1929 Stutz Model M Four-Passenger Speedster

40177roadUnited States

Engine: Rebuilt inline engine with titanium connecting rods, 9.5:1 compression aluminum pistons, and reworked cylinder head
Colour: Black and cream

This 1929 Stutz Model M Four-Passenger Speedster has passed through a succession of notable American collectors over nearly a century. Long owned by California socialite Eva May Johnson as a daily driver, it was eventually acquired by Briggs Cunningham for his celebrated Costa Mesa museum, where it was exhibited for over fifteen years. Later restored by firearms manufacturer and Stutz devotee William Ruger Sr. with significant engine enhancements by Callaway Cars, the car combines a stock exterior with substantially upgraded mechanical internals.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$159,500
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
→ 1970Acquisition unknown
Eva May Johnson
partial documentation
California-based socialite and motorsport enthusiast who kept the car as daily transportation from 1937 through 1949; she was deeply knowledgeable about the car's mechanics and declined to sell to a buyer who planned to modify it aggressively.
1970 → 1986-12-01Private sale
Briggs Cunningham
full documentation
Housed in the Cunningham Museum in Costa Mesa following a restoration in cream and coral; the car was displayed publicly and featured in several publications and museum ephemera until the museum closed.
1986-12-01 →Auction
Miles Collier
partial documentation
Purchased as part of a bulk acquisition of the entire Cunningham Collection; the car was not kept within the Collier Collection and was subsequently passed on.
→ 2015Acquisition unknown
California collection
none documentation
Identity of this owner not specified; car was sourced from this collection by the subsequent owner.
2015 →Private sale
Terence E. Adderley
partial documentation
Described as a late collector who acquired the car from a California-based collection in 2015; most recent prior owner before the present auction.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
William Ruger Sr.
partial documentation
Connecticut-based firearms manufacturer and devoted Stutz collector who had the car refinished in black and cream and commissioned a high-performance engine rebuild by Callaway Cars using titanium connecting rods, revised aluminum pistons, and an improved cylinder head.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

—
Restoration
The car was refinished in a cream and coral colour combination during Cunningham's ownership and placed on long-term museum display.
Carried out prior to or during the car's time in the Cunningham Museum, which opened before its closure in late 1986.
—Restoration
Callaway Cars
A full restoration to a tuxedo-themed black and cream livery was undertaken, with the engine rebuilt using titanium connecting rods, high-compression aluminium pistons at 9.5:1, and a cylinder head modified for improved airflow. Externally the car retains a standard appearance.
Commissioned by William Ruger Sr., whose approach prioritised genuine mechanical performance within a stock-looking package.

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