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32-806: Wisconsin Engines (previously, Wisconsin Motors) continues to manufacture high quality engines. Wisconsin's fame came from its small air-cooled engines, such as AEH (used on generators, garden tractors, skidsteers tractors), AEN, and VF4. In the 1950s they were able to claim they were the world's largest manufacturer of heavy-duty air-cooled engines. All Wisconsin's products were 4-cycle and they had power outputs from 2.4 to 65.9 horsepower (2 to 49 kW). There were single, inline two, V-two, and V-four cylinder models. The engines were designed for outdoor field service in industries including agriculture, construction, marine, oil-field equipment and railway maintenance. There are

64-537: A convertible called D'Italia based on a standard Blackhawk was presented at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The conversion was done by Dan Steckler, working for Stutz in California. Only one D'Italia was ever made, although others have done Blackhawk conversions as well (i.e. customizer John D'Agostino). Evel Knievel and Wayne Newton owned the car respectively. Elvis Presley also had a black Stutz with

96-426: A Bearcat had risen to $ 3,250 (equivalent to $ 57,115 in 2023, the same as the roadster and slightly less than the touring coupe). The 1920 Series K was again similar, but prices rose to $ 3,900 (equivalent to $ 59,316 in 2023 ) in the wake of a postwar auto sales boom. The 1921 series K featuring a new "DH" engine with a detachable head was introduced, but a switch to left-hand drive in the following KLDH (L for left) meant

128-525: A Stutz Bearcat to illustrate the bygone times described in the song. That fame persisted well into the late 20th century and the car's name was often used by way of comparison by modern makes of cars including Nash , Triumph and Mercury . A Triumph ad asked the question "Is the TR 3 the Stutz Bearcat of the 60s?" and showed a Triumph driver, complete with raccoon coat, next to an early 1920s Bearcat, in

160-429: A campus setting. Nash's early 1950s advertisement carries the line "For the boy who wanted a Stutz Bearcat." Oklahoma City businessman Howard D. Williams attempted to capitalize on the model's fame. In the late 1960s, he built and marketed a fiber-glass replica of the car, based on the chassis of an International Scout utility vehicle. It was broadly similar in outline (bucket seats, exposed fuel tank) but differed from

192-549: A car built along the lines of a racing car with a slightly higher gear ratio than our normal torpedo roadster, has met with great favor with motor car owners and meets the demand for a car of this class." The original production Bearcat was introduced in the Series A of 1912. The first public mention of the car (then spelled "Bear Cat" ) is in an advertisement in the 1912 program for the Indianapolis 500 mile race. This ad also

224-461: A carbon-fiber hard top for use in winter and a matching luggage set. The German dealer Auto Becker in Düsseldorf offered the car with a 210 bhp, 5-litre (305 cu in), multi-port fuel-injected V8 and a galvanized chassis for 380,000 DM. The 6-litre (350 cu in) Corvette engine was an option. Just 12 or 13 Bearcat IIs were produced between 1987 and 1995. Notable owners included

256-459: A patent-jointed wood frame covered in fabric. It was popular on cars from the 1920s until the early 1930s as it reduced the usual squeaks and rattles of coachbuilt bodies by its use of flexible joints between body timbers. The system when used on cars provided quieter travel, and improved performance because of the body's light weight; but gave little protection in the event of a serious accident, and without care (the materials being prone to rot),

288-569: A potentially short life. Fabric provided a matt surface and the framework sharp corners. Later supporting metal corner-inserts were employed to smooth corners and the fabric could be finished with layer upon layer of hand-sanded paint, called Tôle Souple , giving the impression of polished metal panelling. Introduced to the market in 1921, Weymann's bodies fell out of popularity within a decade. The Weymann system comprises an ultra-light wood framework with special metal joints so that timber does not touch timber. Small metal panels are inserted between

320-510: A red leather interior and a gold-plated gear stick. It was the last vehicle he drove, the night before he died. It is now housed along with a number of his other vehicles, at Graceland. Because new (proposed) US safety regulations were to require convertibles to have a rollbar, an open-air Bearcat was not manufactured until 1979. The new Bearcat used the GM A platform shared with the Blackhawk, and

