A Legend Beyond the Jeep Name
When you say Willys in South Africa, most people think Jeep. But the Willys name is rooted in far more than military history. Founded in 1908, Willys-Overland built cars that only started turning heads in the late 1930s.
By 1941, the Willys Americar was born – and with it, one of the most iconic drag racing platforms in American history.
The Birth of a Drag Strip Icon
The ’41 Americar was small, light, and perfectly proportioned. Originally fitted with a modest 4-cylinder Go-Devil engine, it didn’t stay stock for long. By the 1950s, racers like Stone, Woods & Cook had transformed the Willys into the sweetheart of the quarter-mile, cementing its place in hot rod culture.
David Blumberg’s Dream Find
For Joburg West resident David Blumberg, the Willys has always been the dream car. When he finally found one, the body looked fair – until the layers of filler revealed a rear end that had been beaten into submission. David rebuilt it from the ground up, reshaping, welding, and hammering until the car was better than new.
The result was finished in a true old-school candy apple red – not the metallic imitation often seen today, but the silver-based, translucent finish that glows like molten glass. It’s a dying art, and David nailed it.
Built the Old-School Way
No serious Willys build keeps its stock motor. Under the hood sits a Chevy Lumina 5.7L V8, imported from the U.S. Unlike South African Luminas, this one is stripped of computers – just a carb-fed powerhouse making horsepower the way it used to be done. Power runs through the Lumina’s 6-speed gearbox into a narrowed Ford 9-inch rear end.
The chassis is still Willys, but it’s been Pro-Streeted and boxed to handle the extra punch. Suspension came from a 1970s Jaguar XJ6, with the front narrowed 100mm for a perfect tucked-in stance.
Drag Stance Meets Street Style
At the back, David tubbed the wheel arches to house American Racing Torq Thrusts, widened and wrapped in Mickey Thompson 10x28/15 rubber. The stance screams drag strip, yet the car remains totally street legal – and absolutely breathtaking in person.
The Detail in the Dream
Everywhere you look, you see the evidence of careful planning. Nothing feels like an afterthought. It’s not just a Willys – it’s David’s Willys, and he’s never letting it go. The passion is in the paint, the stance, the stance, and the detail.
Some cars disappoint up close. This one is even better.
