Enter the Black Hawks (continued)
To emphasize the durability of the Black Hawks, first introduced at the annual dealer’s convention in December 1926 and then marketed in 1927, Stutz campaigned a Series BB Black Hawk speedster, driven by Edouard Brisson and Robert Bloch, at Le Mans in June 1928. Rules required using the four seater Black Hawk, which also was a bit faster than the two seater. Although the Stutz dominated most of the race, it lost its top gear and had to settle for second place behind Wolf Barnato’s winning 4.5 liter Bentley. Campaigned again in 1929, Stutz again finished second behind the Bentley Boys, who eventually capped their four year winning streak at Le Mans with a final win in 1930.
Stutz at 1929 LeMans. So close to winning, but still, a very commendable showing. image courtesy AACA Library
The Stutz Black Hawk, both at home and abroad, had made a lasting impression with its unique styling and competition success.
1928 Stutz Black Hawk Speedsters, going on an adventure!
And although Black Hawks went on to set American endurance and speed records and win a racing championship, its wins were not even mentioned in sales literature. Instead, advertising from 1928 onward focused on quality, comfort, and classiness. Coincidentally, sales of the Stutz Vertical Eight steadily declined in the midst of a booming economy, slumping back to anemic pre-1925 levels.
The Splendid Stutz Era
Stutz advertising and brand promotion, however, focused on the luxuriousness and safety of its motorcars and were thus decoupled from Stutz’s continued racing story, as well as being cut off from the Bearcat heritage of 1912–1915.
1928 Stutz 2-passenger Speedster with a rumble seat. The setting says it all.
The story that was being ignored was that Stutz cars had won virtually all events they entered in 1927: landspeed records, hillclimbs, and track racing. Stutz was poised to continue its winning ways for 1928 and beyond. The Stutz board’s decision to terminate racing support and promotion was a foolhardy move and a strike against the company’s success. Moskovics, disheartened, resigned his position as president of the company in January 1929.
The year 1929 was a horrible year for the managing board to make such critical mistakes. The Black Friday stock market crash in October initiated a perfect storm of events leading to the Great Depression. Many had ignored the signs of its coming. In a similar fashion, the Stutz board had ignored the importance of racing to Stutz, plowed ahead with its own agenda, and allowed its visionary leader to step down after he was made the scapegoat for flagging sales.
In an effort to gain market share, Stutz created a less costly model for 1929 called the Model L Blackhawk (Blackhawk—one word—for this series) using an eight cylinder Vertical Eight and a six (a truncated Vertical Eight) as engine choices, both of which were mounted on a 127.5 inch chassis. Although shorter than their Model M siblings, the Model L cars, better known as the Blackhawks, carried the same bodywork and many of the same trappings as the more expensive M models. Two and four passenger Blackhawk speedsters were offered as well as in the larger (and more expensive) Model M. the senior line of cars. This model would continue in some form or other until 1932 on a 134.5 inch wheelbase.
1929 Stutz 4-passenger Blackhawk Speedster.
Instead of depending on racing involvement and successes, Stutz blithely traded on exclusivity and the Stutz reputation of a quality car for the few who would appreciate it, which was the company’s third strike in a game to win hearts and minds. The niche in which Stutz traded was slowly and inexorably disappearing.
Bearcat Tent Revival
Once on this downward spiral, it seemed like nothing could reverse sales trends. Not until 1931 did the Stutz leadership rethink their course and decide to revive their flagging sales with a revised line of cars. By then, however, past decisions had inflicted mortal wounds to the company’s future.
The MA (larger) and MB (smaller) series of cars that appeared in 1930–1931 once again made way for a special speedster named Bearcat. Advertisements of the day invoked the Bearcat’s storied past in an effort to drum up sales.
1931 Stutz Bearcat ad. Image courtesy AACA Library
The continuation of the SOHC engine from 1926, now called the SV 16, was augmented by a new model, the dual overhead cam (DOHC) DV 32, a head design that dramatically improved Stutz’s venerable straight eight powerplant. This engineering maneuver circumvented criticism of Stutz engines at a time when other manufacturers had gone to V 12s and V 16s. The DV 32 produced more power than its competitors in a design that was race proven and simpler to build.
1933 Stutz Bearcat, posed next to an autogyro. Insinuating the it could take flight? image courtesy AACA Library
The 1931–1933 DV 32 Bearcats, as well as the newly introduced short wheelbase Super Bearcats, invoked the classic speedster’s name in a last ditch effort to increase market share and save the company; annual sales since 1929 had plummeted down to less than 1,000. In addition to the standard 156 horsepower, both got even more oomph with the optional supercharger for an additional $1,500.
1932 Stutz Super Bearcat as seen in this press release. Even then, this little go-getter was a very rare car… image courtesy AACA Library
However, these fast and sexy models were just not enough to get buyers in the door. An estimated total of 110 Stutz cars were produced for 1933, forcing car production to shut down. The company lingered on until 1938, finally declaring bankruptcy and selling its assets at auction.
Unpacking the Demise
The Stutz Motor Car Company was a luxury brand that competed well with its counterparts in a tight market, and mostly held its own. But did the company ever really flourish?
When you consider that it did not grow much beyond annual production of 2,000 units in the 1920s—at a time when Packard was producing in excess of 25,000 and Ford 550,000—then it can be said that Stutz did not grow the fat needed for survival in the coming lean times.
With cars, nothing sells quite like racing and competition success. The Stutz Motor Car Company repeatedly abandoned this strategy of using racing to market its cars after 1915, an error that eventually cost the company its ability to step away from its competitors and distinguish itself.
By abandoning the strategy that had gotten Stutz into the game, Stutz became forgettable. This choice wrote a tragic ending for such a distinctive marque.
Still, them Bearcats—ya gotta hand it to ‘em. They had moxie, and they made good in a day!
The complete Stutz story, as well as a biography of a famous owner of a Stutz Bearcat, are included in my book, Classic Speedsters. This piece has been excerpted from that chapter.
————————-=NEWS FLASH=——————————-=NEWS FLASH=————————
Dear loyal readers:
In order to focus on getting my book to print, I will be moving this blog to a once-per-month schedule until further notice. I’ll have more details to share in my next post to you. However, I need your help: would you assist me in spreading the word about my upcoming book, Classic Speedsters? I need to get the news of it out to others who would be interested in purchasing a copy. I can promise you that it will be a great read.
Again, thanks for your support!
=Ronald Sieber, editor
ClassicSpeedsters.com