Stutz Bearcat
| Stutz Bearcat | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Stutz Motor Company |
| Production | 1979–1992 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car |
| Body style | 2-door roadster |
| Layout | FR layout |
The Stutz Bearcat was a well-known American sports car of the pre- and post-World War One period.
Essentially, the Bearcat was a shorter (120-inch [3,048 mm] wheelbase vs 130-inch [3,302 mm]), lighter version of the standard Stutz passenger car's chassis. It was originally powered by a 390-cubic-inch (6.39 l), 60-horsepower straight-four 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. 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 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. The Series E of 1913 brought electric lights and starter. A six-cylinder option was available for an extra $250.00 (equivalent to $6,058 in 2016). The doorless body style lasted 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 (equivalent to $2,751 in 2016).
The Series S Bearcat of 1917 brought the first large change to the model. While it retained the 120-inch (300 cm) 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 a new Stutz-designed 360-cubic-inch (5.90 l) 16-valve four-cylinder engine. It was cast in a single block had a heat-treated nickel crank and camshafts. For 1919, the Series G was similar, but the mid-1919 Series H bodies featured cut-down sides to make cockpit entrance easier. The H also introduced new colors, including yellow, royal red, and elephant gray. By the end of 1919, price for a Bearcat had risen to $3,250 (equivalent to $44,895 in 2016, the same as the roadster and slightly less than the touring coupe). The 1920 Series K was again similar, but prices rose to $3,900 (equivalent to $46,625 in 2016) in the wake of a postwar auto sales boom. 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. 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.
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