1949 Kurtis Kraft Sport

Earl 'Mad Man' Muntz was a used-car salesman in Illinois. In the early 1940s, he began transporting cars from the mid-west to Southern California, where he would sell the cars and make a profit. After World War II, he joined forces with Henry Kaiser and became a Kaiser-Frazer dealer. It is believed that in 1947 he sold 22,000 Kaisesr-Frazers. His talents also included the sale of radios, televisions, and other electronic equipment.

Frank Kurtis is remembered for the racers that he constructed for midget and Indy car competitions. He even produced a very successful line of road racers. In 1949, the Kurtis Sports Car was introduced and available as a completed unit or as a kit car. Around twenty examples were constructed when Kurtis introduced the legendary 500S.

In 1950, Muntz purchased Frank Kurtis' designs for Indy-car building and all of the tooling for the production of a two-seater sports car. The result was the Muntz Road Jet. There were many challenges involved, such as increasing the chassis by twelve inches to accommodate rear seating. The price of the vehicle was also a challenge; Muntz brought the price of the vehicle to a more reasonable price by foregoing the use of aluminum for steel. By doing this, the weight of the vehicle increased. Some of the vehicles were fitted with fiberglass fenders in an effort to reduce overall weight. Power was provided by a Cadillac V8 initially and later replaced by a flathead Lincoln V8. At this time, Muntz was able to secure Hydramatic transmissions from Ford.

There were 30 Muntz Road Jet vehicles constructed. Production began in 1950, transpiring in Glendale, California. Later, production was moved to Evanston, Illinois, midway through 1951. At this point, the Cadillac engine and the aluminum body were no longer used and the Lincoln powerplant and steel bodies were used in their place. The wheelbase increased by an additional three inches.

Muntz automobiles were not overly flamboyant, but they did come equipped with many standard options, including a wire recorder in the radio and a cooled liquor cabinet in the compartments under the backseat armrest. All of the cars came equipped with seat belts which were attached to the seat frames instead of the floor.

Due to the costs of production and the expensive machinery used to construct these vehicles, it is estimated that Muntz lost an average of $1000 on each of the vehicles produced. This did not slow production at first, but when Muntz's other business ventures began to follow suit, Production was halted.

Ford and Chevrolet began work in the early 1950s on a two-seat sports car. When Muntz learned of this, he decided to create a suitable competitor for this upcoming sports car. The examples were constructed in time for the 1953 Indianapolis Sports Car Show and dubbed the Muntz Roadster. Also on the show floor were the Corvette, which received all of the media attention. The Muntz Roadster was left with little fanfare.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2017