Stutz Bearcat
Encyclopedia
The Stutz Bearcat was a well-known American sports car of the pre and post World War One period.
Essentially, the Bearcats were a shorter (120" wheelbase vs 130"), lighter version of the standard Stutz
passenger cars chassis. It was originally powered by a 390 in³
, 60 horsepower straight-4
engine produced by the Wisconsin Motor Company. 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. Production Bearcats differed from the factory "White Squadron" racers by having fenders, lights and a trunk. Factory literature from 1913 describes the Bearcat as "The Stutz Bearcat, 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 Series S Bearcat of 1917 brought the first large change to the model. While it retained the 120” wheelbase its body now featured an enclosed cockpit with step over sides. It continued to be right hand drive with external gearshift and brake levers. The main change was under the hood where a new Stutz-designed 360 C.I. 16-valve 4 cylinder engine resided. It was cast in a single block had a heat treated nickel crank and camshafts. 1919’s Series G was similar, but the mid-1919 Series H body’s featured cut down sides to make cockpit entrance easier. The H also introduced new colors including yellow, Royal Red, or Elephant Gray. By the end of 1919 price for a Bearcat had risen to $3250 (the same price as the roadster and slightly less than the touring coupe). The 1920 Series K was again similar but prices had risen to $3900 in the wake of a postwar auto sales boom. The 1921 series K featured 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. By 1922, the famed Bearcat name was missing from model lists and sales literature. For 1923, the roadster was renamed the Bearcat, but the name would again disappear in 1924.
The Bearcat name was reintroduced in 1931. The depression had not been kind to Stutz, so the name was used as a way to boost sales. The new Bearcat had the DV-28 (28 valve) eight cylinder engine and each car came with an affidavit saying the car had been tested at 100 mi/h. It was a small coupe featuring dual side mount spare tires and a rakish dip in the doors, similar to current (and future) sports cars. The car lasted through 1933. The same year, the model range was enhanced by the “Super Bearcat” powered by the DV-32 engine. Unlike the standard model, it offered full weather protection and higher performance . Sitting on a 116 inches (2,946.4 mm) wheelbase, it featured a light-weight fabric body built by Weymann
. Stutz production ended in 1934.
's record coast-to-coast drive, inspiration for the later Cannonball Run
outlaw race and film spin-offs. Baker drove his Bearcat from California to New York in eleven days, seven hours, and fifteen minutes, shattering the previous record.
for the wealthy of the era. In 1914 it was priced at $2000, much less than some imported European sports cars, but about two to three times the cost of the average American "basic" car (with the Ford Model T of the day priced at $550).
The history and image of the Stutz Bearcat made it one of the better known antique cars to later generations of Americans. It was often associated with the "Roaring 20s" and college students of that period. It was frequently mentioned with stereotypical accoutrements of the period such as raccoon coats
and illicit "bathtub gin
".
That fame persisted well into the late 20th Century and the car's name was often used by way of comparison by modern makes of cars including Nash
, Triumph
and Mercury
. A Triumph ad asked the question "Is the TR 3 the Stutz Bearcat of the 60s?" and showed a Triumph driver, complete with raccoon coat, next to an early 20s Bearcat, in a campus setting. The Nash ad from the early 1950s has the line.. "For the boy who wanted a Stutz Bearcat." The message being that a child in the 20s would be an adult 30 years later, and would buy a new Nash to satisfy his car lust.
utility vehicle. It was broadly similar in outline (bucket seats, exposed fuel tank) but differed from the original in having left hand drive and many visual differences. It was aimed at luxury car buyers as a unique runabout, but its high price limited sales. It's thought about a dozen were completed. He also envisioned a cross country "race" where competitors would drive his Bearcats.
Famed Hollywood car customizer George Barris
made two much more accurate replicas for the 1971 television series Bearcats!. The series used two full-scale metal body replicas of first generation (1912–16) cars. While externally very close to the original cars, they were in fact built on custom chassis powered by Ford drivetrains and had modern four-wheel brake systems for safety.
Other replicas have been built by individuals.
. The original 1967 design of the new Bearcat was based on Virgil Exner
's Duesenberg
"Revival Car" concept, but a production Bearcat was not manufactured until 1979. That model used the GM A platform
shared with the Blackhawk, and was essentially a Targa top
coupe.
The Bearcat switched with the Blackhawk to the GM B platform
the next year, with the exterior continuing the Blackhawk's exposed trunk-mounted spare tire. The base platform was now the GM F platform
for 1987, with the trailing edge of the spare now forming part of the car's rear bumper.
Just 12 or 13 modern Bearcats were produced. Notable owners included the Sultan of Brunei, who owned two.
Jake McGrath in the Robert Peck book Here Lies the Librarian which pays homage to the beginning years of the Stutz auto.
