This is a 1953 Muntz Jet, it’s a little-known luxury production car from the 1950s that was named for the company founder Earl “Madman” Muntz.
The Jet has been credited with being the world’s first personal luxury car, arriving years before the second-generation Ford Thunderbird that popularized the concept, or any of the countless others that appeared in the 1960s and 1970s. Only 198 Muntz Jets were built, and Earl lost money on every one he sold.
Fast Facts: A 1953 Muntz Jet
- The Muntz Jet was an early American personal luxury car developed by Earl “Madman” Muntz, a successful car dealer and electronics entrepreneur. In 1950, Muntz bought the Kurtis Sport Car design from racing car builder Frank Kurtis for $200,000 USD, then commissioned a longer, more luxurious four-seat version.
- The Jet featured distinctive styling, powerful Cadillac and later Lincoln V8 engines, and an unusually well-appointed interior. Equipment included seatbelts, a padded dashboard, Stewart-Warner instrumentation, and optional built-in liquor storage. Buyers could choose unusual paint colors and upholstery, while most cars came with automatic transmissions and had removable hardtops.
- Production began in Glendale, California, before moving to Evanston, Illinois, and later Chicago. Despite attracting celebrity buyers, the Jet was commercially unsuccessful. Muntz reportedly lost approximately $1,000 USD on every car, closing the business down in 1954. Only around 198 examples are generally believed to have been built, although Muntz claimed 394.
- The 1953 Muntz Jet shown here has been restored in Colorado Red with Ivory vinyl upholstery and a removable white Carson top. It retains its 317.5 cubic inch Lincoln V8 and automatic transmission, with upgraded power-assisted brakes.
History Speedrun: The Muntz Jet
Earl “Madman” Muntz was born in Elgin, Illinois, in 1914. He left high school without graduating and had his own used-car lot by the age of 20. In the early 1940s he moved the business to Glendale, where loud radio and billboard advertising made him one of the best-known car dealers in Los Angeles. One slogan claimed he wanted to give his cars away, but Mrs. Muntz wouldn’t let him. He also held Kaiser-Frazer dealerships in Los Angeles and New York, and built low-cost television sets.
Earl “Madman” Muntz was born in Elgin, Illinois, in 1914. He left high school without graduating and had his own used-car lot by the age of 20. In the early 1940s he moved the business to Glendale, where loud radio and billboard advertising made him one of the best-known car dealers in Los Angeles. Image courtesy of the Muntz Archive.
Frank Kurtis had started out as an apprentice at a Los Angeles coachbuilder, he went on to run Kurtis Kraft in Glendale, building midget racers and Indianapolis cars. Kurtis cars won the Indianapolis 500 five times between 1950 and 1955.
In 1949 he put the first ever road-going Kurtis Sport Car on sale, it was a low two-seater with aluminum and fiberglass bodywork on a 100-inch wheelbase, typically powered by a Ford Flathead V8. High production costs sank the project and in 1950 Kurtis sold the design, tooling, and parts to Muntz, for $200,000 USD.
Stretching The Kurtis
Kurtis was hired to carry out the conversion on the car himself, the idea was to turn it from a sports car into the Muntz Jet, a personal luxury car. He lengthened the chassis by 13 inches to a 113 inch wheelbase to improve legroom and to make room for a rear seat.
Indianapolis driver Sam Hanks, who would win the 500 in 1957, worked on the redesign and served as the company’s test driver. Muntz replaced the Ford engine with Cadillac’s new 331 cubic inch (5.4 liter) overhead valve V8, rated at 160 bhp – an excellent figure for the time. Early cars carried “Road Jet” script on the front fenders, and a solid hardtop lifted off for open driving.
The cabin was far more luxurious than the earlier Kurtis, seatbelts and a padded dashboard were fitted at a time when neither was common on American cars, a row of Stewart-Warner gauges filled out the dash, and the rear armrests could even hold an optional liquor cabinet and ice chest. Colors included boy blue and elephant pink, and buyers could order snakeskin-patterned upholstery if they so wished.
Muntz Jet: Production + Specifications
Fewer than 30 Jets were completed in Glendale, with aluminum outer panels, before Muntz moved production to 1000 Grey Avenue in Evanston, Illinois. The body went from aluminum to steel there to help reduce costs, the wheelbase grew another three inches to 116, and the Cadillac engine gave way to Lincoln’s 337 cubic inch (5.5 liter) Flathead V8, modified with solid valve lifters.
Muntz went on to sell the Stereo-Pak, a four-track car tape cartridge that preceded the eight-track. Image courtesy of the Muntz Archive.
In April of 1951 the Evanston plant had 40 employees and was producing about one car a day. In 1952 production moved again, to North Sheffield Avenue in Chicago. Later cars used Lincoln’s new overhead valve V8, and the last half-dozen or so had fiberglass fenders to cut both weight and cost.
The Muntz Jet had independent front suspension, a live rear axle on leaf springs in the rear, and hydraulic brakes at all four wheels. A GM Hydra-Matic automatic went into most cars, with a 3-speed manual available as an option for the more sporting-minded drivers. The car weighed around 3,750 lbs (depending on the version), and the Lincoln-engined example could do the 0 to 60 mph run in 12.3 seconds with an eventual top speed of 108 mph.
Muntz sold Jets directly from the factory rather than through dealers, and the buyers included Clara Bow, Vic Damone, Gloria DeHaven, Grace Kelly, and Mickey Rooney. A Jet also appeared in The Caddy, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
At $5,500 USD in 1953 ($69,400 USD in 2026), the Jet cost about $1,500 ($18,900 USD in 2026) more than a Cadillac convertible. Each one cost Muntz ~$6,500 to build ($82,050 USD in 2026), and he put labor alone at $2,000 ($25,200 USD in 2026) for each car. He closed the business down in 1954, having lost money on every car he’d sold.
Muntz went on to sell the Stereo-Pak, a four-track car tape cartridge that preceded the eight-track. In 1969 he claimed that the four-seat 1958 Ford Thunderbird had been inspired by the Muntz Jet, saying he had been “eight years ahead of my time.” Author Thomas E. Bonsall has since credited the Jet as the first personal luxury car.
The 1953 Muntz Jet Shown Here
This is an original 1953 Muntz Jet, it’s a restored example of the rare American four-seat convertible, one of approximately 394 believed to have been produced between 1951 and 1954. It was recently awarded Best in Class at the 2024 10,000 Lakes Concours d’Elegance.
The car is powered by a Lincoln 317.5 cubic inch (5.2 liter) OHV V8 fitted with a Holley two-barrel carburetor, paired with an automatic transmission. The car keeps its dual exhaust system, but the original single-circuit braking system has been upgraded with a dual-circuit master cylinder for safety, with power assist.
The car has been refinished in Colorado Red and it has a removable white vinyl Carson top with a clear rear window. It also has chrome spotlights, dual exterior mirrors, wide whitewall bias-ply tires, and chrome wire-style wheel covers -the chrome trim and brightwork are reported to be in excellent condition.
This is an original 1953 Muntz Jet, it’s a restored example of the rare American four-seat convertible, one of approximately 394 believed to have been produced between 1951 and 1954. It was recently awarded Best in Class at the 2024 10,000 Lakes Concours d’Elegance.
Inside, the front bucket seats, rear bench seat, center console, and armrests have been reupholstered in Ivory vinyl, complemented by matching door panels, black carpeting, and a two-tone padded dashboard. The engine-turned instrument panel houses a comprehensive set of Stewart-Warner gauges, including a 160 mph speedometer and 6,000 rpm tachometer.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Rogers, Minnesota on eBay, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or make an offer.
Images courtesy of
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