1928 Stutz Model BB Touring Car Vehicle Profile

Stutz commenced production in 1911, quickly building a reputation for fast sport cars with their famous Bearcat models. In 1912, they adopted the advertising slogan: 'The car that made good in a day,' capitalizing on their excellent performance at the Indianapolis 500 in 1911. They continued to make fast, sporty cars but added larger, luxury cars in the 1920s, gradually increasing power, size, and sophistication.

This 1928 Model BB has a 299 cubic-inch, overhead cam 8-cylinder engine and 131 inch wheelbase. In 1930, Cadillac introduced a V-16 engine, starting a 'cylinder race,' and by 1932 several luxury car makers were producing V-12 engines. Stutz's answer in 1931 was to increase the size of their engine to 322 cubic inches and incorporate dual overhead camshafts with 4 valves per cylinder, producing 156 horsepower. This model was called the DV-32, giving it an impressive name to compete with the V-16 and V-12 names of its competition. Stutz ceased production in 1935 due to the Depression curtailing sales of luxury automobiles. The name was revived in 1970 with a new company and a car designed by Virgil Exner on a modern chassis.

This car sports a Dual Cowl Phaeton body made by custom coachbuilder LeBaron. It was originally from Maryland and used in many political parades including Eisenhower's president parade and later in political parades in Toledo and Northwest Ohio. It has won Best of Show awards at many Ohio car shows.