Vehicle Description
1928 Stutz BB Boattail Speedster
The Black Hawk was new Stutz chief Fred Moskovics' counterpoint to
the Bearcat, the muscular and raucous brute of a machine Harry
Stutz introduced before the First World War. What was right then
was wrong now, Moskovics was convinced. The American sporting
driver of the twenties wanted sophistication in addition to speed.
A veteran of Franklin and Marmon, Moskovics refined the Stutz into
the Vertical Eight (s.o.h.c., dual ignition, nine main bearings)
with Safety Chassis (under slung worm drive, hydraulic brakes). At
the New York National Auto Show in 1926, spectators bent over to
see why the car was so low. Its pedigree dictated that this new
Stutz be sent racing, and this was done in 1927 with the Black Hawk
Speedster, set on the shorter of the Series BB chassis and a
whopping 1,377 pounds less weighty than the Stutz sedan. Five
victories in two weeks were the immediate result - and the AAA
National Stock Championship.
For your consideration and our consignment, we have a 1928 Stutz BB
Boattail Speedster. With its minimalist body said to be the work of
Gordon Buehrig, in its day it cost $5,000.00. This car features
several Art Deco details, including a "Ra" sun god hood ornament
and an elaborate Egyptian design on the instrument cluster. And of
course, the boat tail back of the car which had this sports car of
the day nearly 1,500 lbs. lighter than its predecessor the Bearcat.
At this time, it was indeed the fastest production car in the world
and nearly won the LeMans world title finishing 2nd to a Bentley
that year.
Exterior
Formally known and referred to as the Blackhawk speedster, this
beautiful 2 door coupe convertible is bathed in a light coffee,
(tan), steel body and dark coffee, (brown), fenders and the lack of
a running board for weight saving. The rockers are wide and also
present in dark coffee. Upfront a chromed grille covering wraps the
radiator behind and sports the "Ra" Sun god hood ornament/radiator
cap. Big round headlights along with smaller high beam running
lights just below appear to float in front of the grille and just
above the dual flat bar chromed bumper below. A long cowled hood
runs to the driver and passenger compartment which has a tan canvas
convertible top protecting the seats from the elements. On the
rectangular angled rearward front windshield surround is a
searchlight, and on either side of the firewall cowl are chromed
rear view mirrors. Also attached to the hood cowling is a red
painted steel wire spare tire and wheel which is on both sides, and
these are belted on to this car. Under the doors is a step to aid
in getting what was considered at the time a low slung car! On back
is the iconic boattail trunk which has panels on either side that
curve downward and help support the boat tail as well as the dark
coffee rear rounded fenders. This boattail contains a single seat,
but the view is obscured by the trunk lid which opens up from rear
to front, so this passenger is not provided with a room with a
view. Another dual flat chromed bar bumper is on back and a single
flared tip exhaust pipe is peeking out from underneath this bumper.
For the wire wheels which are on all 4 corners and painted in a
beautiful blazing red are 19-inch steel wires and rims are wrapped
on thin treaded tires. Overall paint is still shiny and does show
some chips mostly at the seams. This car was completed on its
restoration journey in 2011 which is when the painting
happened.
Interior
A swing of the low profile doors shows a brown leather stitched
panel housing the door actuator lever and a pull bar. This car has
no windows so there are no cranks. A small clasped storage area on
the bottom of this panel is on, and offers some extra space. Inside
an overstuffed smooth supple leather bench seat runs from door to
door, and it has seat belts installed which are obviously
aftermarket. A beautiful total wood steering wheel with a metal
center hub fronts the restored true wood dash with a light coffee
dash top. Within the instrument cluster in the center, which is
brass with carved ivy leaves embossed within its confines, and an
Art Deco Egyptian goddess profile if you look closely between the
leaves. Round white faced gauges which have aged gracefully show
nicely and are embedded onto this brass plate. Just below this
squared off oval is a Stutz winged badge with the number 8
underneath the wings. Nice thick pile brown carpeting is covering
the floors and within this brown field is a leather booted long
shift lever and chromed handbrake. Looking upward we see a wood
frame for the convertible top, with some metal hinges which help
the top operate smoothly, although manually.
Drivetrain
A lift of either side of the long front cowl, reveals a machinists
dream with an all polished metal valve cover, stainless steel
exhaust manifold and some brass piping running about for the brake
fluid. This is a 298.64 ci Inline 8-cylinder with a single overhead
cam. This old mill produces 115hp @ 3,600rpm. On back is a 3-speed
non synchro gearbox, and there is a 1.5 inch dual choked 1-barrel
bronze Shebler carburetor. Also on is twin coil dual plug ignition
which can be used as a backup if the first system should fail in
any way.
Undercarriage
The completed restoration took place in 2011 and was performed by
Lee Duran. Within this 131 inch wheelbase are nicely painted brown
components: tank, suspension, rear axle, and framing arches. Wood
floor pans are in beautiful condition not even showing any contact
with water. Leaf spring suspension is all around as well as drum
brakes which are Lockheed hydraulic. A worm gear rear drive is on
to spin the back tires.
Drive-Ability
This car fired up and idled smoothly once warmed up. Performance
was as expected from the inline 8. All functions were simplistic
and working perfectly.
Plenty of ohhhhh's and ahhhhh's were coming from gaping mouths when
this one pulled into the mall. Not often seen, this record holding
car for speed, with the boattail rear, and big steel spoke wire
wheels is a winner. BB Blackhawk Speedster was THE sports car of
the day back in 1928, still holding onto its charm and will never
let go of that racing heritage.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
