1913 Stutz Series B Bearcat Runabout

A pair of aerial surveyors doing work in Montana discovered this 1913 Stutz Series B Bearcat on a ranch in the 1970s. A deal was struck and the car was rescued from the ranch. What remained was a partial frame, engine, and a gas tank. Over the years, parts were collected, but by the early 2000s, the car remained in an unrestored state. The car entered new ownership and a much-deserved restoration on the Stutz soon followed. The new owner and his son undertook much of the work themselves over the course of the few years. The story of the restoration was published in the October-December 2009 issue of the Stutz News club publication.

In 2015, the car entered the car of its current caretaker. The car's restoration has been nicely maintained, and it is finished in a shade of dark green with a contrasting red under the fenders and the frame. There are painted Frayer knock-off wire wheels with Goodrich Silvertown tires. It has adjustable front shock absorbers, Macbeth headlights with color-matched visors, dual cowl lights, a left- and right-side fill fuel tank, a storage trunk, and two full spares at the back. The interior features a walnut wood dash, button-tufted seats, and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. The instrumentation includes a Berdon System Esterline Co. amp gauge, a Phinney-Walker Co. eight-day clock, a Warner Auto-Meter speedometer with total and trip counters, and a Tuto Type A horn. The shifter and parking brake are painted red. To the right of the driver's seat is a nickel-gated three-speed manual gear selector, and below the front of the driver's seat are two buttons - one to operate an added electric starter, and one to operate an exhaust cutout. A Pyrene fire extinguisher is mounted just in front of the seat.

Power is sourced from the Wisconsin T-head 390 cubic-inch four-cylinder with an updraft Stromberg carburetor. Modern upgrades include a 12-volt electrical system, an electric starter, an ignition system upgraded from a magneto to a distributor setup with coils and points, and the fitment of a modern clutch.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2022