Maverick Sportster Press & Publicity

1 The Maverick Sportster Overview “ The Maverick Sportster is a Land - Bound Pegasus with airborne power and cloud - like riding quality ” (Maverick Sportster brochure, 1953). The car was designed by Sterling “ Smoke ” Gladwin Jr., of Mountain View, California who was a retired aeronautical engineer having worked for Boeing and Lockheed during and after World War II. Fascinated with the elegance of pre - war automobile design, Gladwin built a postwar boulevard sports car with modern power and classic lines. He built the first Maverick for himself using a 1940 LaSalle chassis and a flathead Cadillac V8 motor. His company, Maverick Motors, then built the remaining 6 cars for customers using postwar Cadillac chassis ’ with 331 cubic inch Cadillac motors. This Maverick was originally owned by Smoke and Myrtle Gladwin, and he retained this and another Maverick his entire life. The Maverick Sportster is known as America ’ s last boattail speedster and is often regarded as America ’ s Postwar Duesenberg.