The History of Excalibur Cars
The Excalibur car is a beautiful example of a retro classic vehicle featuring an inspired design based on the 1920's Mercedes Benz SS with a little modern engineering and American flair. The result is a little ostentatious and an unlikely weekday runabout however the vehicle has found itself a niche within the outer limits of luxury limousines. The car has gained a cult following world wide as a wedding car in white or the perfect vessel for anyone who wants to make a splash!
Automobile designer, Brook Steven's was fascinated by the classic era of automotive design. This passion was what fueled his Gatsby-esque creations and eventually lead the design of the what would later become the Excalibur as a concept car for Studebaker in 1963. The concept car was exhibited at several car shows in the US and turned a lot of heads. The fuss about this unique car soon turned into orders from wealthy patrons around the world and so the Excalibur was born. The Excalibur was factory built and underwent several major revisions in its early years which greatly improved performance and reliability especially with regards to the chassis that was required for such a long automobile - eventually acquired from General Motors. Each year the Excalibur factory only made about sixty to eighty vehicles which has added to their rarity and collectibility today. The cars most commonly ordered and produced were the 2-door Roadster however Excalibur also made a 4-door saloon the 'Phaeton' which has become a very successful luxury car, used in films such as 101 Dalmatians and as the flagship of the limo fleet for Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
After a run of only 3200 cars the company finally ceased production in 1990, having finally achieved perfection in the Series V Excalibur, the most luxurious yet. The company still runs in a limited capacity supplying parts, manuals and information to the contemporary owners of Excalibur cars.
The good news is that the current owner of the Excalibur Cars factory has not ruled out the possibility of a new line of cars. In fact as recently as 2011 there has been talk of a modernised Excalibur of similar design. These plans are subject to financial backing and for now the company is devoted to creating parts to keep the existing Excalibur's on the road, even going as far as to plan renovation kits to replace what could be considered the dated and worn interior of some of the older models still in circulation.
