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Excalibur:

The Excalibur automobile was 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
conventional under their styling.



Clifford Brooks Stevens (1911 – 1995) was
an American industrial designer of home
furnishings, appliances, automobiles and
motorcycles, as well as a graphic designer
and stylist.

Stevens founded Brooks Stevens, Inc.
headquartered in Allenton, Wisconsin.

A prototype premiered at car shows in 1964,
fitted on a Studebaker chassis and using a
290-horsepower Studebaker 289 V-8.
Studebaker almost immediately ceased its
operations,ending the availability of
that engine.

Stevens subsequently obtained engines
from General Motors through his friends,
GM executives Ed Cole and Semon
Knudsen.
These were Chevrolet 327s in 300-bhp
Corvette tune, making the 2100-pound
Excalibur a strong performer.
With the standard 3.31:1 rear axle,
acceleration from 0-60 mph took less
than 6 seconds.
Projected top speed was 134 mph.

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

The company failed in 1986 but was
revived several times.
Production of the Excalibur
continued until 1990.