Earl “Madman” Muntz earned his nickname by becoming the world’s largest used car dealer in Los Angeles, California. The restless Muntz also sold televisions of his own manufacture directly to customers, but when he met famed Indy racer Frank Kurtis, his attention turned to making and selling his own automobile. Muntz adapted the design for a sporty two-seater Kurtis had been producing, lengthened the body to accommodate four people, established an agreement to buy Cadillac V-8s and began assembling the futuristically styled Muntz Jet in Kurtis’ tiny Glendale, California, facility. The first Muntz Jets bore aluminum bodywork and removable hardtops on a 113-inch wheelbase, but after several customers complained about scant legroom and the ease with which the sheet metal could be dented, he stretched the wheelbase to 116 inches and began using steel for the bodies. Soon after production began, Muntz moved his operation to Chicago and began using 337 CI Lincoln flathead V-8 engines supplied by his friend Benson Ford, CEO of Lincoln-Mercury and brother of Henry Ford II. Built with that engine mated to a GM Hydra-Matic transmission, the Muntz Jet could reach as high 125 MPH, an impressive feat it handled with ease thanks to its well-designed suspension and hefty hydraulic drum brakes. The Jet’s cost and performance put it out of reach of all but the well-heeled, attracting such owners as actors Mickey Rooney and Clara Bow, singer Vic Damone and broadcast executive Frank Stanton. This Black 1952 Muntz Jet convertible is trimmed in contrasting White leather and is presented in excellent condition, ready to be enjoyed with the pride that comes with owning this stylish, rare and valuable collector automobile.