For a second time in less than two years, this graceful but unrestored 1917 Overland 85-6 touring car is looking for a new home. It surfaced here on Hemmings in January 2024, when it sold for $2500 after decades of storage in a Massachusetts barn. Today, it’s offered on craigslist for $5000, with nothing of note having been done to improve the car though the seller says it “ran when parked”. It is now located in Deland, Florida. Thanks to Michael for spotting this aged Overland for us!
The Overland Automobile company began operating in 1903 as a division of a wheel company. Seemed like a logical synergy – extend your wheel-making skills to manufacturing the entire automobile – but the road was rough, involving several changes of ownership and headquarters – and subsequent hitches in production. By 1907, the company was acquired by John North Willys. A series of sdditional acquisitions later, and Willys had organized the Willys-Overland Company. This car bears both names on its radiator badge. Overland’s stock in trade was its four-cylinder motor but by the time this car was made, many of its models were available with a six. This one makes about 35 hp. Fuel is vacuum-fed into the tank on the firewall, and gravity fed to the “reed” type carburetor. By 1917, Overlands were equipped with an electric start from the factory. Steering is worm and gear, brakes are theoretical, and the gearbox is a three-speed with opinions about changing up or down. Owning an early car like this means you’ll face things like a leather-faced clutch. Fun!
Bench seats both front and back, very old Stewart gauges, and advance/retard and throttle controls on the steering wheel are reminders that we’re looking at a car over 100 years old. Not seen here is the split windscreen, hinged in the center, and single wiper for the driver’s side. Hung on the back of the front seat is a robe rod, and passengers benefit from a footrest. This example retains its side curtains – a minor miracle.
The top is tattered, and I don’t even want to think about who will help with those wood-spoked wheels! But this six-cylinder, top-down tourer was the top of the line back in the day at Overland, costing $995 new. A restored four-cylinder 90 sold last year for $14,000; while a six might sell for more, the gap between the asking price and the value of these cars is uncomfortably narrow. Undertaking a restoration will be a passion project; are you up to the task?
My grandfather,(born 1899) told me of seeing his first car. It was an Overland, owned by a local doctor. Every Sunday,the Dr. would drive through town, and townspeople would line the road (rte9, Kinderhook,NY) and help push the car up the grade it couldn’t handle on its own!
Aha, the good doctor needed to go up in reverse! Usually the low gearing of reverse in these oldsters will get you up a hill …. so next time you’re laboring toward a hill in your BSA Scout or MG TA, just flip around!
Michelle: I remember a story in a book I read decades ago about an enterprising Model T salesman. Model T’s had no fuel pump – gravity feed only, so they would starve for fuel on a long up-hill. Knowing that, when demonstrating the new cars to customers, he would got to a certain long hill, drive about half-way up, turn into a side road and back the rest of the way up, saying “It goes up the hill just as well in reverse”.
Ah yes, I forgot that some fuel “pumps” work better uphill too, thanks for the note.
play things of the rich at that time (grandma was born, Tidewater Va, in ’88).
Love ta have 1 in the shop as much as a bent4 (a lancia ora snett) to play with. Buy?, nah~
Unless you can and want to do all the work yourself you’re in trouble before you start.
Hey Jim, boy, got that right. You know, I wonder if it would be better just to leave it like it is. Get it running and tires, of course, but restored copies of these, while awesome in our day, just doesn’t get the attention it once did. Now this, it looks the part, an old antique car just recovered from who knows where.
And, it’s a stick shift! Horrors!
I expect to see Ellie May and
Granny in the back this would probably cost more to restore than it will ever be worth.
But it is a rare car and it would be something to see it looking new again
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FINALLY, someone who made the Beverly Hillbillies connection!
Not even close, The Beverly Hills car was a 1921 Oldsmobile, converted into a homemade truck by non-other than George Barris !
Nice write up. A leather faced clutch… Amazing how they figured these things out during those times. Imagine trying to find parts, my head hurts just thinking about that…
Does NOT need an LS
Wood spoke wheels are made at Coker Tire-Honest Charlie’s Speed Shop here in Chattanooga. This is not a problem to replace
My shop worked on a 4-cylinder Overland a couple of years ago. It was a 1920 model, if I remember correctly. The leather clutch worked fine, the car started and ran well, and it was a good car for local streets with 30 m.p.h. speed limits but not a highway car. The most difficult thing to get used to was the placement of the accelerator button (or very small pedal) in between the clutch and brake pedals. When releasing the accelerator button and coming to a stop, it’s very difficult to train your foot to move to the right for the brake.
It looks like this one may have the accelerator pedal to the right of the brake pedal.
No I would not restore it I would rat rod it moving the body onto something else like a Ford expedition or Dodge ram and just had some fun with it
I think Howard is on to something here. If you follow the path he suggests you would have quite the attraction at local shows and cars and coffee. I think it would be really worthwhile to get this grand old antique back to life again.
It pains me to see these grand old automobiles in such a state. Getting it running and driving is probably the most realistic hope. I’m afraid that restoration is not in the cards. Neat old car. Nice write up.
Two of these, one mechanically sound but like this, one restored to pristine condition. I think more people would be gathered around the unrestored one.