1986 Excalibur Phaeton V Convertible

One of America's leading industrial designers, Brooks Stevens turned his hand to everything from the Miller logo to Allis-Chalmers tractors but his true passion was for automobiles and over the years he amassed an amazing collection of classic cars that eventually went on display in his home town of Mequon, Wisconsin. Stevens' interest in the classic era manifested itself in his own automotive designs and he used the Mercedes-Benz SS of the late 1920s as inspiration in the creation of a concept car for Studebaker in 1963, built around modern running gear with classic styling. After Studebaker backed away from the neo-classical concept, Stevens went ahead and exhibited the prototype Excalibur SS at the New York Motor Show anyway and was soon inundated with orders from all around the country. Although the Studebaker Lark chassis of the prototype was retained for production Excaliburs until 1970, all were powered by the 327-cid Chevrolet V8 engine and customers could order Phaeton or Roadster bodywork. The Excalibur progressed through Series II, III and IV iterations in the 1970s, with stronger chassis using a longer wheelbase, more luxury features and progressively modernised running gear. In 1985, the Series V was launched as the most luxurious Excalibur yet but production officially ceased in 1990 and very few late model examples were built.