Vehicle Description
Brooks Stevens is one of America's great industrial design masters.
Practicing design much in the same way his contemporaries like
Raymond Loewy and John Vassos, Stevens designed products, machines
and logos in virtually any industry, amassing a huge and diverse
portfolio that covered architecture, industrial design and graphic
design. Some of his most notable projects include the Miller Beer
logo, the Evinrude Lark outboard motor, and the world-famous Oscar
Meyer Weinermobile. His iconic design for the 1949 Harley-Davidson
Hydra Glide is still in use on today's Heritage range. Of course,
the automobile industry played a huge role in Stevens' illustrious
career. He is perhaps best known for his work with Studebaker,
redesigning the Grand Turismo Hawk on a miniscule budget, and also
the Jeep Wagoneer, a design that remained virtually unchanged from
1963 through the model's discontinuation in 1991. He also designed
the original Excalibur sports car in conjunction with Kaiser, and
the subsequent "neo-classic" models that came after. But one of his
earliest contributions to the motoring industry came in 1955, with
a car that he hoped would introduce American V8 power, as well as
the Brooks Stevens name, to the European marketplace. Brooks
Stevens had a strong desire to be recognized in the European car
design world. He was given the idea to design a luxury car worthy
of the European show circuit; an automobile that would show the
world what Brooks Stevens could do. With backing from a
Cleveland-based real estate developer, Stevens began with a new
1955 Cadillac Series 60 Special chassis, and designed a flamboyant
new body from the ground up. Die Valkyrie debuted at the Paris Auto
Salon, with its huge, dramatic V-shaped grille and front bumper
treatment that flowed out, bisecting the headlamps and traveling
down the body sides in one line. A beautiful upward sweep ahead of
the rear wheel arch was highlighted by a two-tone black and white
color scheme, and the coupe roof was fully removable to make a
four-seat convertible. Coachwork and construction was handled by
Hermann Spohn of Ravensburg Germany. Spohn was a primary supplier
of Maybach bodies prior to WWII, and his work also graced
Hispano-Suiza, Mercedes-Benz and other chassis, so there was little
question about quality. Die Valkyrie was a big car, sharing the
same 133-inch wheelbase as the Cadillac donor. But it also shared
Cadillac's OHV, 331 cubic inch dual-quad engine that made a solid
270 horsepower so performance was not lacking. Rumors even
circulated that Cadillac considered backing the project as a way to
break into the fickle European market, and Stevens made no attempt
to hide the source of his donor vehicle. But ultimately, the
project never went beyond two cars, the first which was purchased
by Stevens himself as a gift for his wife who enjoyed the car for
many thousands of miles before it went into the Brooks Stevens
Museum where it remained through the mid-1990s. We are very pleased
to offer this Die Valkyrie, the very example that belonged to
Brooks and Alice Stevens. Aside from one repaint it remains in
fabulously original condition and still shows the miles that Alice
put on the car during her time enjoying it. The fabulous,
over-the-top styling of Die Valkyrie is of course the first thing
that grabs your attention. But as you look closer, you see it is a
fully functional luxury automobile, not merely a styling exercise.
Spohn's craftsmanship is outstanding, as the car is beautifully
constructed and detailed. It is still presented in its original
color scheme of white and black with virtually every original
detail still in place. Given its largely unrestored and original
condition, there are a few minor blemishes that appear in the
paintwork and elsewhere, though they hardly detract from the drama
and glamour of Brooks Stevens' fabulous design. The extensive
original chrome trim is intact and in very fine condition, showing
little wear and no damage, further backing the incredibly low
original mileage. It rides on its original wheels which are adorned
with original Cadillac hubcaps and shod with a set of very unusual
US Royal Master tires which mimic the turbine styling of the
hubcaps in their sidewalls. The car is incredibly dramatic; long,
low and wide with that signature "cow catcher" grille up front. The
interior is trimmed in black leather which has been beautifully
preserved in completely original and unrestored condition. It is
believed the large, plush chairs may share components with a
Mercedes 300 which is entirely feasible given its construction at
Spohn in Germany. Carpets are in fine condition and the door panels
are beautifully styled with sunburst pattern leather, accented with
a white flash and topped with a polished speed-form trim. The dash
is essentially standard issue Cadillac, which typically high
quality controls and switchgear. Mechanically, Die Valkyrie remains
in a highly original and unrestored state. The Cadillac 331 is
topped with original dual-quad intake and original "bat wing" air
cleaner. The engine bay is tidy and has been carefully detailed, to
ensure its high levels of originality have not been erased. It
features power steering and brakes as original and the remainder of
the chassis and drivetrain are all factory Cadillac components,
allowing for straightforward servicing. This is an incredible
opportunity to acquire an automobile that Brooks Stevens designed
to highlight his immense talents. It has remarkable history as the
Paris show car, as the very car that his wife Alice enjoyed
driving, and the car that was retained by the Stevens museum for
decades. It has survived in remarkably original condition thanks to
the efforts of the previous caretaker, the only other owner outside
the Stevens family. A fabulous and dramatic piece of mid-century
design history and presented in magnificently well-preserved
condition, Die Valkyrie is sure to be welcome at virtually concours
event worldwide, and would make a most welcome centerpiece to any
collection of rare and exciting concept cars.