1953 Muntz Jet Convertible
The Muntz Jet is a two-door hardtop convertible built by the Muntz Car Company in the United States between approximately 1949 and 1954. It is sometimes credited as the first personal luxury car. Developed from the Kurtis Sport Car (KSC) that was designed by Frank Kurtis, it was produced and marketed by Earl “Madman” Muntz. The car was powered by one of two V8 engines, either a 160 hp (120 kW) Cadillac engine or a 160 hp (120 kW) Lincoln engine, and it was equipped with either a General Motors Hydramatic automatic transmission or a three-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission. The Jet was streamlined, featured numerous luxury appointments, and was equipped with safety features that were not standard on most cars of its day, including a padded dashboard and seat belts.
Making a healthy fortune selling cars and televisions through a flurry of outlandishly extreme commercials, Earl “Madman” Muntz was a consummate fireball of a personality, always looking to do something new and different. When his friend and occasional business partner, Indy Car builder Frank Kurtis, approached him with the idea of building a street-legal sports car he had designed, Muntz was intrigued. Kurtis was looking for $200,000 to sign over the designs and Muntz agreed, bought the designs, implemented some changes and created what he called the Muntz Jet. Slippery and sleek, the Jet was unlike most anything that had been built before it.
One of 200 Muntz Jets produced by Madman Muntz in Chicago, IL. This was the first American production sports car. Offered unitized body construction, bucket seats, seat belts and padded dash.
The Muntz Jet was a highly customizable sports car built to the taste of the buyer. Buyers had a choice of three V8 engines supplied by Cadillac, Lincoln, and Chrysler. The 336 cubic-inch Lincoln V8 that was initially offered features 154 hp. A Cadillac 331 cubic-inch V8 became available shortly after, producing 160 hp. In 1952 a Chrysler-built 331 Hemi became available on a limited basis, producing 235 horsepower.
This 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible – sourced 5.7-liter LT1 V8 features a polished fuel intake manifold along with billet aluminum valve covers, and additional features include an Opti-Spark distributor, a Griffin aluminum radiator, and a wiring loom sourced from Painless Performance Wiring.
The cabin was customized by Jim’s Auto Trim of San Diego, California, and features Glide bucket seats and a rear bench trimmed in gray snakeskin-style Naugahyde upholstery, along with matching treatments for the dash trim, headliner, and door panels. Additional equipment includes a 1952 Lincoln steering wheel mounted to a shortened Lincoln steering column, gray cut-pile carpet, and a Pioneer stereo housed within a custom center cubby.
The engine-turned “Hollywood” instrument cluster houses Stewart Warner gauges consisting of an 8k-rpm tachometer, a 160-mph speedometer, and auxiliary readings for fuel level, battery charge, oil pressure, and water temperature. 
You could make a compelling argument that the Muntz Jet was one of America’s first sports cars. Built by entrepreneur and California used car magnate Earl “Madman” Muntz between 1951 and 1954, the Muntz Jet featured cutting-edge styling, technology, and performance for its day.
