stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (6)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (7)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (2)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (3)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (4)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (1)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (9)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (8)

stutz Blackhawk www.carrozzieri-italiani (5)

Save

Stutz Blackhawk I

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.

Vehicle Overview

The Stutz Blackhawk: 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 Stutz Blackhawk was a fully engineered, hand-built motorcar, not a kit or fiberglass replica. The prototype was built by Ghia. 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 Stutz 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 Stutz Blackhawk s survive, and they remain as exclusive as they were when new.

Photo courtesy of Hyman Ltd.

Technical Specifications

Body

Limited
Year

1971
Make

Stutz
Model

Blackhawk
Coachbuilder

Padane
Length (mm)

N/A
Width (mm)

N/A
Height (mm)

N/A
Units built

25
Engine Type

V8
Designer

Virgil Exner
Make

N/A
Model

N/A
Cylinder Capacity

N/A
Number Of Doors

N/A
Six Month Rate

N/A
Twelve Month Rate

N/A
Date Of First Registration

N/A
Year Of Manufacture

N/A
CO2 Emissions

N/A
Fuel Type

N/A
Tax Status

N/A
Transmission

N/A
Colour

N/A
Type Approval

N/A
Wheel Plan

N/A
Revenue Weight

N/A
Tax Details

N/A
Mot Details

N/A
Taxed

N/A
mot

N/A
Make

N/A
Cylinder Capacity

N/A
Registration

N/A
Year Of Manufacture

N/A
CO2 Missions

N/A
Fuel Type

N/A
Tax Status

N/A
Colour

N/A
Type Approval

N/A
Wheel Plan

N/A
Revenue Weight

N/A

Stutz Blackhawk I

Vehicle Overview

Technical Specifications

Coachbuilder

FOLLOW US

FAIR USE ACT

FOLLOW US

SEARCH

Stutz Blackhawk I

Vehicle Overview

Technical Specifications

RELATED VEHICLES

Stutz Blackhawk II

Stutz Blackhawk Prototype

More vehicles by Padane

Stutz Duplex

Coachbuilder

Related Posts

Virgil Exner’s “Revival Cars” Design Concept: A Tribute to Automotive Legends