Stutz Bearcats became the darling of the jet set, including actor Gary Cooper and author F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was often associated with the "Roaring 20s" and college students of that period. The Stutz was marketed as the "World's Most Expensive Car" with a Royale limousine priced at $285,000 and a Blackhawk coup over US$115,000 in 1984[9]. Model History. Privacy Policy |Terms of Use. This ad also was the first to use the soon to be famous Stutz slogan "The Car that made good in a day" referring to the Stutz racer's 11th-place finish in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. All Rights Reserved. AC. Then the newly introduced Black Hawk Speedster won every race it entered to be crowned AAA Stock Car Champion. Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer, "Stutz" redirects here. Stutz also built such exotics as the 25-foot-long armored Stutz Royale limousine (with a name borrowed from Bugatti). This car has a fascinating history, as most Bearcats do, its ownership history has been traced back to 1952 when it was owned by Colonel Donald L. Bower, then stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. This car is an extraordinary piece of American automotive history and is in such good condition that it still has the original fabric skin it was first fitted with back in 1932. . Lets get straight right away that the Stutz Bearcat IIlike the one currently offered on eBay has absolutely nothing in common with the original, which debuted in 1912. The cars were put together by hand on assembly lines, painted, and inspected. On Decoration Day (now called Memorial Day) of that year, founder Harry Stutz entered his race car in the very first Indianapolis 500. Call Dave at (407) 592-5039 for details. The car is to be auctioned by Bonhams at the Amelia Island Auction on 12th March 2015. It was a small coupe featuring dual side-mount spare tires and a rakish dip in the doors, similar to contemporary (and future) sports cars. The body was a pioneering carbon fiber composite that resisted dents and corrosionat the debut, the assembled press were handed hammers and asked to see if they could do damage. Box measures 8 inches x 17 inches x. The new Bearcat had the DV-32 (32 valve) eight-cylinder engine and each car came with an affidavit saying the car had been tested at 100mph (160km/h). After a long period of dormancy, the Stutz brand was revived in 1968 by famed automotive designer Virgil Exner, this time known as Stutz Motor Car of America. Like its great rival the Mercer Type 35R Raceabout, the Stutz Bearcat Speedster was among Americas first true sportscars and drew patronage from the likes of Barney Oldfield and Erwin `Canonball Baker; the latter using his to shatter the existing coast-to-coast record by seven-and-a-half hours in 1915. See Sold Price. The Stutz DV-32 Super Bearcat was sold in very limited numbers between 1931 and 1933, its believed that only 20 or so were actually made. Los Angeles investor Warren Liu took over ownership and became CEO of Stutz Motor Cars in 1982. Youve heard of the Cannonball Run; the man for whom that car rally was named, Cannonball Baker, drove none other than the Bearcat from San Diego to New York in eleven days and change, breaking speed records. It never raced or tried to break any speed record again. Finally, we get to theBearcat II, which is something else entirely. Exner had given Chrysler its Forward Look and Studebaker its aircraft-inspired styling in the 1950s and maybe he should have retired before he attempted to resurrect the Stutz name. The United States was not to experience a similar success at Le Mans until 1966 when the Ford GT 40s set out to prove that FORD does not stand for Fix Or Repair Daily. Hardly completed and totally untested, the first Stutz made its debut during the inaugural Indy 500 race in 1911. Cussler passed away last February, and his daughter Teri now runs the museum, which displays about 70 vehicles including a 1906 Stanley Steamer, 1921 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost and 1925 Isotta Fraschini, and many more. Into that ultra light body went the wonderful Double Valve DV32 straight 8 DOHC engine. The owner says it all with this call to action: Own a piece of history!. It did have additional parts like fenders, headlights, and a windshield added but otherwise it was a race car you could drive on the road. Warren