Albion

GB, 1900 – 1913

Albion Motor Car Co Ltd, Scotstoun, Glasgow

Still active as a truck manufacturers within the Leyland Group, Albion was founded at the end of 1899 by T. Blackwood Murray and Norman Fulton, late of Arrol-Johnston and their early products were dogcarts with varnished-wood bodywork much in the Arrol-Johnston idiom, with 2-cylinder opposed-piston underfloor engines, low tension magneto ignition, and Murray’s patent governor. Wheel steering replaced the tiller in 1902, and a year later Albion began production of a 16hp vertical-twin which was made for many years, usually with solid tyres, and often with shooting-brake bodywork. ‘Cars for country houses’, especially Scottish ones, were a speciality of the house, though rather less rustic was a side-valve 5.6-litre chain-driven four introduced in 1906. This 24hp model had a seven-year production run. The last Albion passenger car was a 15hp Monobloc four with side valves in a T-head and worm drive, which sold for £475 in 1912. At the end of 1913 Albion elected to concentrade on commercial vehicles, though large shooting brakes using the 15hp engine continues to be made.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Stutz

US, 1911 – 1935

(1) Ideal Motor Car Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1911 – 1913

(2) The Stutz Motor Car Co of America, Indianapolis, Ind., 1913 – 1935

The Ideal Motor Car Company was the name of the firm which made the first racing Stutz cars, but it was changed to the Stutz Motor Car Company in 1913. Harry C. Stutz’ most famous passenger Stutz car was the Stutz Bearcat speedster of 1914 – this Stutz car is probably the best known of all American sports cars. The Stutz car followed the usual recipe of a low-hung chassis, a big, slow-turning proprietary engine (in this case, a T-head, 4-cylinder Wisconsin unit, producing 60bhp at 1.500rpm), and very little else, just a bonnet, wings, raked steering column, two bucket seats, and a fuel tank behind them. A Stutz-made 3-speed gearbox was integral with the rear axle; an uncommon feature. This component had been sold by the Stutz car company before he made complete Stutz cars. A 6.2-litre 6-cylinder engine was available on the Stutz car, but seldom seen. The Stutz Bearcat was the most popular of its breed, in spite of its high price, and the appeal of the Stutz car was boosted by Stutz cars successes with ohc, 16-valve racing cars. The Stutz car was the Mercers’ greatest rival. Touring Stutz cars were made as well, but these Stutz cars were comparatively little known. Total production grew from 759 Stutz cars in 1913 to 2207 Stutz cars in 1917. Two years later, Stutz left to make another car, the HCS, although the cheaper Stutz cars of the 1915 period were also known as H.C.S. The gearbox was moved back on the Stutz car to the normal position in 1921, and shortly after this Stutz cars began making their own engines: an sv four giving 88bhp and a 75bhp ovh six. The latter was developed to give 80bhp in the 4.7-litre Speedway Six Stutz car of 1924, the last Stutz car of the old line.

In 1926, there was a change of management within the Stutz car company, and Frederick E. Moskovics, the new president, initiated a radiacally new Stutz car policy. Paul Bastien, who had designed the splendid 2-litre Métallurgique from Belgium, was responsible for the Stutz AA, or Vertical Eight Stutz car. This Stutz car was a beautifully-made fast tourer, more typical of Europe than America. Its specification embraced a straight-8 4.7-litre engine with a single overhead camshaft, and dual ignition, including two plugs per cylinder. Power output of this Stutz car was 92bhp at 3.000rpm. This was a modern, reasonably efficient engine by any standards, and the Stutz car was distinctly advanced in these respects by American standards. There were, however, only 3 forward speeds on the Stutz car. The hydraulic brakes were very good indeed, and the underslung worm final drive allowed the fitting of low-built, good-looking bodies on Stutz cars. Centralized chassis lubrication and safety glass were provided. Glamorous though the AA Stutz car was, the Stutz car was sold on the slogan of ‘The Safety Stutz’, and a year’s free passenger insurance was given with each Stutz car. In 1927, the engine of the Stutz car was enlarged to 4.9-litres, now giving 95bhp, and a speedster option, the Stutz Black Hawk, was added. In the following year, Weymann fabric body construction was adopted on Stutz cars; another European touch. The engine of the Stutz car was enlarged again in 1929 and this made 113bhp available. Better still, this Stutz car had 4-forward speeds. Special Stutz Black Hawk speedsters were 2nd at Le Mans in 1928, but the Stutz cars came no higher than 5th in 1929. These Stutz cars had Roots superchargers and vacuum servo brakes. This Stutz car was put on sale as the Stutz Bearcat, reviving a famous name. Stutz cars also competed at Le Mans in 1930, 1931 and 1932. Unfortunately, a Stutz car lost a well-publicized challenge match at Indianapolis with a Hispano-Suiza, and Frank Lockhart was killed at Daytona Beach while trying to take the World Land Speed Record with a Miller-engined car built by the Stutz car company, both setbacks taking place in 1928.

Sales of Stutz cars fell, and a range of cheaper Stutz carmodels with, it was hoped, wider appeal was introduced for the next year, alongside the existing Stutz car range. These Stutz cars had little in common with the classic models, so were called Black Hawks, not Stutz cars. One used a 6-cylinder, ohc engine of 4 litres’ capacity made by Stutz car company, and the other a straight-8 sv unit by Continental. At the other end of the scale, there appeared in 1931 the superb DV (dual valve) 32 Stutz car, to compete with the new multi-cylinder Stutz cars being brought out by Lincoln, Cadillac, Marmon, and others. The Stutz car design was basically similar to that of the SV16 Stutz car, still current, but there were two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder: 32 Stutz cars in all. The DV32 Stutz car was listed in speedster form, as the Stutz Bearcat, and, on the shorter chassis, as the Stutz Super Bearcat. These stubby, formidable Stutz cars were guaranteed to exceed 100mph. The expensive, high-quality, specialist Stutz went the way of most of its kind in the Depression years. Intead, the Stutz car company sold, and later made a light delivery van, called the Pak-Age car. This had a rear engine and all-independent suspension, and was current from 1928 to 1938, after which manufacture was taken over by Diamond T.

US, 1970 to date

Stutz Motor Car of America, New York, N.Y.

Unlike replica cars such as the Auburn and Cord, the makers of the Stutz Blackhawk coupé merely borrowed the name of the pre-war Stutz car for their machine. The Stutz car was powered by a 6½-litre Pontiac V8 engine stripped and modified so that the original output of 365bhp was raised to 425bhp. This was mounted in a modified Pontiac chassis, and the Virgil Exner-designed body was hand-built by Carrozzeria Padana of Modena, Italy, where the final assembly of the Stutz cars was done. The first Stutz car model, the 2-door hardtop, was priced at $22.500; a new Stutz car model for 1972 was a 4-door saloon using an long wheel base Cadillac chassis, and selling for $31.250.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN, GNG 

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com