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1952 Muntz Jet (Her Nickname Is “BUTTERCUP”)

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1952 Muntz Jet (Her Nickname Is “BUTTERCUP”) 1952 Muntz Jet (Her nickname is “BUTTERCUP”) M-130 This Muntz Jet is the 30th of 198 cars built car equipped with an ice chest and by The Muntz Car Company during the liquor cabinet in the rear arm seats. The period 1951 thru 1954. It is sometimes interior dashboard received an aircraft credited as the first high-performance like, Stewart-Warner instrumentation; personal luxury car built in America with as well as, what is considered Detroit’s the capability of doing 0 to 60 in 8.6 first modern console/bucket seat layout. seconds. Earl Muntz became the largest The Muntz was available in colors such Used Car Dealer in the world during as Boy Blue, Elephant Pink, Chartreuse, WWII, often paying servicemen $50 to Purple and Buttercup Yellow. Famous drive a car from the Midwest to California owners of the Muntz Jet include many where he reaped bigger margins. In Hollywood Celebrities such as: Clara 1949, he became a multi unit Kaiser Bow, Vic Damone, Grace Kelly and Dealer and was credited with selling Mickey Rooney. This M-130 Muntz Jet 22,000 out of 147,000 cars built that year. was initially purchased by the Pillsbury In 1950, he decided to build his own car, Family and later discovered in Michigan the Muntz Jet and purchased the Frank about 50 years ago. In 1952, a Muntz Kurtis Company and expanded this Jet sold for $5,500 while a 1952 Cadillac two seat creation into a four passenger Convertible sold for $3,800. Earl Muntz was a combination • Became a household name after WWII of PT Barnum’s hucksterism, when Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Red a pinch of Thomas Edison’s Skelton, Jack Benny and others poked curiosity and President Trump’s early fun at his wacky sales pitches…thus the entrepreneurial adventures. This off beat nickname, “Madman Muntz” was created. tinkerer/inventor and self-promoter is His early radio and billboard campaign credited with the following: pictured a quaint cartoon figure of Madman Muntz decked out in bright red long johns • The Muntz Jet…America’s first Sport’s Car and wearing a three-cornered Napoleonic • Coined the phrase “TV” because hat sideways. This figure is shown on the skywriters couldn’t spell television center steering column of this Muntz. His • Built the first Black & White TV for under $100 early radio and billboard campaign would • Revolutionized car stereos by inventing include such quotes as: “I WANT TO GIVE the four track tape player THEM AWAY, BUT MRS MUNTZ WON’T LET ME…SHE’S CRAAAZY!” The first 29 cars were built in the former Frank Kurtis facility in Glendale, California… ”BUTTERCUP” is the 30th Muntz and the first car to be built in the new Evanston, Illinois plant. It is also the last car to receive a Cadillac Engine since General Motors cut the Muntz Company off from parts. This was a typical General Motors display of arrogance toward small auto companies as was apparent with also the Tucker and others. “BUTTERCUP” is the result of an extensive restoration by Steve Babinsky and his team at Automotive Restorations in New Jersey. This car was subject to a mechanical and body restoration that included significant upholstery work. The seams and stitching on the seats; as well as, the padded dash are perfectly symmetrical …a task, that can only embellish the history of this Muntz. Can’t you just picture…Grace Kelly driving down the road in a Buttercup colored Muntz with wind in her hair…or perhaps today, a Kate Spade matching accessories display…the color and this car create endless smiles! THANK YOU- “MADMAN MUNTZ” !!.
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