Museum Adds Rare 1931 Stutz Limousine Chassis to Exhibit

Members of the museum’s volunteer automobile maintenance team that worked on the Stutz chassis project included Bob Cramer, Ralph DePaolo, Lou Metelko, Robert Probst, Jack Randinelli, John Rosener, and Chuck Schmidt.

Stutz cranks over on the first try after more than 40 years of sitting idle!

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum recently added a rare 1931 Stutz Limousine chassis to the "Timothy S. Durham Gallery of Classics." The chassis, donated to the museum in 1999 by Thomas Miller of Grosse Ile, Michigan, was discovered in an old two-car garage around Detroit, Michigan where it set untouched since the mid-1950s.

Miller found the chassis in the old garage covered in debris. Miller had to climb over many objects just to get to the valve cover to see who had produced the chassis. The name "Stutz" was prominently displayed on the cover. Miller asked the owner of the property a series of questions about the car and how it became stranded in the garage. The property owner believed that the former owner had taken the body off of the chassis and was in the middle of restoring it when he died some time around 1955. Miller found the lifeless limousine body lying outside an old garage where it had been exposed to the elements for over 40 years. Trees had grown through the body, and the floorboards had turned into mulch.

Miller and the current property owner came to an agreement on the chassis and it was sold to Miller. Miller wondered if the engine might start after setting there for over 40 years. Miller and a friend filled the engine with fresh fluids, added gasoline, and cranked the motor over to a loud roar. After more than 40 years of setting idle, the car fired up!

Once Miller got the chassis home, he learned that the car was originally sold in Canada and eventually made its way to the Detroit area. Miller contacted Matt Short, Executive Vice President at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, and Short expressed interest in the chassis. Short, aware that the Indiana-built Stutz was a Full ClassicR, knew this automobile would give museum visitors a fine example of a chassis to learn how a classic car functions. "In the Timothy S. Durham Gallery of Classics we have an exhibit on just chassis' where we discuss custom bodies. Visitors can see what the custom body customer started out with," said Short.

In October, 1999, Miller donated the 1931 Stutz Limousine chassis to the museum where it became a restoration project over the next eight years. Short was pleased with the final product the group of volunteer maintenance team presented the museum, "Our volunteer maintenance team did an incredible job. The chassis was complete and in reasonably good condition. The team brought out the hidden beauty of the piece metal. The skill and patience the team donates to the museum is beyond belief," said Short. Members of the museum's volunteer automobile maintenance team that worked on the Stutz chassis project included Bob Cramer, Ralph DePaolo, Lou Metelko, Robert Probst, Jack Randinelli, John Rosener, and Chuck Schmidt.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum - where the world's finest cars of yesterday live today! Over 120 classic, antique, vintage and special interest cars are display with other automotive related exhibits on three floors. The museum is located in the National Historic Landmark, original 1930s national headquarters of the legendary Auburn Automobile Company. Admission is charged, with group and family rates available. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. year round. In 2007, plan a visit and bring your family to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, a place where automotive history comes to life! acdmuseum.org www.acdmuseum.org