Monday, August 15, 2022

Stutz Four-Passenger Boat Tail Speedster?!?

For me, the terms "four passenger" and "boat tail speedster" don't go together.  When I think "speedster," I visualize a two-passenger roadster or possibly a seriously sporty cabriolet.  And "boat tail" means an even more racy variation on the speedster theme, harking mostly to the late 1920s to mid-1930s.

However, in the late 1920s Stutz marketed a few four-passenger speedsters, some of which had boat tail styling.  Actually, I don't know categorically that those names were used by Stutz to describe those cars, as my research material on Stutz is limited.  Perhaps they have been applied retroactively.  Or maybe, if the bodies were coachbuilt, the coachbuilders used them.

That said, until this post was conceived, I was unaware of open-top, four-passenger cars sporting a boat tail rear.  I remain unaware if anything similar was built on other brands's chassis'.  Please comment if you have information.

Gallery

1928 Stutz BB Four Passenger Speedster by Philips - RM Sotheby's photo.  The term "Speedster" puzzles me because this car is clearly a convertible sedan or phaeton.  But there it is.

Now for a 1928 Stutz BB Black Hawk Four Passenger Speedster - via Steve Sexton, Flicker.  These cars lack foldaway canvas tops. 

1928 Stutz BB Black Hawk 4-Passenger Speedster - Hyman photo.  This appears to be a boat tail design, given the lack of a folded canvas top.  Usually Hyman presents multiple views of its cars, but this is the only image I was able to turn up on Internet searches on Google and Bing.

1929 Stutz Four Passenger Boattail Speedster - Ex-Harrah Collection via Christies.  The back seat is covered by a tonneau.

1927 Stutz AA Black Hawk Four Passenger Speedster - Simeone Museum via Automobile Quarterly.  This was the image that caught my eye, revealing the boat tail on a four passenger body.

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