Just before the United States was drawn into World War II, noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens designed this graceful little sports convertible for Willys-Overland.

As an independent designer-for-hire, Brooks Stevens (1911-1995) played a major role in a number of important vehicles for Willys-Overland, including the 1946 Willys all-steel station wagon, the 1948 Jeepster, the 1957 Forward Control trucks, and the 1963 Wagoneer. This Willys/Stevens collaboration is far more obscure, but just as intriguing: a 1941 proposal for a two-place sports car.

The earliest drawings of the proposed vehicle from the summer of 1939 show a sleek but raw-boned speedster with a cut-down windscreen and no provision for a top, which then evolved into a more conventional convertible with cut-down doors in the manner of the Dutch Darrin Packards. From these sketches came the eventual scale model shown here. While still termed a “soft top roadster,” this design is more of a cabriolet in appearance with a substantial formal roofline. The front fenders feature a dramatic fadeaway, the rear fenders are fully tucked away within the body, and the front end follows the general theme of the ’40-’42 Willys production cars.

It’s more than safe to assume this vehicle was intended for the standard Willys passenger car chassis, which by 1940-41 had been developed into a capable platform with a 102-inch wheelbase, hydraulic brakes, modern telescopic shock absorbers, and a 134 CID inline four rated at 61 horsepower—the same engine used in the Jeep.

Based on the performance of the numerous hot rods and sports car specials constructed on Willys chassis down through the years, we expect the roadster would have been a great performer, blessed with a curb weight well below the the 2,000-lb mark. We can also safely guess at least one reason the Willys sports car was never sent into production. By July of 1941, the Toledo automaker had its hands full producing Jeeps for the U.S. military.