handsome body. Previous Willys models had been midmarket cars but John wanted to build something a little fancier. So he hired the same guy who designed the Reo Royale to come up with a shape more befitting to a high-end luxury car. The picture above is of a fully restored car that sold at an RM Auction back in 2014.
Be sure to check out the video above of the seller talking to the previous owner and then wheeling it out of the barn. We hope the previous owner’s dad did put some oil down in those sleeves before parking it too! If you think it’s hard to break loose a seized small block, just imagine what one of these would be like!
This Willys-Knight has a lot of cool history and it definitely deserves to be saved. So back to our original question. Would you attempt to restore it or would it be best to leave it alone? Personally, I would attempt to get that engine running and then do the bare minimum to make it a driver. There are plenty of restored ones out there so why not stand out from the crowd?
Some people say patina and others say rust. I’m leaning towards rust. A truly unique car that deserves to be restored. To leave it in it’s current state would make it an oddity and it deserves so much more than that.
Coolest tail lights awarded to…
For heaven’s sake restore it! Sympathetic
restoration may be fine for some cars, but
not this one. If there are only 14 or so left
in the world, why not make it 15 restored examples instead. IMO, there would be
nothing worse than to get this car running
and driving just to have it crumble to pieces around you. There is just no way
you could do a proper preservation restoration in its current state.
Rare yes.
Special enough to properly restore ?
It would have to be a work of heart…
I wonder why the exhaust pipe passes from the manifold up and over the engine to the other side. The sleeve valves must have necessitated the crossbow head design, but I’m stumped as to the exhaust pipe crossing over like that. Anyone know?
Possibly a heater on the passenger side?
Carburetor/Intake heater. The engine photo in the auction description makes it easier to see.
.
Here’s why the crossover exhaust. You’ll notice the the flow of exhaust passes directly opposite where the air/fuel mixture enters the intake manifold from the carb. The intake manifold actually has the hot exhaust flowing downward through a separate passage cast into the manifold. And it’s those hot exhaust gases that help to fully evaporate the poor and/or variable quality fuel of the day. The Duesenberg Model A has the same basic setup.
I can just envision this restored to its original glory. I can only dream that my bank account had enough money in it to pay for that restoration. She is beautiful!
I suddenly have this urge to watch Raiders if the Lost Ark.
Of. Of.. I hate this iPhone auto correct sometimes.
Stunning lines on this old girl even in her rusty state. I wonder what her life was like back in the day.
Restore it!! I would be afraid to drive it as is. Remember, you only see about 10% of the rust that’s there and I see a lot of rust.. This car might break in two if you tried to drive it.
Save it. Bring it back to what it was. Join a club. Participate in Tours with it.
Take your lady or whomever shopping in it. Use the car. Gently. If you live in an area with snow or extremely cold temperatures, store the car properly.
You own’t regret the investment, nor the attention, nor the appreciation as an asset class.
1930? Wow, what a beauty! Must have turned some heads in those days. This one even unrestored seems less “glitzy” than the RM auction car above. Would love to see it restored as more “bare bones”, even in black.
This was my friend’s father’s car. The story is true. The dealer who is now flipping it waited 20 years for the car to be dug out of storage. The reason the back of the car is so rusted out is due to a section of the barn roof leaking water directly on the rear of the body. Under that rumble seat there is very little left. Great rare car but most of the body will have to be remade. I have photos of what the car looked like decades ago and it was rough when it was put away in the 1950s. It is a amazing and rare full classic. Someone will save it. Expensive car when restored.
Some people are just drawn to shiney objects, and that’s OK, it’s just not for me. I’d go through it mechanically, leave it alone cosmetically. Although you will need to rebuild the seat…covering with old leather is a great option. This is where the the antique motorcycle people have already figured it out. That is that the desirability and hence the value is more when it left as is, real originality is king. Not replaced and repainted to look like it was, but actually what it is, is what it was. I’d walk right past this car if it was restored. Just another checkbook restoration. I’d be all over it if running and driving as is. Somebody with an appreciation of history and some imagination. Every dent and scratch has a story it’s up to you to imagine how it got there. It’s harder to preserve and protect than to replace and repaint. And the results are far more interesting.
Sounds good but you can’t drive it as it is. Has not been run in over 65 years and as I said, the barn roof leaked directly on the car for decades. If you shake the rear of the body, it literally shakes from the rust out. You can see where the rear quarters do not line up with the doors because the rear of the body dropped. I can post a few old photos when the car was in the barn if anyone is interested. It’s still an awesome car.
Thank you for being honest. Unfortunately the seller forgot to tell us any of this information.
This Willys-Knight has been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that I have to agree with the consensus that it needs to be and will benefit from restoration.
A positive note is the amount of interest and enthusiasm sleeve valve engines have generated. There were many manufactures in the UK and on the Continent with the Knight double sleeve type and also a few the Burt McCallum single sleeve type used by Argyll and GM for the 25/70hp Vauxhall, etc.
Bill Body of Motor Sport and author of many motoring titles presented a short overview of manufactures (not all of them) utilizing the Knight double sleeve, their performance and success in international competition as a prelude to his succinct article about Bur McCallum’s single sleeve system.
