for sale 1953 Muntz Jet

[Matt Harwood]

 

This is just too cool a car not to share. The story of Earl "Madman" Muntz and his Road Jet can be found elsewhere, but the short version is that a used car and electronics salesman decided he wanted to build a car. He bought Frank Kurtis's design, tooling, and factory, stretched the wheelbase 13 inches, added a back seat, and called it the Jet. The result was more expensive than a Cadillac 62 convertible and as exclusive as anything you could buy in 1953. Movie stars were frequent buyers and the bespoke nature of the car (and its hand-built assembly) pretty much ensured that each one was unique. Muntz used a variety of powerplants from other large luxury cars: the Cadillac 331 OHV V8, the big Lincoln 337 cubic inch flathead V8, and towards the end of production, the 317 cubic inch Lincoln Y-block OHV V8, all backed by GM Hydra-Matic automatic transmissions. Muntz claimed he built more than 400 Jets, losing $1000 on each one, but more recent estimates suggest that fewer than 300 were actually built. The Muntz Registry believes that perhaps 130 or so still exist in some form, but only 20-30 of those are complete, running, driving cars. 

 

For many years the Jet was little more than a curiosity, but that's changed recently as collectors realize that a bespoke, hand-built car designed to be the ultimate in personal transportation is a worthy machine. As for this one and my relationship with it, I wasn't sure what to expect. I suspected that it would be shoddily built and indifferently restored, but I've found it to be quite the contrary. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Muntz knew nothing about building cars, but fortunately Frank Kurtis did and using that design as base stock has resulted in a rather entertaining car, both to look at and to drive. We don't have much history on this bright red Jet other than it comes from a large collection where the former owner bought it on a lark because he'd never seen one before, but in more than a decade of ownership, he never drove it. His shop performed routine maintenance work and it does run and drive rather well today. But most of the restoration was done prior to his ownership and it was quite well done indeed. The paint shines up beautifully, the bodywork underneath is very straight (even though Muntz reportedly used several hundred pounds of lead to get each car to fit together), and it's obvious that the restoration was done to a standard befitting an expensive car, not a clown car. Nice chrome, neat details like the twin Appleton spotlights, split V windshield, and jet-inspired taillights add to the look. And yes, this is a very LOW car--parked next to a 1946 Cadillac convertible, the Muntz is easily six inches lower. 

 

Was the Jet the first American car to feature bucket seats and a console? Maybe. The boxed rockers provide support in lieu of a frame (this is a uni-body car) so you step over the sills and then down into the car and the result is a driving position that's like sitting in a chair in your living room. There's a full array of Stewart-Warner instrumentation in an engine-turned panel, and while all the gauges appear to work, I find their accuracy (all of 'em) to be highly suspect--I think that's kind of fitting for a car like the Muntz, although I have no idea why it has two water temperature gauges AND an oil temperature gauge. The upholstery is not white, it's alabaster, so the off-white mottled look is intentional, and it's in great shape. There's new wiring throughout, all the lights and signals work, and the AM/FM/CD stereo head unit in the armrest looks vintage so I think the Madman would approve. There are other neat details like full armrests in the back seat, an accelerator pedal that says "POWER" on it, and a padded dash. And yes, that's a lift-off hardtop. We didn't lift it off simply because I didn't want to take the risk of hurting it, but it comes off with some effort. It also has a good sized trunk--no spare, but the gas filler is in there.

 

This particular Muntz is a late production car, and as such it is powered by the 317 cubic inch Lincoln V8 that was all-new in 1953. It has been recently serviced, which shows in the new ignition components and a fresh Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor on top of the original manifold. The Lincoln engine is plenty muscular and moves the heavy Jet without working too hard and it looks great in Ford Blue paint with chrome accents. Experts will spot the modern dual master cylinder and power brake booster, but there are still drum brakes underneath and the steering is manual but not heavy in the least. The GM Hydra-Matic automatic transmission shifts well--maybe too well, because it snaps your head back even at modest speeds. Maybe this is an adjustment thing and it does pop out of reverse unless you get the lever positioned just right. Otherwise, it starts easily, idles well, and runs great. Underneath, there's a new stainless exhaust system with muscular-sounding mufflers and someone obviously spent some time fixing the rear suspension, as it's now a GM 10-bolt with adjustable coil-over shocks--if you look at other Jets, you'll see that they tend to sag in back, especially if there are people in the back seat. Not this one! No rust in the monocoque, it tracks straight, brakes smoothly, and as I said, it's surprisingly fleet for such a big, heavy car. Steel wheels carry spoke hubcaps with a cartoon Madman Muntz on the center caps and a set of 7.60-15 wide whites.

 

I didn't know what to expect, but I have found that the more I look at this car, the more attractive it becomes. I expected it to feel crude and unfinished and I am pleased to say that I was completely wrong on that count. It drives great! Good power, no quirks, no compromises, and plenty sturdy-feeling as it goes down the road. I thought this would just be some weird car that nobody would really drive but I discovered that it's actually something you can use every day and not feel like you're giving anything up. That I like. We're asking $129,900, which is a big number, but then again, these have been breaking the six-figure barrier at auction for about two years now. Are they the flavor of the month for the ultra-wealthy or a genuine collector car that belongs at the top of the heap? I'll leave that up to you to decide. Thanks for looking!

 

   

 

   

 

  

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2018 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[motoringicons]

I am not a postwar car person, but if I were to own a 1950s era car, this would be it. These are neat cars with a fascinating story. This looks like a super nice car that is priced less then recently sold auction examples. These have become really desirable lately, I doubt this will last long.