You know "Special Ed," right? He's the grumpy old fart that tells you like it is - leaving only his avatar as a calling card of sorts. And that oh-so recognizable avatar is an image of his gorgeously restored/customized 1953 Muntz Jet (pictured ab... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
That's awesome! Glad i'm old enough to remember Muntz Music Stores, that was the place to go for 8 tracks, tapes and decks
Old Mad Man Muntz was quite an entrepreneur and got in on the beginning of many new concepts and industries. I bought my first cell phone from his daughter T V Muntz in 1986 and she told me her dad had predicted that by the year 2000 you could call on a cell anywhere in the USA. He wasn't too far off. He had a great history.
First one I remember seeing was at a junk yard that I worked in as a teenager. It had what looked like Rattlesnake skin upholstery and the emblem on the horn button was a pirate character like Yosemity Sam. I think it had a Lincoln flathead but it's been a looooong time.
I think he had a car lot near where I lived, 80th and Figuroa in LA. we had a Muntz TV, yea he was big back then.
Nice article Ryan. I fondly remember the Muntz store that was near Galpin Ford in the San Fernando Valley. It was actually the Logo/Type/Character and yellow building that drew me in when I was a kid and I would always look forward to driving by that building. I've been wanting to watch the documentary for quite some time, but it hasn't happened. What a great story and neat car. Special Ed really made a bitchin' example of a super car to begin with. I've loved his Muntz since the first time I saw it. -Aaron
I bid on this one at an estate auction several years ago. Another HAMBER got it. Wonder if he still has it?
I remember watching airplanes write "MUNTZ TV" all over the summer skies of Minneapolis and St. Paul as a kid. I understand that he was the first to coin the abbreviation "TV" so that it could be used in his skywriting ads.
Yup, it was "customized" and pretty rough- the current(?) owner started a thread on it's rehab, but haven't been able to find it yet.
i while back in los angeles, they did a show called "things that arnt here anymore" on pbs with ralph story and high lighted him. i allways hoped he would get in the spotlight again! "cal worthington" and to a lesser degree "crazy giddeon" were cut from same cloth.
Ed seems like a pretty humble guy. Wish he would let everyone know what his cool job is. He'd probably say this is about his car, not him, but come on Ed, tell us . . . Tell us about your awesome on-topic job.
The guy was famous back in the day and everyone knew who he was. A real character who became kind of a legend through TV and radio ads. Cool bit of history. Jimbo
I have wanted one of those for years. Many here may know why and for those who do not well its the name.
Quite a while back, I saw Marilyn Monroe's Muntz Jet in a car trailer at a guy's place near here. He had just purchased it. It was badly in need of restoration, pretty rough, but it was in the right hands. He owned one car from EVERY year from the 20's up to present-day - each one being what he considered to be the very best car made that year. It was a truly stunning private collection. Everything from Packards and Ferraris to lowely Chevrolets. Each one Concours quality. I always wondered if he managed to bring Marilyn's car back to that level. Has anyone seen it?
My father ran a Muntz TV / radio store in Philly and then Buffalo. I met Ed Muntz once when I was 6 years old...
Hey Ed, good to your car front and centre on the HAMB. Hope to catch up with you when we are over in early December. Only 28 sleeps. Staying with Rocky and Anni.
Great to see Ed's car on the big page! I count Ed as one of my H.A.M.B. friends in this deal. I Love the Muntz jets, and the Kurtis version that proceeded it. It's on of those bucket list cars for me, only mine would be shod with a set knock off Halibrand Sportmags and something rumbly under the hood.
Earl Muntz was my neighbor when I had my shop on Densmore Avenue in Van Nuys in the 70's...quite a character. I had a lot of respect for him. He was always dropping in to show me his newest idea. He was really brilliant... Carl
I see Ed as a cantankerous bastard that slaps me around every now and then - whether I need it or not. I gotta lot of respect for him too.
Oh my that Kurtis with the Halibrands, wow, and of course Ed's car is just breathtaking. There was a rough but one-owner Jet in the Milwaukee Journal classifieds (remember those?) about 12 years ago, I was up early on that Sunday morning and started calling at about 5:30 AM. Phone was busy ALL DAY. Wonder where that one went.
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