1926 whippet roadster

[1926willys]

I have had this car for 40 years in the garage, 25 years ago had the original motor/trans professionlly rebuilt with zero miles on it.. original car almost complete, no top or bumpers or running boards.. I was told its a rare car and worth some bucks ???? just moved to montana and its probably going to sit another 40 years so i'm probably going to sell it, i will post a picture when i can, the frame/body is solid along with the rest of the car and the original wood spoke wheels still look pretty good! its been stored in northern ca forever in a garage. thanks,  Jim  jgstang65@gmail.com 

[keiser31]

20 minutes ago, 1926willys said:

I have had this car for 40 years in the garage, 25 years ago had the original motor/trans professionlly rebuilt with zero miles on it.. original car almost complete, no top or bumpers or running boards.. I was told its a rare car and worth some bucks ???? just moved to montana and its probably going to sit another 40 years so i'm probably going to sell it, i will post a picture when i can, the frame/body is solid along with the rest of the car and the original wood spoke wheels still look pretty good! its been stored in northern ca forever in a garage. thanks,  Jim  jgstang65@gmail.com 

Can't wait to see it.

[wmsue]

Love to hear about other Whippet's.

Can't wait to see a photo or two.

Whippets were manufactured from 1927 through 1931 in both 4 and 6 cylinder engines.

 

Bill

[Terry Bond]

Nice car, popularity sorta overshadowed by the later Model A Ford, but still has a peppy engine and 4-wheel brakes.  Need photos for sure as "original wood spoke wheels still look pretty good" can mean very little to a prospective buyer, especially someone who intends to drive the car.  Looks like one sold for a bit less than $11K not long ago at auction, and that was a decent looking car.   Although you've heard it's rare and "worth some bucks" it's unfortunately a car that isn't in high demand these days due to limited usability. 

I'm sure others will chime in once you post some photos.

Terry

[F&J]

54 minutes ago, 1926willys said:

I was told its a rare car and worth some bucks ????

Don't take any "stock picks" from that person. 

 

Yes, "uncommon" in the roadster version compared to a Whippet sedan, but project cars just don't sell for much money anymore, especially in that mid 20s era. 

 

Your description makes me think that it likely needs full restoration?, and likely not a nice "survivor" that can be used with minor work. If that is true, I think you will be very disappointed at what it actually ever sells for. 

 

You are in Montana, so that's even worse due to the very limited local buyers there, and buyers around the rest of USA would be facing huge now-rising shipping costs which will eliminate most dreamers. Unfortunately most people looking at ads for cheaper project cars really are dreamers, as they rarely will buy one. That drives the real selling price even lower.

 

Most of us who like really old prewar cars are too old to buy more, and don't want to tackle more work. We are downsizing instead.

 

[HarryLime]

I found this online , NOT the car in question . This is John North Willys posing in May 1927 in front of his admin building . Nice car !

Edited December 26, 2021 by HarryLime
date change (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

When my dad was going to college in 1949 and 1950, he had a 1927 Whippet roadster, and used it to commute between college in Reno Nevada and Elko where he had grown up. If the car is in Northern California, it is possible that it could be the same car? So I am really looking forward to seeing pictures of it!

If the price was reasonable, I might even be interested, although I really DO NOT need another project at my stage in life. My dad used to tell me stories of his days and travels in the little roadster. He was six foot four inches tall before he graduated from high school!

 

I have been watching for more than fifty years, and never seen a 1927/'28 Whippet roadster in person. Although I did know a fellow that owned at least three Whippet cars including a 1930 roadster that I did see on tours a couple times (it was one of his favorite antique cars!). I have seen a few era photographs of the 1927/'28 roadsters, and only a couple modern photos of restored cars. The two-door sedans are quite common, the four-door sedans less common, and I have seen about a dozen of those. I have even seen a couple 1927/'28 cabriolets in person. One would expect that they would be more rare than the roadster, however they appear to be more common considering all the ones I have seen photos of.

The early Whippet roadsters are fairly rare (the word "rare" is used way too often!). However, as others have said, they are not very desirable. There are simply way too many better roadsters out there available for reasonable money. Any era roadster is a fun model, but not really all that practical. People that want a roadster usually want one that is bigger and faster. 

I don't get out much these days, but since I am in Northern California I might like to go see it, depending on just where it is. I might even consider buying if the price was a reasonable current market value. Only because of all the stories my dad told me.

[wmsue]

The Whippet is certainly not the choice for a tall person.

I'm not nearly that tall and have a difficult time getting in and out of my 28' Cabriolet.

Once I'm seated, no problem.

 

Here's a photo of a 28 Roadster  (not the car the 26Willys is talking about).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

And here's a photo of my 28' Cabriolet.

It's getting a new top this winter. Just waiting for the call to drop it off.

 

Bill

 

[wayne sheldon]

wmsue,

I like that cabriolet! The roadster you posted a photo of is really nice also. One of the things my dad told me often about his roadster, was that he had to alter the gearshift lever over sideways so that he could operate the pedals!

Several years ago, only about thirty miles from me, there was a similar cabriolet for sale. It was in decent usable condition, but probably not nearly as nice as is yours. I saw a bunch of photos of it. But never went to look at it in person, because at the time, there was no way I could have bought it even though the price was reasonable. I am a little better off now, and if I found out that it was still available, would consider it.

Edited December 26, 2021 by wayne sheldon (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

My Grandmothers first car was a Whippet. The common 2 door coach. It was still around in hulk form when I was a kid back in the early 1970's on my great uncle's farm. But the farm was sold in about 1980 and I am told the new owner scrapped all the metal on the property. About the only thing that survived was my Great grandfather's 1928 JD model D. It was sold to a tractor collector a couple of years before my great uncle died. Southern Manitoba near the U.S. border. I was living in British Columbia by then and way too far a distance to retrive family relics. No truck and trailer in those days either.