THE MOST EXPENSIVE CAR IN 1971 | STUTZ D'ITALIA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มี.ค. 2022
- The original Stutz Motor Car Company ceased automobile production in 1935. In 1968, James O’Donnell purchased the name “Stutz” and commissioned former Chrysler stylist, Virgil Exner to design an elegant personal luxury car that would appeal to the wealthy. Built on a Pontiac Grand Prix chassis, the prototype Blackhawk appeared in 1969. The new Stutz was immediately popular with celebrity owners such as Mohammed Ali and Sammy Davis, Jr. When the $100,000 d’Italia convertible debuted in 1976, it was hailed as the most expensive convertible in the world. Although this car was ordered by Elvis, it was delivered new to motorcycle dare-devil Evel Knievel before being acquired by Wayne Newton.
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Bleah! That thing makes the Edsel look good!
About 1966 is saw the Dusenburg built for Dick Van Dyke on display at the Glendale Mall in Indianapolis, maroon with a black vinyl top, a stunning car built on a Chrysler Imperial chassis(if I remember correctly). The guy running the show told me about a new Stutz being built for someone near-by and took my number saying he would give me a call to see it if the owner was OK for a teenager to look it over. More than a year later he called and said that if I went to the old Stutz building on a coming Sunday I could watch a photo session of the car. The car was amazing, two-tone black over red, free standing headlights and exhaust pipes coming out the side, I even got to sit in it. Pretty heady stuff for a 14 year old motorhead.
The most beautiful motor car brand ever in the world... If I just had enough money, I could buy Stutz Blackhawk... Those exterior lines and interior are just from another heaven.
I remember seeing a Stutz in a magazine back in 1980 and thinking "Whoa... that's amazing!" I was 12 at the time. Now, it reminds me more of the Dunham Corvorado pimpmobile. I'd rather have one of those... and I really don't want one of those.
Me too
I remember seeing one in an advertisement in Playboy,titled StutzStud.
I fondly remember the STUTZ dealership, showroom in Beverly Hills!
Yep. Jules Meyers Pontiac. Corner of Santa Monica & Westwood blvd.
When I think back on 1971, and then think about having $100,000 to spend. I think why not buy a 1971 Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac or Chrysler or Even Lincoln or Fird Mustang Mach One with all the options. Then with the money left over buy a house with an attached Garage to Keep it in. Then Money in the bank for fuel, insurance maintenance years.
👍😃
The people that bought these already had almost all of those already and then still had "F-U" money to spend.
That would be more than a million in our money. You could have baught the Ferrari gto worth many millions today. A few muscle cars brand new Shelby cobras were available under 10. and a 71 eldorado if you wanted a car like this and hired someone to pimp it up.
True about Stutz Motor Company: th-cam.com/video/JMRP1We1IH4/w-d-xo.html
@@GreenJeep1998 but no taste ..you cant buy that I guess.
Thanks, LK. What an eyeful.
I've always thought these were an acquired taste. (Not one I acquired.)
Free standing headlights were also a Virgel Exner styling cue. Je used them on 61, 62 and 63 Imperials.
Last car Elvis drove was his black Stutz hardtop. An over the top car for the big showbiz personalities.
The Stutz was always a love it or hate it design. I actually owned two of them. A 74 and a 81. They were very different cars. The 81 was a much better built car but the 74 was better looking and quicker. Anyway, the original 71 Stutz remains my favorite. This car was the purist of the designs and Exner's vision of a high premium American car. All of them were built using a GM chassis. So if GM made a design change Stutz had to go along and change the sheet metal. There were several body styles in Stutz's 22 year history which is amazing for such a small company. It was the car of the rich and famous in the seventies. Johnny Cash, Elvis, Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, and Larry Holmes, just to name a few. Cheers!!!
Did you know the stutz mechanic at their Long Island city location?
@@bxtoyotero, the mechanics are all GM so any good technician can work on a Stutz and parts are easily available.
The original drawen Exxner design was brilliant. But the GM based result will always look like a pimp mobile.....
Thank you so much for reviewing this. I never knew they made a couple of convertibles too. They have so much presence minus the gold plating. Hope to see one, one of these days.
We did not make the Italia at the factory. It was commissioned by a US dealer and led us to produce the Bearcat in 1979
@@stanleymasterson1135 Love hearing the real history of this car! Thank you!
Beautiful Automotive Art piece 👍😍👍
Everyone had great looking cars in 71.
