Product Code Database
The Muntz Jet is a two-door hardtop convertible built by the Muntz Car Company in the United States between approximately 1949 and 1954. It is sometimes credited as the first personal luxury car. Developed from the Kurtis Sport Car (KSC) that was designed by Frank Kurtis, it was produced and marketed by Madman Muntz. The car was powered by one of two V8 engines, either a Cadillac engine or a Lincoln engine, and it was equipped with either a General Motors Hydramatic automatic transmission or a three-speed BorgWarner manual transmission. The Jet was streamliner, featured numerous luxury appointments, and was equipped with safety features that were not standard on most cars of its day, including a padded dashboard and seat belts.
Production of the Muntz Jet occurred in Glendale, California; Evanston, Illinois; and Chicago before ceasing in 1954. The car sold for $5,500 in 1953 (about $51,500 in 2017), but cost $6,500 to produce. In total, Muntz lost approximately $400,000 on the venture. Only 198 Jets were built, an estimated 50 to 130 of which are still in existence. By 2016, fully restored cars had sold for over $100,000 at auction. Author Matt Stone called the Jet "one of the fastest and best-performing American cars of the time" while Muntz claimed that the 1958 Ford Thunderbird was inspired by his Jet.
Compared to its Kurtis predecessor, the Jet was heavier but also more agile and capable of a higher top speed, due to its lower gear train. The Muntz was heavier than the KSC, weighing almost . Its wheelbase was , longer in both overall length and wheelbase than the Kurtis, which gave it enough room to include a back seat and accommodate four occupants. The Jet stood in height. It was built with body-on-frame construction and had independent front suspension (control arm with ) and a live axle with . It also featured power steering, four-wheel , , and a dual ignition coil.
In April 1951, Norman Nicholson described the Jet as having "the appearance of a streamlined, scaled-down limousine". It was available in colors such as boy blue and elephant pink. Similar in appearance to the KSC, the Muntz was more luxuriously appointed than its sports car predecessor. Some of these appointments included an all-leather "tuck-and-roll" interior, racing-style Stewart-Warner gauges, and a center console with a Muntz radio. A liquor cabinet and ice chest placed under the rear seat armrests were available as an option. The Jet was equipped with safety features that were not standard on most cars of its day, including a padded dashboard and seat belts.
In January 1951, the projected cost of a Jet was $5,000. That year, Muntz planned to sell the car out of factory-run showrooms in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City. With no network of dealers, Muntz Jets were sold to customers directly from the factory. The car sold for $5,500 in 1953, about $51,500 in 2017. At the same time, a Cadillac convertible sold for $3,987, and a comparable Lincoln for $3,600. A single Jet cost roughly $6,500 to produce, $1,000 more than its sticker price. Muntz himself estimated that labor costs alone for each Jet produced totaled $2,000. In total, he lost approximately $400,000 on the venture, and after four years gave up on it. Famous owners of the Jet included Clara Bow, Vic Damone, Grace Kelly, Lash LaRue, and Mickey Rooney.
Six Jets were fitted with a factory-installed "hop up" kit that included an Edelbrock aluminum intake and twin double-barreled Stromberg . Muntz Car Company welding chief Peter Condos claimed that two Jets were built with Chrysler FirePower V8 engines.
In the assessment of Autoweek writer Graham Kozak, while the Jet "lacks the cachet of the Tucker...it stands on its own as a well-conceived, well-executed luxury convertible". According to author Matt Stone, the Muntz was "one of the fastest and best-performing American cars of the time". Turk Smith, writing in 1969, opined that a well tuned Jet "will still outperform most stock cars of today". In 1969, Muntz claimed that the 1958 Ford Thunderbird was inspired by the Jet, and quipped that "I was eight years ahead of my time" with his car.
Thomas E. Bonsall credits the Jet as being the first personal luxury car. In 2000, Daily Herald journalist Jerry Turnquist called it "America's first, high performance, four-seat sports car". It is also an example of an orphan car. After production of the Jet ended in 1954, Muntz invented and manufactured the Stereo-Pak, the predecessor of the 8-track tape player. In June 2000, Muntz's childhood home of Elgin celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Muntz Jet with a parade featuring numerous Jets and their owners.
|
|
