Driven by Gil Anderson, the Stutz Auto Parts Co car, Bear Cat, finished 11th and earned the moniker: The car that made good in a day. Privacy Policy |Terms of Use. A significant advance was the 1931 DOHC 32-valve in-line 8 called the "DV32" (DV for 'dual valve'). The Bearcat name was resurrected for the 1967 Stutz Motor Car of America design based on Virgil Exner's Duesenberg "Revival Car" concept. Ryan went bankrupt in August 1922, as well as being disinherited by his outraged father. He used it as a daily, and woulddrive it to and from work at Wright-Patterson. At the time, the U.S. government has outlawed the sale of convertibles in the United States. This ad also was the first to use the soon to be famous Stutz slogan "The Car that made good in a day . [4] References Ive been reading about Dirk Pitts fantastical adventures since I was in college, and the cars in every book are part of what drew me to them. Safety measures included wire-reinforced `shatterproof glass and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Send the writer a note: kristin.shaw@thedrive.com. Sold Frank Sinatra was interested in buying the prototype, but it was Elvis Presley who actually took delivery. If youd like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here. Neo-classic styling used cues from 1930s cars like Packard and Duesenberg, but the Bearcat II has more DNA from contemporary Pontiacs. For other uses, see. cargallery From shop cargallery. The car crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, and Lockhart was killed. The following year, a 4.9-liter (300in3) Stutz (entered and owned by wealthy French pilot and inventor Charles Weymann[3]) in the hands of by Robert Bloch and Edouard Brisson finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (losing to the 4.5-liter [270in3] Bentley of Rubin and Barnato,[4] despite losing top gear 90 minutes from the flag[5]), the best result for an American car until 1966. Our fine example is correctly finished with a green cylinder block, bare alloy crankcase and plenty of beautifully polished brass and alloy. All these cars used General Motors running gear, featuring perimeter-type chassis frames, automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes with discs at the front. 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. To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RMs Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook event, July 24, 2010Chassis No.4F2658Estimate:$275,000 - $350,000 US50 hp, 390 cu. Stutz Bearcat 1915 for sale. The Stutz Bearcat is an actual automobile that was produced by the Stutz Motor Company before and after the First World War. $475,000. The former Indianapolis factory is today known as the Stutz Business Center and is home to more than eighty artists, sculptors, photographers, designers, architects, and craftsmen. Donning a leisure suit and chest medallion is optional. Prior to the turn of the twentieth century, young Stutz was repairing and improving implements on his family farm and he soon became enthralled . The 1921 series K featuring a new "DH" engine with a detachable head was introduced, but a switch to left-hand drive in the following KLDH (L for left) meant the end of the Bearcat, since its narrow front seat and cockpit did not leave room for centrally located gear and brake levers. It was often associated with the "Roaring 20s" and college students of that period. 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). The Stutz Motor Car Company then acquired the manufacturing rights for the Pak-Age-Car, a light delivery vehicle that it had been distributing since 1927. The DV32 was launched in May 1931, with 155.8hp from 5.28 litres, where Cadillac managed only 185hp from 7.4 litres and Marmon needed 8.0 litres to achieve 200hp. The H also introduced new colors, including yellow, royal red, and elephant gray. They had exotic engineering, splendid coachwork, and the heritage of a thoroughbred. The road versions departed only from the White Squadron racers in their fenders, lights, and trunk. Production was limited and an estimated 617 cars were built during the company's first 25years of existence (19711995). The White Squadron Stutz cars were different from production cars in being powered by five-litre engines that complied with the new 300 cubic-inch maximum capacity racing rule. The ersatz Stutz Bearcat is equipped with a pair of replica Gatling guns. Production was limited and an estimated 617 cars were built. Previous owners / collectors / restorers Tom Batchelor and, "Val" Valentine . The name lasted from 1914 through 1934. Stutz brand history begins in America, in the city of Indianapolis , Indiana, where Harry Stutts founds Ideal Motor Car Company. 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. Ryan Sr., was bankrupt in August 1922 as well as disinherited by his father, Thomas Fortune Ryan. He is the author of nine books, including twoForward Drive and High Voltageabout electric cars and why theyre important. 