Wonderful car. I've seen Elvis' Blackhawk in Memphis.
Lucky you! 👍😃
Very cool have never seen one in person.
I'm enjoying your recent videos. The cars are stunning in appearance, and photographed well. My only complaint: I'd like to see more interiors. We saw about two seconds of this one, and from a distance.
This car gives me the chills!
A old friend of the family owned a new Stutz Bearcat. The car was flown to locations all over the planet as were his favorite horses.
There was a matchbox car of this. It was black as well. For some reason it was one of my favorites as a kid. If I remember correctly I got it in a McDonald's happy meal.
New or used it's out of my price range.
"What better name"? Duesenberg! This is the same Exner design they tried to use in a proposed revival of that brand.
Beautiful!!! I've never seen one in a convertible.
You guys might want to fix the title. The D'Italia was made in 1976, not 1971. If it were based on a '71, it would have a split windshield, among other differences. It's a bit unfair to call it the most expensive car in 1976 as only one was made and it was NOT done by us at the factory, we simply gave it our APPROVAL based on a dealer suggestion. In 1979 we officially released our own Bearcat
O'Donnell did NOT choose Exner, as you state. The entire idea for this car came to O'Donnell via Exner's designs and dreams for it. O'Donnell was simply enthusiastic over it and was able to provide the funding
One of my customers (a doctor) had one, he bought a house in San Diego California, he also had a Convertible Rolls Royce with 968 miles (this was back in 1983) I kept his Stuts in my garage for for just over a year, then I delivered to him, of course, I drove it there
Looks like a kit car made from a Grand Prix with a Jag interior. I thought so then and think so now.
its amazing car nice video.
Very nice 😀
There is an episode of The Bionic Woman, with guest star Evel Knevel that may actually feature this car in white at the end . - yes I'm a dork.
An interesting car. I seem to remember that one of the model car manufacturers (1/24th scale model car) produced a series of cars in the mid-late 60s that " updated " the offerings of various, no longer manufactured, mostly classic cars. One of the models was a Duesenberg. Or maybe I am remembering a series of drawings for proposed real life " updates "?
As far as these newer Stutz are concerned, it's funny, but on a lesser car I wouldn't care, however on this car the exposed screwheads on the dashboard look tacky. Some of the metal finishing on the edges of the console also look cheap. For the equivalent of $500,000 or more in today's money...I am not sure if I would call this money well spent. I would have to demand a really " special " engine for that kind of money.
That would be the Renwal Revival series. All of them were based off designs by Virgil Exner. Wish I had them now. Not cheap these days when you can find one.
I want this car so bad . I just wish I had the money
If you look up images of the 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix, you find a car with a vertical grille and (almost) stand-alone headlights. GM designers did a pretty nice job whereas Virgil Exner seems to have put it in front of a funhouse mirror and contorted it everywhere. Truly hideous but deserving to be in a museum as representative of its time, if not of good taste. And did they really have to take the name of an iconic American brand for this?
Compared to what was available in the 70s, an era widely known as The Malaise Era, this car isn't really that bad...style/looks wise. I prefer the real Pontiac Grand Prix that many of the parts (at least the interior) were sourced from.
Surprisingly, no real mention was made of the running gear of this car. Which GM supplied(?) engine did it use?
Whomever penned 'extroverted motorist' deserves all the profit from this video.
That flexible tubing coming out of the fender looks like the type of material someone would use to do a makeshift repair on a boat exhaust. Also, from the front wheel back the car isn't too ugly, but that grill headlight configuration, what were they thinking?
Very misunderstood design.. Virgil exner was an artist...,
Looked familiar to me as a kid in 64 or 65 as part of the 1/25 th scale model cars in the Renwal Revival series of cars.
I agree. Here's hoping that Atlantis Models or Round 2 Models will locate the tooling, and reissue at least some of these interesting kits.
The profile in general looks good, aside from the flimsy step and tacked on faux exhaust. It's just a bit too busy in terms of the front and rear treatments for me. The overall package as you say in the video, is about making a statement and it succeeded in spades. It reminds me of the some of the George Barris custom automobiles commisioned by celebritys and film studios in the 70's and 80's. It works as a styling exercise, a museum piece and if one has a sense of humour and a large stash of cash, a daily driver.
This was a brilliant design...on paper..when the designs appeared
in Esquire article which caused a sensation. But by this point, the car had been "improved" by "marketing experts" so it looked like a pimpmobile......
And $100, 000 for a pontiac chassis? Talk about chutzpah....😢
Just gorgeous. Wow.