Liu became its main shareholder and took over ownership of Stutz Motor Cars in 1982. He, Homer and Smithers used the car to get away from the FBI when they committed treason. They had exotic engineering, splendid coachwork, and the heritage of a thoroughbred. Arguably the Stutz may only have lost the race due to its losing its top gear an hour and a half before the finish. Ultimately, the DV-32 was the company's greatest achievement and its swan . The Series E of 1913 brought electric lights and starter. Thereafter, the marque drifted somewhat and, having failed to meet Allen Ryans ambitious projections, was taken over by Bethlehem Steel magnate, Charles M Schwab. The famous Bearcat first appeared in 1912. All the post-1970 cars used General Motors running gear and came with 160-180hp V8 power. Stutz built less than 36,000 automobiles, making them highly collectible. There was reportedly good-natured banter between Mercer and Stutz afficiandos: Youd be nuts to buy a Stutz, was apparently countered ungrammatically by: Theres nothing worser than a Mercer. Elvis Presley also had a black Stutz with a red leather interior and a gold-plated gear stick. No doubt it is also no less exciting to drive than it was in 1932. The Bearcat, originally "Bear Cat," made its debut in 1912. The 1920 Series K was again similar, but prices rose to $3,900 (equivalent to $52,754 in 2021[1]) in the wake of a postwar auto sales boom. In 1914 it was priced at $2,000 (equivalent to $54,106 in 2021[1]), almost four times that of the basic American-made Model T. The colorful history and rakish image of the Stutz Bearcat made it one of the better known antique cars to later generations of Americans. The Stutz Motor Car of Americas prototype of Exners Stutz Blackhawk was produced by Ghia and the car debuted in 1970. Meanwhile, two friends of Thomas Fortune Ryan found themselves with large parcels of Stutz stock, Charles Michael Schwab and Eugene Van Rensselaer Thayer Jr. (18811937), president of Chase National Bank.[2]. Expired. $19.99. Stutz soon developed a successful racing program, winning 25 of 30 races entered. The companys successes led to the building of a factory complex (1914-1920) at 1008 North Capitol Avenue. Stutzs assault on the 1929 Le Mans 24-hours netted a fifth place overall, behind a quartet of Bentleys. Y-8 Matchbox Lesney 1914 Stutz, Vintage 1969 Diecast . Were the Stutz name defunct I would want to be someone who resurrects it. The engine was based on the original Stutz Vertical Eight from 1926 and was a 322-cubic inch powerplant that included dual overhead camshafts and angled valves above the hemispherical combustion chambers. The Stutz straight-eight, 4.7-litre engine had a nine-bearing crankshaft, single, chain-driven, overhead-camshaft and dual-ignition. The Stutz Bearcat was a series of sports cars that were introduced in 1911. According to Elvis estate Graceland, the superstars favorite car and the last automobile he drove in public was his 1973 Stutz Blackhawk III. As one of the earliest true sports cars, the 1912-1916 Stutz Bearcat models have the highest value. The company, however, failed and closed in 1937. The Bearcat II was a neo-classic hand-built in Turin, Italy not for the race track but for cruising Hollywood Boulevard. Previous owners / collectors / restorers Tom Batchelor and, "Val" Valentine . In 1911 Stutz entered one of their then four cylinder cars in the Indianapolis 500 and managed to finish in 11th place in that first attempt. For other uses, see. Common with racing and sports cars of the period, it featured minimal bodywork consisting of a "dog house" hood, open bucket seats, a tiny "monocle" windscreen in front of the driver, and a cylindrical fuel tank on a short rear deck. [5] Also in 1927, Stutz won the AAA Championship winning every race and every Stutz vehicle entered finished. Stutz Motor was charged with stock manipulation again in 1935 and filed for bankruptcy in April 1937. The doorless body style lasted through 1916. Car Stutz Bearcat 1917 for sale - PreWarCar 20 years of connecting classic car enthusiasts worldwide! Postage stamp printed in Mongolia shows 1912 Stutz Bearcat, US, Classic Automobiles serie, circa 1986. This 1923 Stutz Speedway Four Bearcat Roadster is the roaring embodiment of the roaring twenties - a very sporting car, with a huge 360 cubic inch four cylinderT-head engine with 4 valves per cylinder, designed and built by Stutz, and rated at 88 horsepower, a huge power reading for the time. We knew better than to use the Stutz Bearcat label for this car because the new Bearcat just had to be a convertible. Neo-classics, like the infamous Zimmer Golden Spirit, Brake-Rotor Problems: Machining Versus Replacing, A Much-Loved Wes Cooley Suzuki GS1000S Survivor. 