In just a couple of months, this 1923 Overland 92 Series Red Bird will be celebrating its one-hundredth birthday, and while the car hasn’t been in a barn for quite that long, from the looks of things it’s probably been decades since this cool 4-Door convertible has seen any pavement. Willys cars were quite popular in the early years of the twentieth century, with the company apparently being the second dog in U.S. auto production from 1912 through 1918, just behind you know who. Although it’s in need of quite a bit of work and TLC, this Overland would make a really fun ride if you’ve got the skills to get it there. The car is sitting in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, and can be spotted here on eBay with the opening bid of $500 yet to be placed. Or if you just can’t wait to get started, it can be yours right now for $9,000, should you choose the buy-it-now option.
Barn Finds reader T.J. led us to this one, and we’d like to thank him for yet another great tip! The car is being sold on consignment by Classic Auto Mall, and in addition to the eBay listing can also be found here on their business website. Although we’re not given much information about the background and ownership history of this Overland, the seller does give us lots of photos plus pretty thorough details regarding the condition of most everything about the car. There’s said to be some surface rust on the exterior, but the only invasive rust mentioned on the outside is pertaining to the driver’s side rear fender. While most of this might be a cool patina for a hot rod, with these classy lines I hope the next owner sees fit to make the needed repairs and returns the body to its former glory days, then resprays it in the same shade of red.
Most things inside are going to need some sort of attention, including the seats and door trim, plus that convertible top is quite a mess. But the floor is looking okay, and fortunately, numerous photos are provided of the car’s underside, including this one. And while there is a fair amount of surface rust present, the south side is overall appearing more solid than I was expecting, especially to be approaching the hundred-year-old mark.
The 4-cylinder engine is fed through a 1-barrel carburetor, and it’s connected to a 3-Speed manual transmission with a 4.50 rear axle, with the seller being upfront in stating that everything regarding the motor and transmission is in need of plenty of work. So while there’s a good-sized task ahead for the next owner to get this one going again, the end result could be a stunning century-old car and the effort may be worth it. What are your thoughts on this 1923 Willys-Overland 92 Series Red Bird?
Wow, I like this car, this will look great with it restored or not, get all mechanicals working , new interior, new tires . If the paint is original I’d leave it alone. This car is worth more than 9,000 thousand, historic time capsule. No hot rod
While I wholly agree with you about how great this car is, I feel you are wrong about the value to the average buyer. No one who ever lusted for one of these in a showroom is still breathing, so you lose the mass appeal. Sure, many would like to own it and drive it, but how much are they really willing to pay? I bet maybe a tenth of that nine grand, maybe less. Perhaps a museum would want it, but who would be the customers to come see it? Car guys are dwindling in numbers as it is, car museums are closing all over North America. Unfortunately, the only person I see who might be an interested buyer at that price, is going to be some undeserving rich young snot who then has someone else (at great expense, not that he cares though) turn it into a hotrod. The car is better off left in the barn to slowly go back to where it came from.
As a long time purist I see this vehicle being turned into a hot rod as absolute sacrilege. If nobody is keen to restore it back to as near it’s original running condition then I agree with you, let it return from whence it came. R.I.P.
Are those solid rubber tires?
New tires? Hey these should hold air for a while . .
370zpp,
Those tires do hold air, about 14psi at sea level!
I wonder who makes tires like that any more?
This car will not sell because the ask is unrealistic. A no reserve auction would be a more pure expression of what this hobby should be about. That way some young hobbyist could be able to afford it and tinker with it, and yes, love and drive it. Not pretend it is going to make them a killer profit. Run away Capitalism has not helped our world. Yes, it is the best system, but taken to extremes it is poisonous.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Grant – this is from another era, an era when cars were machines to be used not investments to be traded like cards. What better way to honor that heritage than to fix it, use it, and give it another hundred years on the road?
I tell you guys,your all correct in your views.I just turned 50 and “broke” from spending every penny on my machines,but if I could buy it for $2500.00,I’d put a garage door in my living room and through away my television.
Bingo!. There are times when I feel I’m alone with my outdated views, but refreshing to hear, while in the minority, I’m not alone. However, Grant, while I share many of your views, I’m not so glum,,,yet. Just the fact a site like this exists, tells me, there is still interest.. With people routinely living into their 80s these days, ( God willing), someone like me in their 60s or even 70s, could restore this, for emotional value. My concern is the NEXT time this comes up for sale, say, in 10-15 years, interested folks will either be gone, or spending their savings on some stupid healthcare bill, putting the kabosh on all this stuff, sadly, possibly sites like this as well.
It’s obvious, capitalism is like a drug, you just can’t get enough,,,or so I’m told. Any other “ism” will be considered as some sort of control, so we’re kind of stuck. Whoever thought of capitalism was smart enough to make sure it couldn’t be stopped.
