Another Splendid Stutz

by Nancy DeWitt

A rare 1925 Stutz Speedway Six Series 695 Sportbrohm arrived at the museum last week. This is the third Stutz added to our collection, and she's a beauty. “Sportbrohm” was a term devised by Stutz for their sporty, five-passenger sedan. Its sharply inclined windshield and the low, rakish spare-tire mount made the sportbrohm appear less boxy than other sedans. Only 748 Series 695s were produced, and just a mere handful are known to survive. 

Stutz entered a completely new market in 1924 when they debuted the Speedway Six, their most luxurious automobile yet. Carrying high-grade coachwork and a new Stutz-built engine—essentially an enlarged and refined version of the Weidley motor that had powered their 1923 Special Six—the Speedway Six combined the sporting pedigree of Stutz with the stylish looks of luxury marques like Cadillac, Marmon and Packard.

Willy and Charlie performed a full service on the Speedway Six this past week and added all new brakes, repacked the wheel bearings, pulled and cleaned the oil pan, and rebuilt the oil pump. They should have it ready to move on to the museum floor for display in a few days--after some more test driving, of course! They took the Speedway on her maiden Alaska drive yesterday. Willy said she runs smoothly and is a very solid car. "It's very tight, with no rattles or squeaks, which is amazing considering how much wood is in it." He added, "It handles great and only shimmied when I reached 80 mph in a school zone." All kidding aside, this is a fine example of  luxury, sophistication and performance all rolled into one fantastic automobile!