Stutz advertised itself as the 'Car That Made Good in a Day,' referring to the company's first automobile, which entered the 1911 Indianapolis Motor Speedway race five weeks after the car was built and managed to finish 11th (out of 33).
Harry C. Stutz left the company in 1919 after disagreements with the company's stockholders. He formed his own company, the H.C.S. The Stutz Company was taken over by the Bethlehem Steel Magnate Charles M. Schwab, and Frederick Moscovics was hired to transform the Stutz sports car into a proper luxury car.
This 1925 Stutz left the factory with the rare Stutz-built Type 691 overhead-valve engine, which has never been rebuilt. Displacement is 289 cubic inches; horsepower rated at 80. The Model 693 was built on a 120-inch wheelbase chassis.
Despite building coupes and sedans, as well, the Stutz company was best known for its sporty, fast cars such as this roadster.
The car was sold new by Pietro DiNova & Sons of Steubenville, Ohio, to Sam Rossi of Piney Fork, Ohio. The car remained in his family until 1950, when it was purchased by the DiNovas. In 2008, they sold the car to the current owners.
