The Last Stutz

Stutz was the "Car that made good in a day," turning in a creditable performance in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. It is the Stutz Bearcat, of course, that became best known, despite the fact that there were Stutz sedans and touring cars throughout the car's life. In the 1920s, the "Safety Stutz," with its low-slung chassis and iconic "Vertical Eight" overhead cam engine made its mark in America. Although the low-priced companion make Blackhawk of 1929-30 was not a success, the four-valve DV-32 engine and Super Bearcat model kept marque in the public eye until 1934.

Then, alas, the money ran out and production stopped, although a few chassis sent to England were bodied there and sold as 1935 cars. Finally, in 1938, the remains of the company were sold at auction.

But motor vehicle production did not stop there, not quite. In 1932, Stutz acquired the Pak-Age-Car, a compact rear-engine delivery van, which had been distributed through the Stutz dealer network. Re-engineering the Pak-Age-Car to use a four-cylinder Hercules engine, Stutz put it into production at its Indianapolis factory. It was a stand-and-drive vehicle, with the engine mounted to the rear transaxle, the whole power train easily removable for servicing.

When Stutz bankruptcy loomed in 1938, the Pak-Age-Car moved to Auburn factories in Connersville, Indiana. Auburn, too, was in trouble, so off-loaded Pak-Age-Car marketing and distribution to Diamond T, which continued to sell the little vans until March 1941, when war preparations took over the Connersville plant.

According to The Stutz Club, only about four Pak-Age-Cars survive. I snapped this unrestored example at the National Automobile and Truck Museum of the United States in Auburn, Indiana, next to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. As it happens, there was once a Pak-Age-Car operating near the CarPort's headquarters in southeastern Connecticut. John M. Russ of Norwich purchased a new Pak-Age-Car from John P. Nielsen & Sons, the Hartford Diamond T dealer in April 1940. An independent route man, he delivered products for Thumm's delicatessen. I'm grateful to John's widow, Pauline Russ, for these photos.