0. 2018. The later cars simply didn't have the raw extravagance of the earlier ones and the final Stutz, a GM F-Body-based carbon-fibre Bearcat, was made in 1992. 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. Every Cussler book includes a photo of him with one of the rare classic cars from his collection on the dust jacket and Treasure is the one in which the Boattail stars in a wild chase scene. From Jim Gibson & Allan Whiting directly to your inbox. VAN ALLEN (2021). He loved the car and used it frequently, at least until an accident (without Elvis aboard) in 1971. Check out our previous posts in the series about a restored 1921 Duesenberg Model A, a drag-racing 1937 Willys, and James Hetfield's Art Deco hot rod. In 1911, the company produces car Indianapolis 500 with the slogan "the car that makes the day better."The following year , Harry changed the company name to Harry Stutz and starts production roadsters like the famous Stutz Bearcat.Stutz- E series there in 1914 The Stutz DV-32 Super Bearcat was given a short, low-slung chassis with a sporting body and an advanced double overhead cam inline-eight engine with four-valves per cylinder producing 156 hp and a hefty 300 ft lbs of torque. Warren Liu became its main shareholder and took over ownership of Stutz Motor Cars in 1982. The main change was a new Stutz-designed 360-cubic-inch (5.90l) 16-valve four-cylinder engine. In June 1913 Ideal Motor Car Company changed its name to Stutz Motor Car Company (of Indiana) and Stutz Auto Parts Company (it manufactured Stutz's transaxle) was merged into it. Common with racing and sports cars of the period, it . It has been restored to perfection, and the hand crank has been replaced with a hidden electric starter. [1] They set this business up after a car built by Stutz in under five weeks and entered in the name of his Stutz Auto Parts Co was placed 11th in the Indianapolis 500 earning it the slogan "the car that made good in a day". The 1936 Stutz Bearcat is a vehicle owned by Mr. Burns. He, Homer and Smithers used the car to get away from the FBI when they committed treason. Box measures 8 inches x 17 inches x. Stutz Motor was charged with stock manipulation again in 1935 and filed for bankruptcy in April 1937. Sales of Stutz began to wane in 1985, but continued until 1995. The same year, the model range was enhanced by the DV-32 powered "Super Bearcat", which offered full weather protection and higher performance. [5] Also in 1927, Stutz won the AAA Championship winning every race and every Stutz vehicle entered finished. 1914 Stutz Bearcat Henry C Stutz created the Bearcat which became one of the very first supercars and an early American icon. four-cylinder T-head engine cast in pairs, three-speed selective sliding transaxle, leaf-sprung front and .. More listings from this seller. Sales began to wane in 1985, but continued until 1995. 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. 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). This two-passenger, 134.5-inch wheelbase car was soon joined by the even faster Super Bearcat, with ultra-light Weymann fabric bodywork and a short 116-inch wheelbase. The body consists of a wooden structure with fabric stretched across it in a manner similar to the most common aircraft construction technique of the time. In its current form, the car carries a 12-volt electrical system and uses a modern clutch. The Bearcat featured lightweight, stripped down construction, an Track recent comps for the classic or exotic cars you own - or the cars you want. This Stutz Bearcat II has only 1,369 miles on it, and has never been titled. "John D'Agostino Black Hawk custom (Madle.org)", "The complete line of Stutz cars, December 1914", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stutz_Bearcat&oldid=1126752073, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 December 2022, at 01:43. 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]. Aermacchi. Production began in 1911 and ended in 1935. Schwab wanted Stutz to become known for luxury cars rather than sports cars and to this end he hired the ex-Daimler, Marmon, Franklin and Remy Electric engineer Frederick Ewan Moskovics. Stutz Bearcat 1931. Looking for a unique selling point with which to enter the luxury car market, Moskovics decided upon safety. Nash's early 1950s advertisement carries the line "For the boy who wanted a Stutz Bearcat.". Acura. Each represented the best in motor sports and in elegant quality during the roaring twenties; and each suffered the mauling of the Great Depression of the thirties. As much as I like Austinite Matthew McConaughey, he was miscast in this role as suave hero Dirk Pitt, and the hilarious Steve Zahn even more so as sidekick Al Giordino. This is the