Well before the racing car-based production models of today, Stutz offered an automobile “designed to meet the need of the customers desiring a car built along the lines of a racing car”. That’s how the Bearcat came to be.
Jay Leno describes it as the equivalent of the Mustang or the Camaro, but the Stutz Bearcat was four times more expensive than a base Model T back in the day. Due to its racing success, it became a coveted sports car and a symbol of the “Roaring 20s”.
After finishing the first model, sometime in 1911, Henry Stutz (the company’s owner) took it racing. And not just around the block, as he entered the Indianapolis 500, where the car finished 11th.
Jay Leno’s variant is a 1918 Series S, which was manufactured with an enclosed cockpit and side steps, as opposed to the doorless body style that featured a “doghouse” hood and a “monocle” windscreen.
Leno acquired the car from Alexander Kennedy Miller, an eccentric figure known for his collection of valuable antique cars. Miller joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, and after retiring he and his wife relocated to a large farm in Vermont.
There, A.K. Miller constructed numerous shacks and sheds, where he hid 30 (yes, thirty) original Stutz models, several Franklins, a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost and a Karmann Ghia, among other models.
As you’d expect, the Bearcat wasn’t in pristine condition, but Leno took care of it. You can learn all about it in the video below.