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1924 Stutz Series 315 Model C Fire Engine
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Views
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Date Posted
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1542
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Thu January 4, 2007
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Price
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Type Listing
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$46,200.00
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Description:
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1924 Stutz Series 315 Model C Fire Engine
140hp Wisconsin twin plug straight six-cylinder engine, cast in pairs, manual transmission, front and rear full-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel drum brakes.
Harry C. Stutz’s place in automotive history would have been secure on the strength of the Bearcat, the stripped down speedster that piled up a string of racing performances and built the brand image that sold thousands of production Stutzs.
When Harry Stutz left the company that bore his name in 1919 in the wake of financier Alan Ryan’s acquisition of controlling interest, Stutz was one of America’s leading marques. It had handily survived the Depression of 1913 and was strong both in the market and on the balance sheet. The inept management that followed Harry Stutz’s departure and Alan Ryan’s stock manipulations would have killed a weaker company, but even if it had, the world would still remember and revere Harry Stutz for his automotive legacy.
In Harry Stutz’s case, however, the reputation of his marque, and his name along with it, was destined for greater things. Bethlehem Steel’s Charles Schwab acquired control of Stutz for $20 a share, a total of $3.7 million – a far cry from the heady days of 1920 when the stock had reached nearly $400 a share – but a handsome price indeed for a company on the brink of disaster. One of Schwab’s first actions was to hire Fred Moskovics as president. An engineer, promoter, motivator and marketer from the same mold as Walter Chrysler, Moskovics elevated the Stutz brand, and with it Harry Stutz’s reputation, to another level of fame and success. Moskovics did so with a vengeance, instigating a crash program that introduced only a year later in 1926 the single overhead camshaft Vertical Eight engine, with a safety chassis to match its capabilities.
This Stutz fire engine, built to the same exacting standards as all other Stutz motor cars, by virtue of its intended purpose is in lovely overall original condition. Fire engines in general are rarely driven – the occasional parade and, of course, to fight fires (this one saw its last action over 70 years ago). Formerly part of the Jasper Wigglesworth Collection, it is understood that the Mr. Wigglesworth purchased this example from the fire station close to his childhood home in Kansas City, Missouri.
Overall, the Stutz is quite presentable having recently benefited from a thorough detailing and light mechanical service. The gold pinstriping and detail throughout is wonderful as are the multitude of fire accessories accompanying this truck such as original, ladders, hoses, fittings, axes and large bell. Ideal for parades or a fire fighting museum this truck is a gem representing not only an example of lovely patina but of one of the best made fire trucks of the period.
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Keywords:
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1924 Stutz Series 315 Model C Fire Engine
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(2):
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RM, Meadow Brook
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(3):
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8/6/2005
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;)