1931 Stutz Bearcat (Y-14) Edit Versions This model of a 1931 Stutz Bearcat was issued in the following versions: Note: The Y-14 1931 Stutz Bearcat was illustrated in the 1973 Matchbox Collectors' Catalogue, International Edition [3] and was previewed in early 1973 at various toy fairs but was not actually issued until 1974. With the production of the Pak-Age-Car, an early small walk-in delivery van, the company attempted to revive the business. The Bearcat switched with the Blackhawk to the GM B platform in 1980, with the exterior continuing the Blackhawk's exposed trunk-mounted spare tire and freestanding headlamps. Keen to expand the company, Harry Stutz allowed Wall Street financier Allen Ryan to float the Stutz Motor Car Company of America Inc on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The Bearcat featured a 389cuin (6.4L) Wisconsin brawny four-cylinder T-head engine with four valves per cylinder,[citation needed] one of the earliest multi-valve engines, matched with one of Harry Stutz's transaxles. 5 out of 5 stars (751) $ 10.00. Safety measures included wire-reinforced `shatterproof glass and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. According to factory literature from 1913 the Bearcat "was designed to meet the needs of the customer desiring a car built along the lines of a racing car with a slightly higher gear ratio than our normal torpedo roadster, has met with great favor with motor car owners and meets the demand for a car of this class. The 1936 Stutz Bearcat is a vehicle owned by Mr. Burns. It sold off the back of racing successes by the Stutz White Squadron race team won the 1915 national championship and scored third, fourth and seventh at Indy, before withdrawing from racing in October 1915. Stutz made inline 8-cylinder supercharged motors that were ahead of their time technically, and they churned out horsepower and speed. Donning a leisure suit and chest medallion is optional. Stutz offered it for $100,000 (equivalent to $373,361 in 2021[1]). Stutz is a name that is synonymous with Bentley and Bugatti; they raced against each other. Extremely rare. Wire wheels were listed as a $125 option (equivalent to $3,113 in 2021[1]). It developed 92hp at 3200rpm and drove through a three-speed manual transmission and ensured that the `Safety Stutz was one of the fastest luxury cars that money could buy. Stutz was a very prestigious automaker in its day, and the racy Bearcat helped make its name. Engines were V8s, originally 400 or 460 cubic inches (6.6 or 7.5L), but by 1984 the Victoria, Blackhawk, and Bearcat came with a 160hp (119kW; 162PS), 350.0-cubic-inch (5.7L) engine while the Royale had a 424.8-cubic-inch (7.0L) Oldsmobile engine rated at 180hp (134kW; 182PS). Sold The Stutz led the race, before losing top gear 90 minutes from the flag and finished second to the Bentley 4.5 Litre of Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin. In June 1913 Ideal Motor Car Company changed its name to Stutz Motor Car Company and Stutz Auto Parts Company that made transaxles was merged into it. The new Stutz president decided to follow Duesenbergs lead, by adopting a twin-overhead-camshaft cylinder head. Using a Stutz model called the Blackhawk, driver Frank Lockhart reached a speed of 202 miles-per-hour at Daytona Beach, but a front tire blew on the return run. In August 1968, New York banker James O'Donnell raised funds and incorporated Stutz Motor Car of America. The history of the Stutz Motor Company. $75,000 firm. "The Car That Made Good in a Day" was the slogan that the newly formed Ideal Motor Car Company adopted after Henry Stutz's untried and untested car finished 11th in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. This increase was because of the brands successful racing team. Our fine example is correctly finished with a green cylinder block, bare alloy crankcase and plenty of beautifully polished brass and alloy. Age: 97 years. If youd like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here. 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