Excalibur

The Excalibur automobile from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the first of the retro 'contemporary classic' or neoclassic cars, based on the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SS. A prototype premiered at car shows in 1963. The body was fitted on a Studebaker chassis and used a 290-horsepower Studebaker 289 V-8. Studebaker, meanwhile, had ceased building cars at last, thus ending the availability of its 289 V-8, but General Motors friends Ed Cole and "Bunkie" Knudsen agreed to provide the Stevens family with Chevrolet 327s in 300-bhp Corvette tune. This change made the lithe 2100-pound Excalibur a blistering performer. Even with standard 3.31:1 rear axle, 0-60 mph took less than five seconds, a big improvement over the Studey-powered car's seven seconds. And projected top speed was 160 mph!