Stutz II for sale
Rock icon Elvis Presley had a collection of very expensive, very rare cars, but he always maintained that his favorite was the Blackhawk made by the Stutz Motor Company of Indianapolis, Indiana. In fact, he purchased the first Blackhawk off the production line in 1972.The Stutz name had already had one go-round, as the Stutz Motor Company, which made cars between 1911 and 1935. But like so many car companies of the era, it went out of business as a result of the Great Depression. The name and company was revived in 1968 by New York banker James O'Donnell and the Blackhawk were revived as an exclusive luxury model.
Virgil Exner was the designer of the revived Blackhawk. A former designer at Studebaker and Chrysler, Exner was noted for love of tail fins as a consistent element as well as aerodynamic designs in general.
The prototype was unveiled in 1972. It was built on a Pontiac Grand Prix chassis by Ghia in Italy. The initial Blackhawk also had automatic transmission, power steering, and power disc brakes in front. The engine was a large V8. The Blackhawk was the ultimate in luxury, with leather seats, electric windows and seats and air conditioning. The floor coverings were made of Australian lambs wool, while bezels and moldings were plated with 24 karat gold. There were cup holders and tables in the back for convenience.
As the story goes, when the Stutz dealer showed up at the Presley estate with the prototype, Elvis demanded that he sell him the car right then and there rather than wait for the factory to build him a new one. The dealer did sell him the prototype and Elvis had it further customized it. Elvis Presley went on to purchase at least three more Blackhawks.
Elvis was not the only star infatuated with the Blackhawk. Other famous people who purchased them include Frank Sinatra, Al Pacino, Elton John, Billy Joel, Larry Holmes, Evil Knievel, Robert Goulet, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lewis and Lucille Ball. Gary Morton purchased the car for his wife Lucille Ball, which cost over $300,000 and featured crocodile leather upholstery throughout. All of the cars were fully customizable; essentially you could have them any way you'd like.
But unfortunately, because of the exclusivity of the Stutz Blackhawk and the expense, relatively few were made. Production of the Blackhawk ceased in 1987 with later designs based on the Pontiac Bonneville.
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