Excaliburs??

[benaslopoke]

I've only seen one Excalibur in person.. I thought the first ones were based on most all Stude running gear and chassis.. Later some came with other running gear and finally a Chevy engine, right?? When did all of this change and to what manufactuers?? What's a good reference book on these cars?? OH, and one last thing, does the exhaust really pass through that flex tubing??
Ben

[SN-60]

Just wanted to mention there's a really nice "A" series Excalibur for sale on e-bay right now.....the seller provided excellent views of the factory modifications done to the Studebaker Daytona frame in his ad's picture portfolio!

[benaslopoke]

I just went into "Wikipedia" and they had a good recap, Thanks anyway.. Thanks..

Ben

[8E45E]

More information here----------> http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ight=excalibur

Craig

[plwindish]

As I was going home from work yesterday afternoon on I-80 Eastbound between Joliet and New Lenox IL, I passed a white Excaliber. There is one in the area that has been to several cruise nights in Frankfort, but this was a different one and looked to be in better shape that the one I had seen at the cruise nights. They are more rare than seeing Avantis on the road.

[Xcalibur]

I just happened upon this older post. Ben, I hope you found the Wiki info interesting. Last time I looked it seemed pretty accurate and, as I recall now, I only "corrected" one bit of faulty info. And, believe me, if there is misinfo around about Studes and Avantis, it is truly rampant concerning Excaliburs--especially the first ones, Series I's (my personal interest and what I own an example of--below) with Stude chasses (apart from the engine, tranny, and few other minor bits).

Since I drive mine fairly frequently I think I've heard it all. Anyway, here is some info you might not have discovered... there were only 97 "doorless" Series Is built (all cycle-fendered roadsters): 56 were 1965s, 29 were '66s, and 12 were '67s. Only the original "Studebaker SS" New York show car was built with a Stude engine and the Stevens family still owns it. This is one of the most commonly misspoke bits about the car--especially around "Studebakerville." Production started with s.n. 1000 and the first two of these had aluminum bodies; number 3 was the first in fiberglass (fenders and body), but the hoods remained aluminum (no. 3 is currently for sale in Florida, btw, at Motorcar Gallery).

I sat in my first X while a college student in 1967 (I believe) as a fellow student's father had one, and a Morgan roadster, both of which the student drove on occasion. Given the Studebaker heritage and such I remained enamored with early X's and finally acquired one that had spent its entire life in Europe until repatriated shortly before I came upon it (while negotiating for another, also at Motorcar Gallery, as it turned out). X's are truly a kind of b*st*rd car because of many misconceptions, but it is truly the craziest and one of the most fun vehicles I've ever owned. SEVERE giggles every time I drive it!

Btw, they are designated Series I through Series V, no Series A that I've ever encountered anywhere. And, YES, if you didn't discover it before, the side pipes are completely functional and do get HOT. I warn eveyone before they get in and again before they get out, since it takes some contorting for most to do both, at least until they learn how.

NOTE, please!!! I must offer this correction to the above from a lengthy article in Volume 38, no. 3 Automobile Quarterly... The first THREE cars all came with aluminum bodies: the first to Gerry Allan, next was to Cotton Goff, and the third to Huburt Brundage. The forth (ironically serial numbered as number 6 via the historian of the Gilmore Museum that bought it directly from Tony Curtis, its original owner, decades ago) was the FIRST 'glass bodied car. Sorry, about the error; I genuinely try to be as accurate as possible with everything I post or write.

[Dwight FitzSimons]

In early 1964 my brother and I, being young and footloose, drove to New York for the New York Automobile Show. After viewing the Studebaker exhibit, including the pink Daytona conv. Mademoiselle, we explored around a bit. In another area was the Studebaker SS. It was a complete surprise to us. That car has been documented so I won't repeat any of that here. I just thought I would pass along this memory.
-Dwight FitzSimons

[PACKERBACKER]

I read that all 56 of the 1965 models used R2 Avanti motors. I worked at an auto parts store when they were still in business in West Allis, Wisconsin and every once in awhile they would call us to have parts sent over to them. This was near the end of them being in business and sadly they were a cash only customer because they were having trouble paying there bills. My wife and I also took an upholstering class at the local technical college and our instructor, an older woman, used to work at Excalibur doing their interiors.

[PackardV8]

I read that all 56 of the 1965 models used R2 Avanti motors.

False!

Only the original "Studebaker SS" New York show car was built with a Stude engine and the Stevens family still owns it. This is one of the most commonly misspoke bits about the car--especially around "Studebakerville."

For true!

Sadly, the Stevens are on record as stating getting rid of the R2 made the Excaliber lighter, faster, more compact and easier to build.

jack vine

[8E45E]

Only the original "Studebaker SS" New York show car was built with a Stude engine and the Stevens family still owns it.

