1918 Stutz Series S Roadster |
| American |
| Written by Sports Car Market |
| Friday, 31 March 2000 16:00 |
 The general public could be forgiven for thinking that the Stutz Bearcat was the only model made by the company. However, since 1911 when Harry Stutz had set up his own firm, there had always been two-seat roadsters and touring cars to keep the limited number of Bearcats made each year company. Mechanically there was no significant difference between the stark Bearcat and the far more practical roadster, simply a ten-inch shorter wheelbase and less bodywork for the former. In the latter part of 1917, Stutz introduced its own 16-valve twin-spark engine for all models. This T-head engine provided outstanding torque, transmitted through a three-speed transaxle, a Stutz feature from the first cars to wear the badge. They could be driven from a walking pace to speeds approaching 100 mph in top gear and it's not surprising that Stutz cars were highly successful in racing from the very first, and achieved public recognition far beyond the relatively small number of cars actually produced. |