First owned by Dean Martin

1973 Excalibur Series II Roadster

Registration no. RUI 50 Chassis no. 19731214

Footnotes

The Excalibur story began back in 1964 when renowned industrial designer Brooks Stevens, at that time working as a consultant to Studebaker, was asked to design a show car for that year's New York Auto Show. An avid automobile enthusiast and collector, Stevens was a fan of the pre-war Mercedes-Benz SSK and sold the idea of a 'contemporary classic' take on the German sports car to Studebaker, at that time Mercedes importers. Brooks Stevens had first ventured into auto making on his own account with the Excalibur J, a two-seat sports car on a Ford chassis, that enjoyed a successful, if brief, competition career in the early 1950s. For the 'Mercebaker', Stevens used a modified Studebaker Daytona chassis, which was clothed in retro-styled glassfibre coachwork that he had first sketched on a place-mat one lunchtime. Built in just eight weeks, the prototype Excalibur SS was ready three days before the New York Auto Show where it caused something of a sensation, albeit too late to save the ailing Studebaker Corporation. A long list of potential buyers resulted, one of whom - a Chevrolet dealer - asked if the car could be built with a Chevrolet Corvette engine. Stevens was only too happy to oblige. An advertisement in the Wall Street Journal generated sufficient deposits to enable production to start, and in 1966 the company moved into premises in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, trading as SS Automobiles Inc.

Since then Excaliburs have been owned by many famous celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Dick Van Dyke, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Ronald Regan, Sonny & Cher, Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason, Rod Stewart, Jay Leno, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. One of the most enthusiastic devotees was actress and comedian Phyllis Diller, who purchased four of them. Excalibur continued to supply cars 'for the man or woman who wants a fun machine with antique class' until the factory finally closed in 1990, by which time some 3,500 had been built.

Powered by the optional 454ci (7.4-litre) 250hp V8 engine, this example was supplied new to the celebrated all-round entertainer, Dean Martin, via the authorised Excalibur dealer Charles Schmitt & Co of Beverly Hills, California. One of only 22 built in 1973, the Excalibur was a birthday present from Martin's wife, Catherine Hawn. Its factory-fitted options include Frigiking air conditioning; power steering; power four-wheel disc brakes; removable factory hardtop and side curtains; Mota-Lita wood-rimmed steering wheel; dual side-mount spare wheels; whitewall tyres; and a Blaupunkt AM/FM stereo.

This stunning Excalibur has covered a mere 20,932 miles from new and is presented in beautifully restored condition, finished in its factory-correct livery of Bamboo Cream with Royal Maroon fenders and tan leather interior. First registered in the UK (to the current owner) in April 2018, the car benefits from a recent service and is said to perform like new, though too fast for the elderly owner.

Extensive documentation includes the owner's manual; build and delivery documents from Excalibur (verifying Dean Martin as the original owner); old US title; a UK V5C Registration Certificate; and MoT to April 2019. Combining the looks of the Series I with the powerful 454ci V8 engine, the Series II Roadster is one of the most collectable models of the Excalibur marque.