In addition, episodes of the radio sitcoms Life with Luigi
and The Burns and Allen Show had stories in which the heroes thereof wound up buying Stutz Bearcats.
Essentially, the Bearcats were a shorter (120" wheelbase vs 130"), lighter version of the standard Stutz
Stutz Motor Company
The Stutz Motor Company was a producer of luxury cars based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Production began in 1911 and continued through 1935. The marque reappeared in 1968 under the aegis of Stutz Motor Car of America, Inc., and with a newly defined modern retro-look. Although the company is...
passenger cars chassis. It was originally powered by a 390 in³
Cubic inch
The cubic inch is a unit of measurement for volume in the Imperial units and United States customary units systems. It is the volume of a cube with each of its 3 sides being one inch long....
, 60 horsepower straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
engine produced by the Wisconsin Motor Company. 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. Production Bearcats differed from the factory "White Squadron" racers by having fenders, lights and a trunk. Factory literature from 1913 describes the Bearcat as "The Stutz Bearcat, 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."
Model history
The original production Bearcat was introduced in the Series A of 1912. The first public mention of the car (then spelled “Bear Cat” ) is in an advertisement in the 1912 program for the Indianapolis 500 mile race. 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. As previously mentioned, that was truthful advertising as the Bearcat was essentially a road-going version of the racer with fenders and lights added. The Series E of 1913 brought electric lights and starting. A six-cylinder option was available for an extra $250.00. The doorless body style would last through 1916. A sales catalog lists the available colors for the Series E as Vermillion, Monitor Gray, and Mercedes Red. Wire wheels were listed as a $125 option.The Series S Bearcat of 1917 brought the first large change to the model. While it retained the 120” wheelbase its body now featured an enclosed cockpit with step over sides. It continued to be right hand drive with external gearshift and brake levers. The main change was under the hood where a new Stutz-designed 360 C.I. 16-valve 4 cylinder engine resided. It was cast in a single block had a heat treated nickel crank and camshafts. 1919’s Series G was similar, but the mid-1919 Series H body’s featured cut down sides to make cockpit entrance easier. The H also introduced new colors including yellow, Royal Red, or Elephant Gray. By the end of 1919 price for a Bearcat had risen to $3250 (the same price as the roadster and slightly less than the touring coupe). The 1920 Series K was again similar but prices had risen to $3900 in the wake of a postwar auto sales boom. The 1921 series K featured 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. By 1922, the famed Bearcat name was missing from model lists and sales literature. For 1923, the roadster was renamed the Bearcat, but the name would again disappear in 1924.
The Bearcat name was reintroduced in 1931. The depression had not been kind to Stutz, so the name was used as a way to boost sales. The new Bearcat had the DV-28 (28 valve) eight cylinder engine and each car came with an affidavit saying the car had been tested at 100 mi/h. It was a small coupe featuring dual side mount spare tires and a rakish dip in the doors, similar to current (and future) sports cars. The car lasted through 1933. The same year, the model range was enhanced by the “Super Bearcat” powered by the DV-32 engine. Unlike the standard model, it offered full weather protection and higher performance . Sitting on a 116 inches (2,946.4 mm) wheelbase, it featured a light-weight fabric body built by Weymann
Weymann Fabric Bodies
Weymann Fabric Bodies is a patented design system for fuselages for aircraft and superlight coachwork for motor vehicles. The system used a patent-jointed wood frame covered in fabric...
. Stutz production ended in 1934.
Racing success
Overall, its low weight, balance, and power made it an excellent racer. For example, in 1912, Stutz Bearcats won 25 of the 30 auto races in which they were entered. In 1915 a stock Bearcat was also the car used in Erwin "Cannon Ball" BakerErwin George Baker
Erwin George "Cannon Ball" Baker was a motorcycle and automobile racing driver and organizer in the first half of the 20th century...
's record coast-to-coast drive, inspiration for the later Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run may refer to:* Erwin Baker's 1933 NYC to LA drive* Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race, memorializing Erwin Baker's drive.* Films inspired by the race;...
outlaw race and film spin-offs. Baker drove his Bearcat from California to New York in eleven days, seven hours, and fifteen minutes, shattering the previous record.
Prestige
Owning a Stutz Bearcat became a famous status symbolStatus symbol
A status symbol is a perceived visible, external denotation of one's social position and perceived indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols...
for the wealthy of the era. In 1914 it was priced at $2000, much less than some imported European sports cars, but about two to three times the cost of the average American "basic" car (with the Ford Model T of the day priced at $550).
