Ed is rad. I talked with him a few years ago about his car, especially his snake interior. We jokingly came to the conclusion, that probably 200 snakes where used to complete the upholstery. One snake per pleat
Good thing Kurtis and Muntz didn't become partners. The name of the car may not have been very flattering. I love all those "specials" from the 40s through the 60s. A series 1 Excalibur, Muntz Jet, Devin SS, early Cunninghams, and all those before and after. Even the 1st versions of the Grand Prix based Blackhawk were kool as hell.
Here are some photos of Arlen Kurtis' Sports Car. A very cool car with a Cadillac engine. There is a great story about how Arlen found this car years after it was given to him while he was in high school. He said he sold it when he went into the service. Bart
From what I understand the car was built specifically for Ed Walsh who was a Kurtis-Kraft race car dealer here in St. Louis. Ed Walsh is a relative of my friend and the car, along with the wheels, has been in the family since it rolled out new. His is also Caddy powered. I believe the engine is the second in the car...the first was deemed under powered.
I found one sitting in a yard in southern Utah on a road trip, so of course I stopped and took a few pics. It's still there for all I know. Honestly I didn't realize there was so much interest in the later Muntz cars, I figured it was all in the earlier Kurtis ones. I've seen flamedabone start with worse....
These are like a bunch of cars on the HAMB for me. I always thought they were kinda fugly. But after seeing a ton of pics and learning some of the history Ive come around and see them in a different light ... I dig em. I'm still working on digging Falcons ... its a process
Glad to see Ed's Muntz appreciated here. But god damn, now that old prick is going to be insufferable!
There is a great story about how Arlen found this car years after it was given to him while he was in high school. He said he sold it when he went into the service. Bart[/QUOTE] Yes, there is Bart. My dad and I were part of it. And Arlen didn't find it. His wife, Carol, did.
Muntz Jet??!! Ed, the only way those things look good is driving off a cliff.......on fire! Love you..........mean it........
The car is beautiful and the article in The Rodder's Journal is pretty damn cool....The video portray's the dude to be a little crazy, but he fits right in in today's society.
My uncle is 88 years old, has dementia and lives with me. I came home from a local car show and showed him pictures of a Muntz Jet at the show, his eyes opened wide and he said " I worked for Madman Muntz" I knew he was a Cadillac Service Manager in NYC till he retired in the '70's,but he said before Cadillac he worked for Kiaser-Frasier and Muntz motors
That's what makes the Muntz story so fun. The guy was everywhere from cars to electronics. In the late 60's everyone had a Muntz C-100 "Blue Light" 4-track player. They were bullet proof. There was a Muntz showroom in Alhambra at Garfield and Valley (or Garvey?). It was an ex-car dealership, next to "The Hat" the famous pastrami joint. Yeah, Muntz was a nut in a fun way. And for those of us fortunate to personally know Ed here on the HAMB, I can vouch from experience what a wonderful and generous guy he is. He's fruitier than a truck full of oranges but super-cool guy...
If you need an air scoop delivered, Ed's your man!! His delivery person is a lot better looking than he is too.
Garfield, not Garvey Doug. Ahhhhhhhh, the Hat. Our family friend Corky Conzonire owns them. Who's Ed?
Sidebar: Earl Muntz was Bob Petersen's first customer, when Petersen was a publicist, before he started Hot Rod Magazine. Both men were friends of Frank Kurtis, so Pete had a soft spot for Muntz' cars. There are three Jets at the Petersen, but two are VERY rough.
The Jalopy Journal