352-476: A wide range of variations in each engine family, including displacement, vertical and horizontal crankshafts, power ratings, and fuel used. Fuels can be gasoline, heating oil, kerosene, LPG, and CNG. New automobile companies bought them for their big cars. The Stutz Bearcat car was available with either Wisconsin's four-cylinder Type A or their six-cylinder engine. Both engines were rated at 60 horsepower. Stutz began to build their own engines in 1917. Pierce-Arrow

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384-544: The Sultan of Brunei , who owned two. In the episode " The Trouble with Trillions " of The Simpsons , Waylon Smithers drives a maroon Stutz Bearcat with Mr. Burns and Homer . 'The Bearcats' television show 1971. The lyrics of the song "Sweet Jane" by The Velvet Underground mention the Stutz Bearcat. Weymann Fabric Bodies Weymann Fabric Bodies is a patented design system for fuselages for aircraft and superlight coachwork for motor vehicles. The system used

416-457: The DV-32 powered "Super Bearcat", which offered full weather protection and higher performance. Sitting on a 116-inch (2,900 mm) wheelbase, it featured a lightweight fabric body built by Weymann . Stutz production ended in 1934. Its low weight, balance, and power made it an excellent racer. In 1912, Stutz Bearcats won 25 of the 30 auto races in which they were entered. In 1915 a stock Bearcat

448-423: The Series E as vermillion, monitor gray, and Mercedes red. Wire wheels were listed as a $ 125 option (equivalent to $ 3,500 in 2023 ). The Series S Bearcat of 1917 brought the first large change to the model. While it retained the 120-inch (300 cm) wheelbase, its body now featured an enclosed cockpit with step-over sides. It continued to be right-hand drive with external gearshift and brake levers. The main change

480-450: The basic American-made Model T . The colorful history and rakish image of the Stutz Bearcat made it one of the better known antique cars to later generations of Americans. It was often associated with the " Roaring 20s " and college students of that period. It was frequently mentioned with stereotypical accoutrements of the period such as raccoon coats and illicit " bathtub gin ". The Velvet Underground 's 1970 song " Sweet Jane " mentions

512-457: The end of the Bearcat, since its narrow front seat and cockpit did not leave room for centrally located gear and brake levers. By 1922, the famed Bearcat name was missing from model lists and sales literature. For 1923, the roadster was renamed the Bearcat, but the name would again disappear in 1924. The Bearcat name was reintroduced in 1931. The depression had not been kind to Stutz, so the name

544-662: The entire absence of drumming and all those attributes which make for comfortable long-distance touring with a minimum of fatigue". Seats were Dryad basket-chairs of wicker button-quilted in Bedford cord . Daimler chose to name its Weymann-type bodies Construction Z . The licensing company which provided customers with permits to make Weymann fabric bodies for fitting to chassis was based in Paris. Weymann claimed 123 licensees of his patents and that he received payment for around 70,000 bodies. Licensed manufacturers included: From

576-405: The fabric and the framework to make rounded external corners. Straining wires are fitted to hold the doors in shape when they are stressed by acceleration or bumps. The frame is then covered with muslin over chicken wire with a thin layer of cotton batting used to span large open areas and over this a top layer of fabric, usually a pigmented synthetic leather , is placed. Any exposed joints in

608-484: The fabric are covered with aluminium mouldings . The seats are fixed directly to the chassis. Passengers were therefore in almost direct contact with the firmly mounted engine. Where the market permitted some isolation was provided by luxuriously sprung passenger-seating often topped with inflated pneumatic cushions. For the luxury market it further encouraged the development of inherently smoother multi-cylinder engines in place of sixes and eights and, too late for Weymann,

640-404: The introduction of flexible engine mounts and better chassis suspension systems in place of primitive leaf springs . J Gurney Nutting of Chelsea, London, assured purchasers of his Weymann bodies, including The Prince of Wales: The system was invented by Charles Weymann (1889–1976). An early portrait may be seen in the archives of FLIGHT magazine. Weymann's Paris coachbuilding business

672-413: The original cars, they were in fact built on custom chassis powered by Ford drivetrains and had modern four-wheel brake systems for safety. The Bearcat name was resurrected for the 1967 Stutz Motor Car of America design based on Virgil Exner 's Duesenberg " Revival Car " concept. Because of design difficulties with this convertible, Stutz decided to produce the 1970 Blackhawk coupe first. In 1976,