The history and image of the Stutz Bearcat made it one of the better known antique cars to later generations of Americans. It was often associated with the "Roaring 20s" and college students of that period. It was frequently mentioned with stereotypical accoutrements of the period such as raccoon coats
Raccoon coat
Raccoon coats were a fad in the United States during the 1920s, particularly with college students in the mid- and later years of the decade. They are full-length fur coats. They became popular due to the stories of Davy Crockett and popular artist James Van Der Zee.-External links:* * *...
and illicit "bathtub gin
Bathtub gin
Bathtub gin refers to any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions. The term first appeared in 1920, in the prohibition-era United States, in reference to the poor-quality alcohol that was being made....
".
That fame persisted well into the late 20th Century and the car's name was often used by way of comparison by modern makes of cars including Nash
Nash
-Places:*Nash, Buckinghamshire, England*Nash, Herefordshire, England*Nash, Bromley, London Borough*Nash, Newport, Wales*Nash, Telford and Wrekin, former village in Shropshire, England*Nash, South Shropshire, England*Nash Lee, Buckinghamshire, England...
, Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
and Mercury
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...
. A Triumph ad asked the question "Is the TR 3 the Stutz Bearcat of the 60s?" and showed a Triumph driver, complete with raccoon coat, next to an early 20s Bearcat, in a campus setting. The Nash ad from the early 1950s has the line.. "For the boy who wanted a Stutz Bearcat." The message being that a child in the 20s would be an adult 30 years later, and would buy a new Nash to satisfy his car lust.
Replicas
Oklahoma City businessman Howard D. Williams attempted to capitalize on the model's fame. In the late 1960s, he built and marketed a fiber-glass replica of the car, based on the chassis of an International Harvester ScoutInternational Harvester Scout
Scout 80s were built between 1960 and 1965. These models were identifiable by removable sliding side windows in 1960–1961 and even some very early 1962 models, a fold-down windshield, vacuum windshield wipers mounted to the top of the windshield and an IH logo in the center of the grille...
utility vehicle. It was broadly similar in outline (bucket seats, exposed fuel tank) but differed from the original in having left hand drive and many visual differences. It was aimed at luxury car buyers as a unique runabout, but its high price limited sales. It's thought about a dozen were completed. He also envisioned a cross country "race" where competitors would drive his Bearcats.
Famed Hollywood car customizer George Barris
George Barris (auto customizer)
George Barris is a designer of custom cars.-Early history:George and his brother Sam were born in Chicago in the 1920s. After the deaths of their parents, they moved to Roseville, California as children to live with relatives. Both were good students, interested in drama, music, and design...
made two much more accurate replicas for the 1971 television series Bearcats!. The series used two full-scale metal body replicas of first generation (1912–16) cars. While externally very close to the original cars, they were in fact built on custom chassis powered by Ford drivetrains and had modern four-wheel brake systems for safety.
Other replicas have been built by individuals.
1970s-80s Bearcat
The Bearcat name was quickly resurrected for the new Stutz Motor Car of America, but production lagged behind the 1970 BlackhawkStutz Blackhawk
The Stutz Blackhawk was an American luxury car manufactured from 1971 through 1987. The Stutz Motor Company was revived in August 1968 by New York banker James O'Donnell. Virgil Exner designed the car, which was prototyped by Ghia at a cost over US$300,000. The Blackhawk debuted in January 1970...
. The original 1967 design of the new Bearcat was based on Virgil Exner
Virgil Exner
Virgil Max "Ex" Exner, Sr. was an automobile designer for numerous American companies, notably Chrysler and Studebaker. He is known for his "Forward Look" design on the 1955-1963 Chrysler products and his fondness of fins on cars for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons.-Early life:Born in Ann...
's Duesenberg
Duesenberg
Duesenberg was an Auburn, Indiana based American luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality passenger cars and record-breaking racing cars.-History:...
"Revival Car" concept, but a production Bearcat was not manufactured until 1979. That model used the GM A platform
GM A platform
The General Motors A platform was a mid-size car automobile platform. The A-bodies evolved from rear wheel drive compacts, to rear wheel drive mid-size cars, to front wheel drive mid-size cars over the course of 32 years. The switch in drive layout in 1982 spawned the G-body...
shared with the Blackhawk, and was essentially a Targa top
Targa top
Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
coupe.
The Bearcat switched with the Blackhawk to the GM B platform
GM B platform
The B platform, or B-body, was General Motors' full-size rear-wheel drive automobile platform. It was closely related to the C-body and D-body and was used for coupés, sedans, and station wagons....
the next year, with the exterior continuing the Blackhawk's exposed trunk-mounted spare tire. The base platform was now the GM F platform
GM F platform
The F platform, or F-body, was General Motors' small rear-wheel drive automobile platform from 1967 until 2002. It was based partially on the GM X platform, which was used for compact applications instead of the sporting intent of the F-Body. The only two vehicles to have been built using the...
for 1987, with the trailing edge of the spare now forming part of the car's rear bumper.
