Spectacular Muntz Jet Is To Be Sold At Auction

Do you know what the Muntz Jet is all about? It was a premium sports convertible with a detachable fiberglass roof and a Cadillac V8 engine, built with the help of famed race car designer Frank Kurtis. It came with amenities like an automatic gearbox, power-assisted steering, and a safety-conscious cushioned dashboard, which were not typical on most automobiles at the time.

The Muntz Jet was created from Frank Kurtis's KSC two-seat aluminum sports vehicle, but with the wheelbase lengthened to allow place for two extra seats. It was built between 1949 and 1954, originally in Glendale, California, and afterward in Evanston, Illinois. 

Muntz stated the $5,500 V8 machines could achieve speeds of up to 150 mph, however, he was inflating by at least 30 mph. In the early 1950s, the automobiles cost roughly $5,500 to buy but $6,500 to produce, and Muntz's losses prompted him to shut down the factory after just 200 cars were produced. 

He continued to work in the electronics industry, inventing in-car music systems and selling massive rear-projection TVs. The 1952 Muntz Jet depicted here, which is one of the later Muntz Jets, is up for auction with Worldwide on April 23. It is equipped with a Lincoln flathead V8 that produces 150 horsepower.

This Muntz Jet was found in 2009 as an incomplete restoration, and then was repaired, repainted in the original Colorado red. It is expected to sell for around $200,000.