1952 Muntz Jet Roadster

Earl 'Madman' Muntz was a used car dealer during WWII. In 1949 he became a multi-unit Kaiser dealer. In 1950 he decided to build his own car, the Muntz Jet, and purchased the Frank Kurtis Company.

Though not a true sports car, the Muntz Jet owes its lineage to one: the Kurtis Sports Car. In the early 1950s, fast-talking Los Angeles radio and television manufacturer Earl 'Mad Man' Muntz made his name as a high-powered huckster on the new-fangled invention called the television. In 1951 Kurtis sold the rights to his Sports Car to Muntz for a reported $70,000. (Muntz claimed it was $200,000). Per Muntz's wishes, the chassis was extended to accommodate a rear seat, with such amenities as an ice chest, liquor cabinet, and rear armrests. The Muntz featured the first modern console/bucket seat layout. A wide color palette was available, including the Buttercup Yellow found on this car. It was renamed the Muntz Jet with the longer and heavier car now priced at $5,500, quite a jump from Kurtis' initial $3,990 offering and more expensive than a new Cadillac at the time. Rather than fiberglass and aluminum, Muntz constructed it of steel panels and used Cadillac and Lincoln engines to power the much heavier car. A numerically lower final drive ratio gave the Jet a higher top speed than its Kurtis predecessor.

Famous owners of the Muntz Jet included Hollywood celebrities such as Grace Kelly, Mickey Rooney, Clara Bow, Alfred 'Lash' LaRue, Josephine Dillon (Mrs. Clark Gable), and singers Mario Lanza and Vic Damone.

The interior featured a full console with radio and four-passenger seating. A lift-off hardtop roof was also included. The first 28 cars were built in Los Angeles, but sales proved difficult, and Muntz moved production to his home base of Evanston, Illinois. Despite the high price, Muntz reportedly lost $1,000 on each one he made. A total of 394 were produced before Muntz called it quits in 1954.

This car was originally owned by the Pillsbury family and was the first car to be built in Muntz's Evansville, Illinois facility. The first 29 cars were built in Glendale, California. This is the 30th car built and the first at the new facility in Evanston, Illinois, and the last car to receive a Cadillac engine before GM terminated the supply.