1933 Stutz DV-32 Sedan

The eight-cylinder engine introduced by Stutz in 1927 was advanced, and the vehicle's design was well-styled and had excellent performance. By 1931 their sales had basically dried up, and they began work on a new engine. Lacking the necessary resources to develop a new multi-cylinder motor, they focused on their eight. Their idea was to produce a new twin-overhead cam, 32 valve, cylinder-head to revitalize their line-up. The single-cam straight-eight now called the SV-16 was a great motor, though never produced much over 115 horsepower. The new DV-32 head bumped the engine horsepower up to 156.

The DV-32 engine featured a pair of polished aluminum cam covers with cloisonné DV-32 emblems. The new combustion chamber design eliminated the need for the twin plug arrangement found in the SV-16. Performance was notably improved and the engine had a powerful and high-revving feel.

The Stutz chassis had a low-slung worm drive frame which was noticeably lower than its competition and featured vacuum-boosted hydraulic brakes.

The DV-32 was 'too little, too late' and only 150 were produced before the company closed up in 1935. This example is a five-passenger sedan mounted on the 145-inch DV-32 chassis. It was fully restored a number of years ago but still presents well today.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Quail Lodge presented by Bonhams auction. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for $87,750 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011