1912 American Underslung Scout 22

From 1906 to 1914, the American Car Company of Indianapolis produced sporting cars intended 'for the discriminating few.' Harry Stutz designed the Underslung Roadster with this unorthodox chassis layout, with axles above the frame mounted with massive wheels to provide the necessary ground clearance. Despite the tall wheels, the chassis was one of the lowest in the industry. Unfortunately, the cars were expensive to build and, after producing an amazing 45,000 cars over eight years, American was out of the business by 1914.

The product of the American Motors Company of Indianapolis (1906-1914) is most familiarly known today by the designation 'underslung', the resulting effect produced by the frame being hung below the axles. 'A car for the discriminating few' that would not 'Turn Turtle' like the average car, few were made and only a relative handful remain.

The Underslung design placed the frame rails below the axles, effectively lowering the vehicle's ground clearance and its center of gravity. Due to the poor nature of many roads of the era, especially rural roads where horse-drawn carriages carved deep divets in the road, the reduction in ground clearance was a drawback. To compensate, significantly oversized wheels were installed, resulting in a chassis with remarkably sure handling while still retaining the necessary clearances to handle the poor road conditions.

The American Underslung offered a three-model range for 1912 including the Traveler, Tourist, and the Scout. The Scout was solely a two-passenger car with sporting roadster coachwork with a 102-inch wheelbase. The Tourist rested on a 118-inch wheelbase and was offered as a two-passenger roadster or a five-passenger tourer. The Traveler had a 124-inch wheelbase for the Model 54 Tourer and a 140-inch platform for the Model 56 Tourer. The Scout was priced at $1,250, the Tourist at $2,250, and the Model 54 Tourer at $4,250. The Model 56 Tourer was the most expensive at $4,500. All 1912 American models employed four-cylinder engines.

The Model 22 Scout used a 199 cubic-inch L-head inline 4-cylinder engine fitted with a single Rayfield Updraft carburetor and developing 22.5 horsepower (ALAM Rated). It was backed by a three-speed manual transmission and braking was handled by rear-wheel cable-operated drum brakes.