A Sleeve-valve success from Motor Sport, Feb 2001:
https://media.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/february-2000/full/88.jpg
Click on the body of the article to enlarge page…left side details strengths and weakness of the sleeve valve engine…click on text body to enlarge.
On You Tube watch the 1:26 min vid “Mors 1913 automobile – sleeve valve engine” to see and hear the ‘quiet’ 1913 four cylinder.
Comment to follow will include link to 16 year discussion by CCCA members on repair and maintenance of engines.
Continuing with repair and maintenance of sleeve valve automobile engines (skipping all the amazing sleeve valve aero engines such as those manufactured by Bristol and others) this CCCA thread that spans 16 years has several entries of note. One has to appreciate the knowledge and hands on expertise of Ivan Saxton a senior member with some 1,305 posts. Shawn Miller was searching for specific timing info for his Burt McCollum single sleeve Argyle Straight 8 w/photos. Check the photo of the 1927 Daimler Knight sleeve valve 25/120 6 cylinder engine in need of intake manifold and carb. How about a 1912 BSA (no, not a bike) 4 cylinder and last but not least the entry from July 31, 2017 stating that well known 1929 Stearns Knight model M coupe is still running and touring regularly in far eastern North Dakota under care of a “young man” in his 30s doing a great job of preservation.
CCCA sleeve valve engines forum:
https://forums.aaca.org/topic/26528-sleeve-valve-engines/
What a beautifully designed car. That 3/4 driver’s side rear view is incredible.
It would be nice to see it mechanically and structurally repaired but indeed, to leave it in its current state of devolution. Not to everyone’s taste, sure, but the Nipple is correct, it’s true and everyone knows it: park this at any car show and be ready to answer a LOT of questions and tell “The Story” all afternoon long.
BTW, THAT story would be about its early history, the storage years, the guy who squirreled it away, the uncovering after so long inside, the condition of the body, the engine, the interior, the various struggles to get it back on the road, “yes, we drove it here!”, etc, etc…
The RESTORED story is about the effort spent on bringing it back to perfection. Super-interesting, yes, of course! but the story is less about the life of the car and more about the work to get it on that velvet pillow.
13 left? There are less than 10 54 Nash Ambassador Custom Country Club Lemans left. As an update, Hydramatic is rebuilt and painted the original white(!). DUAL JETFIRE reasembly begins next week, and hopefully reinstallstion the week after that.
Was this car at Hershey last fall?
Yes. In the Dragone tent. It is on their website too for 36,500.
https://dragoneclassic.com/currentofferings/1930-willys-knight-model-66b/
Art Deco paint was not limited to the Willys-Knight Plaid-Side roadster. My view is that it looks best in a dark color such as blue or black and hope the winning bidder @ $20k will return it to its previous glory.
In the meantime check out this period correct tartan colour scheme 1924 Voisin C4S which was found in oily rag condition, but unfortunately with a factory updated eight light body that had to be removed for the most part to return the car to its original square rigged configuration. This Voisin is powered by a 1328cc double sleeve engine. Reg Winstone’s article is thorough accompanied by multiple photographs large and small detailing the car before, during and after a perfect restoration. A period black and white photo shows a dark version of the tartan paint scheme. That too looks good. The model featured with the machine has a restrained coiffure which complements her attire to further allow the tartan red, yellow and black paint work to shine (no pun intended).
http://www.theautomobile.co.uk/december-2019-issue/
For those interested in purchasing a back copy they’re only £10 ($13) for US delivery and who doesn’t need to read about fire-breathing pre WW1 ghosts with open exhausts driven on the roads of the UK and France on their way to participate in a hill climb near Paris. A pre-coronavirus road trip of the highest order.
Rebuild it to 100% concourse quality. Well, when I win the big one I’ll be in touch!
Greetings All,
I like patina as much as the next person but draw the line when it’s missing that much metal in places.
Some cars condition warrants a sympathetic restoration.
I don’t believe thus one does though.
Just so I’m clear, I LOVE this in so many ways. But it will realistically never be restored. Anyone that thinks otherwise has never done a nut and bolt prewar car restoration.
Nice design. Those taillights remind me of the war of the worlds alien robots.
A.J.,I bet you’re wrong. Someone with deep pockets will take it on. Though I will say I disagree with Andy who said driving it like it is would be an “oddity”. It already IS an oddity, is it not? I was sorry to read about the rear end being gone. Damn, why is any car left to deteriorate that way?
Kenn, I’m thinking you have never done a restoration on prewar car? The cost on this one would be measured in 100’s of thousands of dollars. Unless you happen to be a backyard guy skilled at wood work, machine work, metal work, chrome, upholstery, etc.
I would like to see someone take it on, but they have had it for 10 months now at 36,500 and nobody has bit. I don’t think the issue is the price tag.
Is it Willys….. or…..Will-lis?
I.ve heard the second?
The second. Not sure when it started getting pronounced willeees.
I want to drop the front down 2 and 1/2 inches and the back down a little to give it a nice rake look.