The car finished 11th and instantly made a name for Stutz, who changed the name of his company to Stutz Motor Car in 1912.
Harry began selling the Stutz Bearcat, a high-performance convertible sports car that was powered by a large T-head four-cylinder multi-valve engine. It was one of the first multi-valve designs. From 1912-35, Stutz built everything from high-end sports cars to luxurious limousines.
In 1931, the company introduced a 32-valve in-line eight-cylinder engine, which was designed by Fred Duesenburg and dubbed the DV-32. The in-line eight design produced about 150 horsepower and was mated with a four-speed manual transmission. This power train was fitted to a chassis with a 145-inch wheelbase.
Many bodies were available for the DV-32 chassis package.
One of the most famous was the 1931 Stutz Victoria five-passenger convertible built by Manhattan coach builder Rollston Co.
Of the 200 cars that Stutz manufactured from 1931-1935, only seven were DV-32 Victoria convertibles.
I photographed the one you see on this page at the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Eastern Meet in Hershey, Pa., last fall, but I was unable to meet the owner. I’m sure he probably knew the car’s history, which would have been great to hear about.
I hope you enjoy the pictures of this stunning car.
Until next week, keep on cruising!