Car No. 10986

Engine No. 10986

Few American sporting cars of the Nickel Era carry the reputation of the Stutz Bearcat, and chassis number 10986 is one of the last to wear the name. Harry C. Stutz built his first racing car in just five weeks and entered it in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, where Gil Andersen brought it home in 11th place and earned the marque its enduring slogan, “The Car That Made Good in a Day.” First sold to the public in 1912 as a road-going version of the firm's board-track racers, the Bearcat was a stripped two-seat machine built around a low, light chassis. The Ideal Motor Car Company became the Stutz Motor Car Company in 1913, and the cars built a record on the track that culminated in the AAA national championship of 1915, won by the famed “White Squadron” team. Over the following years Stutz steadily refined the Bearcat from its original form.

The Series K arrived for 1920, and the following year Stutz introduced the “D-H” engine, a detachable-cylinder-head version of the 361-cubic-inch sixteen-valve four that gave access to the valves, cylinders, and pistons from the top of the motor. Factory literature claimed the D-H increased acceleration from 10 to 60 miles per hour by 90 percent and widened the usable speed range by 40 percent, allowing sustained cruising without overtaxing the engine. Rated at 90 horsepower, it was among the strongest American power plants of its day, and these cars remain some of the most drivable of the Nickel Era.

Chassis 10986 was discovered in the early 1970s by Elbert “Val” Valentine, who recognized the significance of the detachable-head cars well before they were widely appreciated. A graduate of MIT, Valentine worked in engine development for General Motors and restored a number of cars alongside his father, among them a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet, a 1922 Marmon Speedster, and a 1923 Stutz Bearcat. Because his attention was so often given to other projects and to assisting fellow enthusiasts, work on his own Bearcat proceeded slowly, and the restoration of 10986 ultimately spanned more than thirty years of careful nut-and-bolt effort.

The next owner acquired 10986 around 2003 with the work roughly 70 percent complete. Having previously restored cars at the Harrah's Automobile Collection, he was well placed to finish the task, and once the Bearcat was completed, he covered a little over 600 miles across two vintage tours before parting with the car in 2016.

Showing 778 miles at the time of cataloging, the Bearcat is offered in attractive condition, reflecting only careful use following an older but well-preserved restoration that was cosmetically refreshed under prior ownership, including new paint, new interior upholstery, and a new convertible top. Finished in black over a leather interior with a folding top, the car is fitted with Houk “Quik-Change” painted wire wheels, dual headlamps, and a driver-side spot lamp.

Acquired at Broad Arrow's 2024 Amelia Island Auction, 10986 has since been preserved in the present owner's California-based collection and remains unchanged from that time. One of the final examples of the original four-cylinder Bearcat lineage and among the few fitted with the D-H engine, it is well suited to concours and touring events worldwide.