Vehicle Description
During his tenure as the head of Chrysler design, Virgil Exner
defined the iconic fins & chrome era of the 1950s with his
revolutionary "Forward Look" design language. Prior to that, he
transformed Chrysler's stodgy image and introduced American buyers
to sophisticated Italian style with the collaborative dream cars
created alongside Gigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia. Following an
acrimonious departure from Chrysler in 1962, he served as a
consultant and worked on personal projects. In the mid-1960s, Exner
designed a series of so-called "Revival Cars," which were his
interpretations of defunct classic-era automobiles including
Mercer, Duesenberg, Bugatti, Pierce-Arrow, Packard, and Stutz.
Exner tried and failed to revive Duesenberg, but in 1968, he turned
his sights to a rebirth of the Stutz Motor Car Company. Assistance
came in the form of Mr. James O'Donnell, a wealthy investor with a
particular fondness for Stutz automobiles and a talent for
attracting investors. With O'Donnell in charge of the finances,
Exner had free-reign on the design, and soon a motorcar worthy of
the illustrious Stutz name took form. Virgil Exner's vision of the
Stutz Blackhawk was realized as a stylish, high-performance grand
touring coupe, using American-sourced components in an exclusive,
coachbuilt Italian suit. In the spirit of the luxurious and
exclusive Dual-Ghia of the 1950s, the original Blackhawk was a
fully engineered, hand-built motorcar, not a kit or fiberglass
replica. The costly production process involved shipping a complete
Pontiac Grand Prix (purchased at retail!) to Carrozzeria Padane in
Modena, who discarded the entire body and interior. The new
coachwork shared nothing with the donor car, and each completed
shell got high-quality paint and luxurious leather and wood
trimmings to the buyer's specification. Those buyers included Dean
Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Lucille Ball, and, most famously, Elvis
Presley, who purchased the very first Blackhawk at its debut at the
Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York which remains on permanent
display in Graceland. Only 25 of the distinct split-windshield
"Series I" Blackhawks were built in 1971, carrying an eye-watering
$35,000 price tag - the equivalent of nearly $225,000 today.
Regardless, Stutz lost approximately $10,000 per unit before
O'Donnell concluded that shipping complete Pontiacs to Italy only
to throw half of them away wasn't the best business plan. From
1972, all subsequent Stutz models used significantly more of the
donor car's substructure, compromising the unique proportions of
Exner's original design, but finally becoming profitable. But it is
the early, coachbuilt cars that command the most attention from
serious collectors. According to historians, only 16 of the
original 25 Blackhawks survive, and they remain as exclusive as
they were when new. On offer is one of the finest examples of the
highly exclusive split-windshield Stutz Blackhawk Series I
available. This car comes from the private collection of a marque
expert and is the subject of an eight-year, nut-and-bolt
restoration finished to very high standards. The 17th of 25
produced, this car left the factory in black over a black interior,
arriving in North America in November 1971. According to Richard
Curotto, the former sales manager of Stutz Motorcars in America, he
collected chassis number 276571A172808 at the docks in Quebec,
drove it across the border, and continued to Manhattan in time for
the New York Auto Show for display. It was sold shortly after the
show, but records of the original owners do not exist. The history
picks up again in the early 2000s when it was in the hands of
famous Elvis impersonator Paul Casey, who cruised the Las Vegas
strip in it. In April 2009, Mr. Casey sold the Stutz as a tired but
running and driving car to Erik Nielsen of California. The most
recent owner acquired it from Nielsen 14 months later, and soon
embarked on a painstaking nut and bolt restoration. As a respected
expert on these coachbuilt Stutz cars, the new owner spent untold
hours sourcing the rare and unique parts lost to time and careless
owners. Carrozzeria Padane also built the Maserati Mistral, Indy,
and Bora alongside the Stutz, and many components came from the
same bins. But some details were particularly challenging to
source, including the original Lear Jet stereo 8-track player and
the set of five 17-inch Firestone LXX wheels and tires, of which
fewer than 50 sets were produced. The Blackhawk was the only car to
feature the LXX-system from new. The ultra-rare wheels are included
in the sale but are suitable for concours use and low-speed
demonstration only. To best highlight Virgil Exner's incredible
design, the owner chose an attractive shade of Battleship gray. The
paintwork is superb and presents beautifully, with excellent body
gaps and concours-quality chrome plating on the bumpers, grille,
and body trim. Details include period-correct RBT Astro fog lamps,
correct chrome dummy side pipes, and proper Kelsey Hayes cast alloy
wheels, which the factory retrofitted to every Stutz after
reliability issues arose with the Firestone system. It has covered
just a few hundred miles since the restoration and remains in
outstanding condition all around. Complementing the marvelous color
choice is a lush red leather interior with gorgeous bird's eye
maple accents. Superb, high-quality materials and workmanship
features throughout the cabin, with luxuries such as power windows,
power sunroof, the original Lear Jet 8-Track stereo, and a modern
AM/FM/CD player discreetly integrated into the glovebox. The
meticulous restoration included recreating the factory-style fitted
luggage behind the seats along with two additional leather-trimmed
suitcases in the boot, which also houses a matching jack bag and
leather tool roll. Pontiac had the distinction of offering some of
the largest and most powerful engines in the GM lineup. The Grand
Prix-sourced 455 cubic-inch V8 was the ideal choice for the Stutz,
giving it impressive performance to match the flamboyant style. The
455 in this car is stroked slightly to 461 cubic inches and updated
with Edelbrock heads and intake and a high-efficiency serpentine
belt system, although the original pulleys and brackets are
included to satisfy the purist. The mighty Pontiac V8 produces 425
horsepower, fed through a 3-speed Hydramatic automatic
transmission. Power steering, power brakes, and a modern
rotary-type air conditioning compressor make for effortless
high-speed progress in proper Grand Touring fashion. With only 16
known survivors, the opportunity to acquire a Series I Stutz
Blackhawk is rare, and this example's superb restoration, overseen
by the foremost specialist of the marque, enhances its already
desirable stature. The Blackhawk Series I is one of the most
uniquely stylish Italian-American hybrids, with the prestige of a
handmade Italian body designed by one of the most influential
industrial designers of the post-war era. Offers welcome and trades
considered For additional details please view this listing directly
on our website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6572-1971-stutz-blackhawk-series-1-coupe/
