1953 Muntz Jet

It cruises well in a straight line but corners like a barge and stops as quickly as a Forrestal-class aircraft carrier

by Bill Warner

In the annals of automotive history, there have been few hucksters, snake oil salesmen, and promoters as bizarre as Earl “Mad Man” Muntz.

Muntz made and lost a fortune in the automobile business, first selling used cars to service men returning from WWII and later as a Kaiser-Frazer dealer in Chicago. After WWII you could sell anything with wheels, and the Mad Man did a good job of it.

As Kaiser-Frazer’s future dissolved, Muntz turned his attention to television and stereos, marketing the Muntz TV, an entry-level home television, and the Muntz four-track stereo, which he sold to Bill Lear. He still had his used car operation in Los Angeles and would advertise about his wares that, “I would give them away, but my wife won’t let me.” It wasn’t enough to sell TVs and used cars; Muntz wanted to be in the manufacturing business.

About this time, race car builder Frank Kurtis designed and built a two-seat sports car that featured a modern...