Vehicle Description
1968 Excalibur SSK Roadster
The Excalibur was a neo classical styled automobile by Brooks
Stevens after the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK. The prototype premiered
at the New York City Auto Show in 1964 and received a great
reception, allowing Stevens to form the Excalibur Car Company to
manufacture and market the cars. The standard Chevrolet 327ci 300hp
Corvette tune made the Excalibur a strong performer. With the
standard 3.31:1 rear axle, acceleration from 0-60 mph took less
than six seconds, and the unrestricted top speed was 134 mph. Only
a month after being introduced at the New York Auto Show the
prototype was shown at the Road & Track Concours in Newport Beach
then road tested by Road & Track, Car and Driver, Automotive
Quarterly and multiple other publications of the time.
For consignment, an Excalibur SSK roadster (Short for Super Sport
Kurtz or "short" built for racing.) - a neo-classic brainchild of
famed designer Brooks Stevens. Boutique, retro-style cars produced
by the Milwaukee, Wis.-based company. Our example, 1 of 37 units
believed to be built for the 1968 model year, came with not a shred
of information so this description is fully flown by the seat of my
pants.
Exterior
A long cowl makes its way rearward from the chromed grille and
radiator surround with vertical ribs. Cord-esque exhaust pipes
emanate from either side of the cowl and go exterior to eventually
work their way horizontally through the running boards to the back
of the car. The hood and cowl are polished aluminum and the
exterior mounted fenders are painted black. Also the passenger
compartment and trunk area are in black. A black convertible top is
on and shiny chrome bumpers protect chromed wire wheels with knock
off hubs. A chrome luggage rack is on the back.
Interior
Red red red makes up the interior with red tuck and roll bomber
style low back buckets, a rolled red surround on the passenger
compartment edges, and stitched red door panels. Walnut veneer is
on the dash front, and this sports round black bezel gauges
peppering it across the length. A wood rimmed rally style steering
wheel fronts the dash. All this floats in a sea of slightly faded
red carpeting. In the center hump is a small shaft Hurst
shifter.
Drivetrain
A circa 1968 327ci V8 is squeezed into the engine bay under the
cowled hood. It is original to this car which were typically fitted
with these 327ci Corvette engines. There is a 4-barrel carb on top
and a Muncie 4-speed manual transmission (ca. 1966/67) on back with
a 3.31 rear axle. It is nice and clean with slight patina and light
surface rust seen along with shiny valve coverings and a shiny
chromed dinner plate open air cleaner covering. Wiring and supple
hoses are like new. Note the ribbed exhaust exterior extensions
which have glass-pak style mufflers on the dual exhaust.
Undercarriage
Fiberglass with slight road splatter but no rust. Structural steel
framing is solid and rust free. Independent coil spring suspension
is on front, and leaf springs for the back. Power disc braking for
the front and power drum braking for the rear are on.
Drive-Ability
A quick startup, and slight warmup for the 327 cubes and it was off
to the test track. Here it performed like a sports car with modern
day suspension, tight steering, and bias free panic stopping. All
functions were working at the time of the test drive, and it was
definitely a bit of a handful with the "vette" engine.
A retro classic offered up from a Corvette Collector who wanted to
harken back to the days of his tenure at Studebaker, and make a
new/ old appearing race car. Definitely a looker and a cooker, well
maintained and ready to go and show. Take it away Charlie.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