Again, the great Bob Dylan sang, “I’m gonna sit back on this bank of sand and watch the river flow”,,
This is anything but runaway capitalism. No one is being forced to pay 9K for this car. If the price is unrealistic, as it is IMO, the seller will have to what?—lower the price. They will have to keep lowering the price until it sells. That’s basic free market capitalism. The market determines the value.
Well said
You missed the point. The market is distorted by too much buying power by a small group. I want a younger person (perhaps) of average means to cherish this, not someone who buys it just because they can and will not cherish it nearly as much. The fee market isn’t free if most can not compete.
Interesting discussion. I’m not very bullish on the market outlook for this kind of old pre-ww2 cars. Who under 70 can even drive them?
And if I look to myself I know I have owned too many old cars that just were not inviting enough to take out for a drive. And if you don’t drive it, it’s just a large and expensive thing that takes up space and gives you a feeling of guilt for not doing enough to maintain it.
My boss owns a couple of Ford Model A that are family heirlooms that he has inherited. He’s seriously thinking about modernizing one of them either with a modern drivetrain and brakes, or going to electric power. He just wants to be able to enjoy taking it out for a nice weekend drive, knowing that it will start, knowing that each trip isn’t fraught with new maintenance issues, and knowing that he can in some way keep up with traffic on the back roads.
So what is the use for a car like this if you can’t really drive it?
He can do whatever he likes with a Model A as there are millions of them, however, when are you going to find another 1923 Willys Overland that can fairly easily be restored to running condition?
It only looks safe for around town driving even after fully restored, which it should be imho.
Fix it and drive it, screw the collectors. This old gal deserves to be moving on the road under it’s own power. Not electric, not restored and sitting in a glass case. Let’s drive them while we can folks!
I love the looks of the “old” cars because they had character and you could tell from a glance the make and model, unlike today. I’m sure a collector would do justice to this, but I would like to see someone with a “soul” buy this and then spend time to bring it slowly back to being usable, drive this at least 3 times a week, and work on it as a project of love.
It kinda looks to me that it was “refreshed” many years ago, then something happened and it was left to gather dust. The engine and tank look freshly painted under all the dirt.
When I was a kid in the 60’s, this is what you saw at a local car show. Probably owned by the guy who grew up with one. That person is now gone, and I think his replacement is busy restomodding a 1977 350 Corvette.
I was going through some old family paper work a few months back, and I found a sales contract where my grandpa had purchased a Overland Red Bird from a dealer in Bellingham, WA in 1925. The car was used, and the contract didn’t state the year of the car. I’m at work now so I can’t look up all the other details right now.
Unfortunately this car is too far away, and I don’t have room. If I did have it I would search far and wide to get what ever it takes to get the original motor going and make this a running car. If that couldn’t happen I would put in a 4 cylinder of some sorts, the older the better.
So many morose, pessimistic comments! “Nobody wants antique cars anymore, and anyone who did is dead now, they’re a waste of money, they just gather dust, collectors have no soul, some rich kid is just going to have it rebuilt as a hotrod . . . ” etc. etc. This is a great old car, fun to work on, fun to look at, fun to drive and fun to talk about! It’s is going to be a great Winter project for somebody!
Um,,,spot on, we have the “experience”, shall we say, to make those determinations. While it may not be so obvious to younger folks, for us, a “project” like this would be attractive to a wide range of buyers, for MAYBE a grand, most having no connection whatsoever with the make, just an old car to tinker with. It IS up to around $2500 and 18 bidders, so it’s not as glum as we(I) make it out to be. Clearly, with something this unusual, there is interest, taking into account that “adjusted for inflation” crap. We have no guarantee it will be restored to like new, however, I don’t see this as any kind of “resto-mod” so it’s possible. The bigger question, is what to do with it, once you have your kidney money invested in it. You’ll never get that money back,( sorry, the excitement of the build diminishes considerably as the losses mount) and will eventually be sold at a loss, unless it DOES have a 700hp motor and puffy interior( it already has the “clown” wheels).
At a recent car show, there was ONE Model A driven by older folks. Nobody even looking at it. I felt bad for them, and asked them about the car, they said, they used to come with an entire group, almost a dozen, she said, now, they are the only ones, and probably their last show as well. No interest and driving to the show, only a matter of miles, proved to be unsafe for them, a familiar ring.
Cool car. Reminds me of my 15 Buick. Use for local car shows, and short drives.
My 1912 Little was much the same, short drives were magic, longer drives were a mission as the moment I came to a slight hill it would slow down and I would have to use first gear, (it only had a two speed gearbox,) until the road levelled out again. Great car but I could only use it two or three times a year.
Days gone by pop cans
I have been in love with these marvelous ancient machines since just before the collectors ruined the hobby. I think the only way to moderate capitalism is to eliminate greed but greed is the death of every kind of social system. Why are we so unable to resist it? The old car hobby has long since fallen victim to greed BUT the prices for these old dogs are coming down as the mysteries of vacuum tanks and such are too much for the Walmart generations. Yes, I am an old dog as well. An old dog with soon to be extinct hand skills.
