The Excalibur automobile is a car styled after the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK by Brooks Stevens for Studebaker. Stevens subsequently formed a company to manufacture and market the cars, which were a standard Studebaker car with special bodywork (and soon got an upgraded engine as well).^[1]

A prototype premiered at car shows in 1963, fitted on a Studebaker Lark Convertible chassis and using a 290-brake-horsepower (290 PS; 220 kW)^{[citation needed]} Studebaker 289 V-8. Studebaker ceased engine production in December 1963 and consolidating all manufacturing to its Hamilton, Ontario plant, ending the availability of that engine.^[2]

Stevens subsequently obtained engines from General Motors through his friends GM executives Ed Cole and Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen. These were Chevrolet 327s in 300-brake-horsepower (300 PS; 220 kW) Corvette tune, making the 2,100-pound (950 kg) Excalibur a strong performer. With the standard 3.31:1 rear axle, acceleration from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) took less than six seconds.^[3] Projected top speed was 134 mph (216 km/h).^[4]

Over 3,500 Excalibur cars were built, all in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.^[2] The American comedian Phyllis Diller was a notable proponent of the Excalibur automobile, and owned four of them.^[5]

The company failed in 1986 but was revived several times.^[6] Production of the Excalibur continued until 1990.^[7]

• 
  1960s SS
• 
  1980s Phaeton
• 
  1980s SS
• 
  1985 Phaeton
• 
  Series V Convertible

See also

• Clénet Coachworks
• Cumberford Martinique
• Desande
• Sherwood Egbert
• Stutz Blackhawk
• Zimmer (automobile)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Excalibur vehicles.

• Site d'information sur l'automobile Excalibur (France)