Where is this car now? Is it on display in a museum somewhere?

Craig

[nels]

False!


For true!

Sadly, the Stevens are on record as stating getting rid of the R2 made the Excaliber lighter, faster, more compact and easier to build.

jack vine

Jack, don't you imagine that would be the right thing for them to say when the Chevrolet dealer that ordered the first bunch of cars from them wanted Chevy motors in them, not to mention that Stude had just announced they were closing down SB production. If it was a year earlier and a dealer ordered a bunch equipped with R2's I highly doubt Brooks would have tried to sway them over to a Chevy power plant.

[Xcalibur]

Since this was mentioned... when making the deal to display/sell the first cars in the showroom on the groundfloor of the GM building and the guy (I have B. Stevens direct quote on this somewhere if anyone needs/wants it) who did the deal with B.S. stated there wasn't anyway he could put a car with a Studebaker engine on the floor because the "guys from upstairs" went through there everyday. But, (fortunately, imho) he also said the Stude chassis wouldn't matter to anyone because no one could tell what it was, anyway.

And, no, according to my latest contact with Alice Preston (current owner and loooooooong time employee of SS Automobiles/Excaliber, and the museum before that, and family friend of the Stevens) the Stude-engined show car is no longer readily viewable.

Btw, in my years of research into the 97 doorless cars, it appears that between 1/4 and 1/3 of them have found their way to Europe where it is not uncommon for them to still be rallied there. However, "rally" seems somewhat of a different activity than we typically think of it. And, four of those 97 have been documented as destroyed during the government's "Clunker" buy back campaign. Also, I have traced a quarter of the 97 via serial numbers and have found some record of between 75%-85% of all produced. This latter is sometimes difficult to tell because some of them have been completely refurbished/restored and changed from their original specs. For example, mine was maroon and black (int.) originally and appeared in a 1971 French movie in that guise. However, when later restored in Switzerland it was changed to black with red interior. Only copies of the original factory build sheet, along with difficult to obtain European documentation confirmed this connection. Finally, it is unfortunate that the current Excalibur/Camelot records of these early cars is very sketchy... some being a single page, and a subsample of those being obviously reproduced (meaning typed, where most of the originals seem to have been hand written) with obvious data omissions.

Btw, I'm always looking for any info on the doorless "97" I do not have. Thanks.

(below... the rally clocks in my car, two split-seconds--one of the flanking German Hanharts and the center Soviet-era Russian "no name")

[nels]

Are there any of the series 1 cars available in the needing restoration form? I looked at one years ago somewhere between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio that needed lots of help. I've always wished I would have bought that one.

[Xcalibur]

nels, I'm certain there are; it's just finding them. They don't appear too often, most on the market are later models.

Just for info sake, there were three different prefixed serial-numbered models of Series I's (1965-1969), the doorless roadsters (all with cycle-fenders), doored roadsters with cycle-fenders and doored roadsters with "full-fenders" (meaning with running-board connectors), and cycle-fendered and full-fendered phaetons. The cycle-fendered cars became pretty rare after the doored cars were introduces. A total of 359 Series I's were produced.

For what it's worth, in my experience looking at Series I's that come on the market for some time, I'd say nearly all need work to varying degrees; but also, sellers know they have rare items, hence, one doesn't find "cheapos," even if quite ratty, imho. But, opinions on condition vary, of course... a LOT! There is another Excalibur post here where someone mentioned a particular X for sale that I had looked at the same pix of that I considered it pretty rough. The poster asked why my opinion and since the seller had a lot of pix I walked through the specific reasons I gave the evaluation I did. So, totally subjective... The thing is, not enough of them show up to offer a lot of choice, if one is a potentially serious buyer.

That said, the only doorless I know of for sale right now is the one at Motorcar Gallery I mentioned previously, but it is one of the very early supercharged cars with a fully known, desirable provenance; they are asking $80K for it. My one time trying to deal M.G. was for no. 1009 and proved unrewarding. We dinked around back and forth for a couple weeks until in the process I found and got no. 1061 elsewhere in two days! However, Motorcar Gallery does sell quite a few of them (doorless Series I's) and I've watched four go through there in the last couple years, so it and Excalibur/Camelot are worth while keeping an eye on. I have a Norwegian friend who bought a doorless from Excalibur/Camelot a couple years ago at what seemed a decent price at the time, though I don't recall what it was now: however, I think they simply broker them. IF you decide to seek one I'd suggest you actually at least sit in one first to see it you fit since NOTHING is adjustable (seats, pedals, steering column). In any event, GOOD LUCK, to ya!!

[nels]

The one I looked at was a doorless version and it was rough. If I remember right, the frame even had holes in it.
Would it be sac religious to pull the Chev and put a Stude in its place? I guess you could make one from scratch as they were pretty crude. That's what I liked about the early cars.