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704-521: The original in having left hand drive and many visual differences. It was aimed at luxury car buyers as a unique runabout, but its high price limited sales. It is thought about a dozen were completed. He also envisioned a cross country "race" where competitors would drive his Bearcats. Car customizer George Barris made two much more accurate replicas for the 1971 television series Bearcats! . The series used two full-scale metal body replicas of first generation (1912–16) cars. While externally very close to

736-417: The period, it featured minimal bodywork consisting of a "dog house" hood, open bucket seats , a tiny "monocle" windscreen in front of the driver, and a cylindrical fuel tank on a short rear deck. Production Bearcats differed from the factory "White Squadron" racers by having fenders, lights and a trunk. According to factory literature from 1913 the Bearcat "was designed to meet the needs of the customer desiring

768-474: The trailing edge of the spare forming part of the car's rear bumper. The Bearcat II was based on the Pontiac Firebird chassis with 5.7-liter (350 in ) V8 multi-port fuel-injected Corvette engine and had a lightweight, dent- and corrosion-proof body made of what Stutz called Diamond Fiber Comp. , a kind of carbon-fiber composite. It retailed for $ 125,000 (equivalent to $ 335,237 in 2023 ), including

800-399: Was a new Stutz-designed 390-cubic-inch (6.39 L) 16-valve four-cylinder engine. It was cast in a single block had a heat-treated nickel crank and camshafts. For 1919, the Series G was similar, but the mid-1919 Series H bodies featured cut-down sides to make cockpit entrance easier. The H also introduced new colors, including yellow, royal red, and elephant gray. By the end of 1919, price for

832-468: Was among other customers for Wisconsin engines. Wisconsin engines also powered the trucks made by The FWD Corporation . Between 1945 and 1965 King Midget Cars used a Wisconsin AENL single cylinder engine in their micro car. Their four and six cylinder engines were used in heavy construction equipment including Bucyrus-Erie and Marion drag-lines and shovels. Stutz Bearcat The Stutz Bearcat

864-528: Was an American sports car of the pre– and post– World War I period. Essentially, the Bearcat was a shorter (120-inch [3,048 mm] wheelbase vs 130-inch [3,302 mm]), lighter version of the standard Stutz passenger car's chassis. It was originally powered by a 390-cubic-inch (6.39 L), 60-horsepower straight-four engine produced by the Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Company . Common with racing and sports cars of

896-470: Was driven by Erwin "Cannon Ball" Baker from California to New York in eleven days, seven hours, and fifteen minutes, shattering the previous record and inspiring the later Cannonball Run race and film spin-offs. The Stutz "White Squadron" factory racing team won the 1913 and 1915 championships. Owning a Stutz Bearcat became a status symbol for the wealthy of the era. In 1914 it was priced at $ 2,000 (equivalent to $ 60,837 in 2023 ), almost four times that of

928-484: Was essentially a Targa top coupe. Stutz offered it for $ 100,000 (equivalent to $ 419,807 in 2023 ). The Bearcat switched with the Blackhawk to the GM B platform in 1980, with the exterior continuing the Blackhawk's exposed trunk-mounted spare tire and freestanding headlamps. In 1987, a completely new Bearcat convertible, called the Bearcat II , was introduced. The base platform was the GM F platform for 1987, with

960-513: Was located at Carrossier Weymann, 20 rue Troyon, Paris and their elegant and luxurious Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza, etc. bodied limousines and cars bore the label Les Carrosseries C. T. Weymann, 18-20 rue Troyon, Paris . Daimler had always built their own bodies though as usual in that period to suit customers they provided a large number of chassis to external coach builders. In the second quarter of 1924 Daimler began building Weymann flexible framed fabric bodies for their "natural silence,

992-460: Was the first to use the soon to be famous Stutz slogan "The Car that made good in a day" referring to the Stutz racer's 11th-place finish in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. The Series E of 1913 brought electric lights and starter. A six-cylinder option was available for an extra $ 250.00 (equivalent to $ 7,707 in 2023 ). The doorless body style lasted through 1916. A sales catalog lists the available colors for

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1024-412: Was used as a way to boost sales. The new Bearcat had the DV-32 (32 valve) eight-cylinder engine and each car came with an affidavit saying the car had been tested at 100 mph (160 km/h). It was a small coupe featuring dual side-mount spare tires and a rakish dip in the doors, similar to contemporary (and future) sports cars. The car lasted through 1933. The same year, the model range was enhanced by

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