Interesting car, especially the color. I don’t think I’ve ever see an orange from then if it’s original. It actually looks pretty complete. They don’t say if the motor is free. Parts for that drivetrain would have to be made?
It is supposed to be red, hence the name. They also had a Blue Bird, which was….blue.
Love it. Bet parts are hard to get but the hunt is part of the fun in this hobby.
Send this could reasonably be made to run and be driveable. I would just clean it up with only necessary changes and drive it!
This is not a four door convertible; it is a touring car. It needs to be restored and at 80, I can’t do it.
$500 sounds about right when factoring all the work and parts this car will need.
I have a 1916 overland that has been in the family since new and we been offered 30,000 for it so don’t be surprised if it goes over 9
Rob, you are correct. $30k is a reasonable offer if yours is very nice.
Collector’s buy crap like this, employ people to restore them, and hopefully make a profit, as Gordon Geeko said “greed is good”. Get over it.
Classic Auto Mall has the coolest building to display their cars in. It actually was a mall at one time (hence their name). It is X-shaped and the cars are on display inside where the old stores used to be as well as out in the former walking areas for the mall. SO COOL!!
And I bet either they pay very reasonable rent or they made a very reasonable purchase of the building as it seems old malls are for sale all over these days. And being an old mall, it has tons of parking spaces and delivery access.
I think they have just about the coolest set up for a classic-car business I’ve seen.
Although I wasn’t going to comment, as a business owner that specializes in antique cars and etc I feel the need to set the record straight. There are still plenty of folks that enjoy these cars and drive them. Clubs and international club’s local chapters are doing fairly well. Nowhere near as good as they once were but that is no different than off-road clubs, snowmobile clubs, motorcycle clubs, muscle car clubs, etc. Selling prices/values are currently way up. In some cases they are at an all time high. I refer to it as covid pricing. All things have changed quite a bit the past couple plus years. Especially what people are willing to pay for something and how much they are willing to put into it to get it where they want it to be. As a very active snowmobiler including being a past president of a state snowmobile association, we all believed at one time that organized snowmobiling was on its way out. Many of us believed that the interest in vintage and antique snowmobiles was near the end. Point being, time proved us wrong luckily enough. While things change they stay the same. There are three Willys-Overlands that I know of in my area of the Midwest. One is in a local museum but does get used from time to time. There is interest and enjoyment of these types of vehicles. Although the people may be part of a minority, haven’t they always been??
The Brits love their old “undrivable” cars. This is the start of the London-Brighton Run yesterday–limited to cars built prior to 1905. No idea how many cars entered, it goes on forever. The oldest was an 1892 Peugeot.
https://www.prewarcar.com/watch-the-start-of-the-2022-london-to-brighton-veteran-car-run#group
They usually have over 400 vehicles taking part. I was supposed to go and watch them come through our village yesterday but there was so much wind and rain that I gave it a miss until next year!
And those are virtually all open cars. It can’t be much fun for the entrants. I’ve wondered why they hold it in November when the chance of windy, rainy weather is close to 100%.
@MikeH. This Club celebrated the passing into law on 14 November 1896 of the Light Locomotives on the Highway Act by driving 60 miles from London to Brighton. (Taken from the Internet). From this date forward it was not necessary for a man waving a red flag to walk in front of the automobile!
Thanks. That’s a great reason.
Solosolo,
If I remember correctly, not only did the old British road law require a man to walk [that’s 2 to 3 mph] in front of the auto-mobile waving a red flag, but when a skittish horse was frightened by the noise of the car, the owner was required to stop the car, turn off the engine, and cover the entire vehicle with a tarp until the horse was past the vehicle!
The original “Smoke” law was also repealed: Section 8 of the 1861 act, requiring road locomotives to consume their own smoke was repealed and amended. (Part II. 30-31) I can find no evidence this part of the law was enforced, as it was a physical impossibility! And by definition an automobile was considered a “road locomotive”.
It was thru the efforts of Lord Montague of Beaulieu [founder of the National Motor Museum in England] in getting Prince Edward, the future King of England interested in automobiles*, thereby making acceptable, the ownership of an automobile. Once enough members of Parliament were automobile owners, it was only a matter of time before the onerous law was repealed.
Edward purchased an early Daimler [British built under license], and that automobile is in the private Royal car collection at the Sandringham House Museum [I’ve been privileged to have a brief sit in it!]
Here is the link to see a photo of Edward and Montague in the Daimler:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/375135843954887574/
Looks like some one took an aerosol can of red paint and painted this one. yea there may be rust on the rear fender but there is also some advanced rust underneath as well. The $500.00 starting price is about what this one is worth as it sits now.