Stutz
Bearcat (Series A–4C)

Why it matters

The Bearcat became the best-known sports roadster of the early American motor industry. Harry C. Stutz built a racing car for the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, turned it into the Ideal-built passenger roadster, and marketed it as "The Car That Made Good in a Day".

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

History

Stutz entered a 390 cubic-inch T-head four in the first Indianapolis 500 on 30 May 1911; driven by Gil Anderson it finished eleventh. The Indianapolis-based Ideal Car Company then offered a road version in several body styles, the roadster being the forerunner of the Bearcat.

According to Autoswalk the Bearcat name was added to the line in 1914 as the roadster with a higher axle ratio, with an optional six-cylinder T-head of about 80 hp. The Stutz Club says the 361 cubic-inch T-head four powered the Bearcat through 1916, after which the company was reorganised.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The early Bearcat is a minimal two-seat roadster with a 120-inch wheelbase, a T-head four-cylinder engine (361 cu in in the Stutz Club description) with dual ignition and aluminium pistons, and a rear-mounted gearbox combined with the differential (a transaxle) joined by a horizontal driveshaft. The frame is set 2.5 inches higher at the rear than the front. Wheels are 34 inches in diameter with 4.5-inch tyres.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   About Stutz - The Automobile Level B Stutz Club

   • powerful T-head four-cylinder engine of 361 cubic inch capacity
   • T-head four-cylinder engine of 361 cubic inch capacity

   Accessed 2026-11-13
2. 2
   World's Greatest Cars: Stutz Bearcat Level D Jack Nerad · Autoswalk (Jack Nerad, Driving Today) · 2005-02-07

   • option of a six-cylinder engine, using the same T-head technology
   • T-head design with intake valves on one side of the cylinders and exhaust valves on the other
   • standard trim ... churned out 50 horsepower
   • rear gearbox cum differential
   • transferred through a horizontal driveshaft to a rear gearbox cum differential
   • wheelbase of 120 inches

   Accessed 2026-11-13
3. 3
   Stutz Bearcat (World's Greatest Cars) Level C Autoswalk.com

   • The rear of the frame was two and a half inches higher than the forward portion

   Accessed 2026-11-13