Harry Stutz launched his automotive career in Indianapolis in 1903 and quickly rose to prominence. By 1911, after building his reputation with the American and Marion companies, Stutz constructed his first car. He famously entered it in the inaugural Indianapolis 500, where it finished 11th – a remarkable feat for a car built in just five weeks. Capitalizing on this success, the Stutz Motor Car Company quickly earned a reputation for performance and engineering excellence, encapsulated in the slogan: “The Car That Made Good in a Day.”

Numerous successes followed, including a 3rd Place finish at the 1913 Indy 500 and a triumphant 1915 season for the Stutz “White Squadron” racing team, with victories at Elgin, Point Loma, and Sheepshead Bay. To leverage this momentum, Stutz introduced the Bearcat in 1912 - a stripped-down, two-passenger sports car powered by the robust 390 CID Wisconsin T-head four-cylinder engine.

For those desiring Bearcat performance with added practicality, Stutz offered the Bulldog. Mechanically identical to the Bearcat and built on the same short-wheelbase chassis, the Bulldog featured a more versatile four-seat demi-tonneau body with a windshield and folding soft top. It appealed to a broader clientele - including Harry Stutz himself and famed aviator Eddie Rickenbacker - seeking exhilarating performance in a usable touring package.

This 1915 Stutz Model 4F Bulldog was acquired in the late 1930s or early 1940s by Theo D. Moore, an early and dedicated automobile enthusiast. Mr. Moore embodied the spirit of pioneering collectors, preserving historic automobiles long before they were widely appreciated. Though not a wealthy man – rising from electrical lineman to managing the Red Bank office of New Jersey Central Power & Light – Mr. Moore was passionate about saving old cars from obscurity, even during the height of WWII scrap drives.

Thanks to Mr. Moore’s care, this Bulldog has never required a full restoration. Its striking Mercedes Red paint was likely applied by Mr. Moore himself in the 1940s or 1950s, and the Burgundy leather upholstery appears to be carefully preserved and original, richly patinated by decades of use. In 1948, it was exhibited at the VMCCA’s inaugural antique car show at the 71st Regiment Armory in New York. Moore also drove it from his home in Red Bank, New Jersey to Hershey, Pennsylvania for the very first AACA Fall Meet in 1954. The car’s dashboard is adorned with numerous participation plaques from early antique-car events, a charming testament to its significant participatory role at the dawn of the American collector car hobby.

After Moore’s passing in the early 1960s, the Bulldog was sold to renowned collector Richard Cushing Paine Jr. of Bar Harbor, Maine. Nearly 30 years later, it was acquired by Paul D. Quinn of Virginia, who commissioned a comprehensive mechanical recommissioning by Bruce Armstrong and Howie Lane. Mr. Quinn then returned the car to active touring duty, taking part in several New England-based Brass & Gas events. In addition to its tour use, the Stutz made an appearance at the 2003 Stowe Classic & Antique Car Meet in Vermont, where it earned the President’s Trophy for Most Significant Car. In the late 2000s, the Bulldog passed to collector Joe Leweck of New Hampshire, who contacted Moore’s family. With their help, he assembled a richly-detailed scrapbook of vintage photographs and press clippings, adding invaluable historical depth to the car’s provenance. Since 2009, this Bulldog has resided in Stan Lucas’s distinguished stable and is arguably the centerpiece of his impressive Stutz collection. During his ownership it was featured in the prewar preservation class at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, and has taken part in local Horseless Carriage Club of America tours.

Due to the lasting fame of the Bearcat model, most surviving Stutzes are Bearcats or replicas. Only two genuine Bulldogs are known to exist today. This example, lovingly preserved rather than restored, offers an authentic and irreplaceable link to both the early years of American motoring and the visionary enthusiasts who saved such cars for future generations. It is a vivid embodiment not just of Harry Stutz’s engineering brilliance, but also of T.D. Moore’s quiet heroism as a steward of automotive history.