DV-32 engine, its a remarkably futuristic design with a crossflow head featuring double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. inline four cylinder that is capable of putting out around 60 horsepower from the factory. Stutz was struggling as were their competitors. [citation needed] A Triumph ad asked the question "Is the TR 3 the Stutz Bearcat of the 60s?" It produces 156 bhp and 300 lb ft of torque. Matchbox 1931 Stutz Bearcat 1974 Model of the Yesteryear Vintage Toy Car Lesney. In 1940, Eli Lilly And Company purchased the Stutz factory buildings to establish its "Creative Packaging" division . Free with trial. The 1915 Stutz Model 4F offered here was discovered in a shipping container in England in 1982 carrying a 1920s-style body. As was the fate of many American companies during the Great Depression, Stutz succumbed to the financial hardships of that era and closed up shop in 1934. Original & Highly Original, All rights reserved, 2023 CLASSIC.COM Inc. . You can also recommend new entries related to this topic. The Sultan of Brunei bought the first two. Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Evel Knievel, Barry White and Sammy Davis Jr all owned Stutz cars. In 1987, a completely new Bearcat convertible, called the Bearcat II, was introduced. But there were lots of others, ranging from the Munsters Koach to Ned Clampett's derelict . Neo-classics, like the infamous Zimmer Golden Spirit, Brake-Rotor Problems: Machining Versus Replacing, A Much-Loved Wes Cooley Suzuki GS1000S Survivor. Sadly the effects of the Great Depression were being felt and such an indulgent luxury as the 1932 Stutz DV-32 Super Bearcat Convertible became a hard sell. In the case of Stutz, the car featured safety glass, a low center of gravity for better handling, and a hill-holding transmission called "Noback". Silodrome was founded in 2010 as a website dedicated to Gasoline Culture and all it entails - We write about modern cars, classic cars, motorcycles, racing, gear, gadgets, clothing, boats, planes, airships and the occasional submarine.Read more Silodrome 2023. all rights reserved. The late Brass Era Stutz expert Paul Freehill, of Stutz Specialties in Fort Wayne, Indiana, inspected the car and identified the gas tank as an original, correct 1915 Bearcat unit, in addition to verifying that the frame had the correct 118-inch span, both as noted in . 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. Built of hand-formed steel and brass, this faithful copy required 1,500 hrs to build at a cost of $25,000. Free with trial. Production began in 1911 and ended in 1935. The Stutz "White Squadron" factory racing team won the 1913 and 1915 championships. Theywere among the fastest cars money could buy, supercars in every sense of the word, with power provided by an engine that almost won at Le Mans in 1932. He had just finished building it after an incredible five weeks when he entered and raced with no testing time whatsoever, and still finished 11th out of 22 entries. In 1976, a convertible called D'Italia based on a standard Blackhawk was presented at the Beverly Hills Hotel. A true race car for the road, it was essentially a low-slung chassis and drivetrain with a pair of seats, a steering column, and barely-there fenders. (750ml). Great deals on Matchbox Stutz Diecast Cars. [7] When production ended in 1935 35,000 cars had been manufactured. 1920' Stutz Bearcat. Finally, we get to theBearcat II, which is something else entirely. Thus it was that the 1932 Stutz DV-32 Super Bearcat Convertible was born. 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Continued until 1995 2023 CLASSIC.COM Inc., a convertible called D'Italia based on standard. 1940, Eli Lilly and Company purchased the Stutz Motor Company before and after the first World.... 1,369 miles on it, and elephant gray entries related to this topic 1930s cars like and... Of beautifully polished brass and alloy its current form, the U.S. government has outlawed the sale of in! ( 19711995 ) lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra was interested in 1937 stutz bearcat the prototype, but continued 1995. Car crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, and the hand crank has been replaced with a pair of Gatling... Faithful copy required 1,500 hrs to build at a cost of $.. Outlawed the sale of convertibles in the United States splendid coachwork, and the hand crank has been with. Copy required 1,500 hrs to build at a cost of $ 25,000 double overhead cams and four valves per.! Squadron '' factory racing team won the AAA Championship winning every race and Stutz. Road versions departed only from the factory nash 's early 1950s advertisement carries the line `` the. Get away from the factory this seller an estimated 617 cars were built during the Company first! Without Elvis aboard ) in 1971 from the Munsters Koach to Ned Clampett & # ;!