Just 12 or 13 modern Bearcats were produced. Notable owners included the Sultan of Brunei, who owned two.
Fictional owners of the Stutz Bearcat
- The unnamed first-person protagonist of Velvet Underground song "Sweet JaneSweet Jane"Sweet Jane" is a song by The Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by band's leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the piece into live performances years later as a solo artist....
" - The heroes of the television series Bearcats!
- Mr. Burns, in the SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "The Trouble with TrillionsThe Trouble with Trillions"The Trouble with Trillions" is the twentieth episode of the ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, which originally aired April 5, 1998. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Swinton O. Scott III...
". The Bearcat is also a usable vehicle in The Simpsons Hit & RunThe Simpsons Hit & RunThe Simpsons Hit & Run is an action-adventure video game based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons. It was released for the GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Windows in North America on September 16, 2003, In Europe and Australia on October 31, 2003 and in Japan on December 25, 2003...
. - Commandant Edwin Spangler, Malcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
- Helmut Zeppelin, Orange CrushOrange Crush (novel)Orange Crush is Tim Dorsey's third novel, and the first not to star Serge A. Storms as the main character. It is a frequently dark spoof of the politics of Florida and the United States' involvement in the Balkans.-Plot summary:...
- Sam DruckerSam DruckerSam Drucker was the operator of the general store in Hooterville in the fictional world of the 1960s American sitcoms Petticoat Junction and Green Acres and made several guest appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies, created by Paul Henning...
, proprietor of the HootervilleHootervilleHooterville was a fictional town that was the setting of the American television sitcoms Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.-Citizens:The town of Hooterville was founded in 1868 by Horace Hooter...
general store in the TV series Green AcresGreen AcresGreen Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
and Petticoat JunctionPetticoat JunctionPetticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series... - Rafe Berlin, a recently-returned war hero and love interest in The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell, a 2005 novel set in 1920 Louisiana by screenwriter Loraine Despres.
- Speed Paxton, a character in F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's short story, A Night at the Fair (1928), drives off in a "Blatz Wildcat" -- a thinly disguised, fictionalized name for the Stutz Bearcat. - Dirk PittDirk PittDirk Pitt is a fictional character, the protagonist of a series of bestselling adventure novels written by Clive Cussler. The name Dirk Pitt is a registered trademark of Clive Cussler.-Character information and the supporting cast:...
, the uncannily capable protagonist of Clive Cussler'sClive CusslerClive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...
adventure novels, mentions a Stutz Bearcat speedster in Raise The Titanic!Raise the Titanic!Raise the Titanic! is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated oceanliner RMS Titanic to the surface of the Atlantic Ocean....
. - The heroes of the 1972 cartoon The HoundcatsThe HoundcatsThe Houndcats was a 1970s animated television cartoon series shown on the NBC television network.-Plot:Loosely based on the CBS adventure series Mission: Impossible, it was headed by a combined team of dogs and cats, hence the name "Hound-Cats"-Members:* The "Houndcats" were led by the cat Stutz,...
, whose leader was a cat also named Stutz (the car itself was nicknamed "Sparkplug") - Mr. MagooMr. MagooQuincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
is shown to drive a 1924 Stutz Bearcat. - Anne RiceAnne RiceAnne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's novel The Witching HourThe Witching Hour (novel)The Witching Hour by Anne Rice is the first novel in her series "Lives of the Mayfair Witches." The novel begins the tale of a family of witches, and a spirit that has guided their fortunes for generations.-Plot summary:...
, in which Stella rides around with Julien in a Stutz Bearcat to go to parties and brothels. - Penelope PitstopPenelope PitstopPenelope Pitstop is a fictional character who appeared in the Hanna-Barbera animated series Wacky Races, and starred in the spin-off The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, voiced by Janet Waldo, 1969.-Background:...
named her green car as a Stutz Bearcat XKZ in one episode of The Perils of Penelope PitstopThe Perils of Penelope PitstopThe Perils of Penelope Pitstop is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969. The show lasted two full seasons, with a total of 17 half-hour episodes produced and released, the last first-run episode airing on January...
.
Jake McGrath in the Robert Peck book Here Lies the Librarian which pays homage to the beginning years of the Stutz auto.
- Judd Steiner from 1959 film Compulsion based on the Leopold and Loeb case.
In addition, episodes of the radio sitcoms Life with Luigi
Life with Luigi
Life With Luigi was a radio comedy-drama series which began September 21, 1948 on CBS Radio, with the final episode broadcast on March 3, 1953.The story concerned Italian immigrant Luigi Basco, and his experiences as an immigrant in Chicago...
and The Burns and Allen Show had stories in which the heroes thereof wound up buying Stutz Bearcats.