Muntz Jet. A custom built convertible marketed by "Madman Muntz", an early fifties radio-TV personality much like Cal Worthington, who came along in the sixties. In 1951 , Muntz bought the rights and inventory of a custom car being built by Mr. Curtiss, who was mostly known as a builder of midget race cars. Curtis built about 24 of these custom cars with a flathead Ford power plant before selling out to Muntz. Muntz increased the wheelbase of the car and size of the engine compartment to house the new post-war Cadillac 331 cubic inch V-8. However, a variety of power plants were used from 1951-1954, including the Lincoln engine that was so successfully used in the famous Mexican Road Races of 1953 and 1954 which Lincoln dominated.
These cars were painstakingly hand made from 1951-1954 and were plagued early on with several structural problems that had to be overcome. Early editions were made from an aluminum based material that easily dented or bent. In the end, this handsome convertible was far too labor intensive and costly to produce and Muntz steadily lost money on the project. Production ceased after a little over 400 units, and only 49 of these handsome cars are known to exist today.