The coachwork was made in Torino as it appears from the treadplate at 6:51. No surprise as Torino is home to the best coach builders in the world. Typically Turinese are the outer surface jigs you see in the photo during construction. Any hints on which firm in Torino actually did the coachwork?
I owned one from 2001 to 2006, so I can answer your question, Carrozeria Saturn, Torino.
@@teymourbayat8266 thank you for the tip. Saturn is a forgotten name now, but the founders are still remembered in the industry.
Bits of it at certain angles look great. But the whole thing looks as if someone has glued loads of bits from other cars onto the bodywork. I don’t think the designer knew when to stop styling the car.
Virgil Exner!
There is a coupe version locally, seen it a few times parked near local car shows but never in the shows. It's unrestored original and not perfect but still quite an interesting and unusual car to see. I will guess the unique parts are pretty hard to get.
Where are you located?
@@bxtoyotero In Delta BC , south of Vancouver. I assume it's someone local.
I think it's a bit garish, a hybrid of Buick with a Cordoba front, I think GM made some great looking cars in the 70s under the styling of Delorean.
Some of the details are striking and could be attractive if the overall proportions were right. They're not. Very awkward and overcooked and more than a little kitsch. It's Pontiac roots also show too much.
It suits "Wayne Newton, Las Vegas entertainer" though, plastic surgery and all.
Danke Schoen, guys. 😉
If you’ve never seen one in real life, it’s tough to judge... I grew up driving around nyc in these cars... and I promise you, they drew crowds among the most critical...
These "deep dives" aren't quite deep enough.
Looks like a Homer Simpson design.
You gotta be Nuts to drive a Stutz, but driving a Mercer would be Worser.
The only one of any interest is the 1971 for original design, but none of these Ford/GM personal luxo coupe conversions have any intrinsic worth beyond the original chassis + "22 karat gold plate" (which doesn't actually cost that much to do, badly) plus hype. However, I will give the Stutz drivability since it was essentially a GP, compared to oh god, the Clenet - can you imagine being seen in one of those?
And Cadillac was making the finest convertibles on the planet in 71-76. Lincoln also. Chrysler also. Better looking, far more power, far more reliable, far better cars. This is and remains, an ugly duckling, under powered, and hyped by collectors such as Petersen.
Those cars are ugly, I rather had a Cadillac Eldorado in 1971.
It's like a smashed crab on wheels.
You mean grand prix. All they did was reskin a Pontiac grand Prix. Elvis loved his stutz Pontiac.
It was on every cult leaders 'must have' list.
Elvis, Evel, and Wayne were not arbiters of “good taste”. This thing is a hideous reminder that money doesn’t buy taste and that the 70’s were generally tacky AF.
Elvis car ?
Some kind of Blackhawk.
All that talking and no mention of the motor.
The car for people with more money than taste.
This car never interested me. I alway saw it as a glorified Buick. But the story behind it was interesting.
art Monti Carlo, part Skylark, part Pontiac Nothing hot about it WANna bee corvette muffler
Always thought these things were tacky and hideous.
That is a gaudy vehicle befitting the people who bought it. Talent and money do not equate to class. Now Days the Ostentatious Sorts will drive other Chevrolets that "identify as" Faux Cadillacs and Hummers.
parts of it are beautiful. but the complete package is just too much. I don't understand why someone would spend that much money to drive something that strange looking
For that kind of money back in the day you could have bought several Shelby ac cobras and Ferrari Daytonas. Who would be better off today?
For that kind of money too much GM in the body.
What an abomination of a jukebox!
🤨STUTZ?
Exner did much cleaner work at Chrysler...
Loewy's Studebaker Starliner coupes outclass this thing.
'Rich' was dripped all over what was obviously a GM schlockmobile ... like they took a Catalina and mashed it into an Elvis culinary 'classic'
Whenever you design a car based on an existing platform, the end result is often a disappointment, in this case looking something like a GM. This may be loaded with luxury items but it looks tacky.
It is amazing car, and I think the most ugliest I have seen. It looks like H. Simpson designed it... But I like it, so many questions in my head...
Shame it's so ugly. Nice interior at any rate.
So awful it's good.
Hideous.
To me it looks like a clown car.. A blight on the fine name of Stutz.
This car is about as stylish as dog vomit. 😂
Gaudy, tacky... A practical joke?
What a disappointing video, did not even see any of the car.
awful. Money cannot buy taste
No interest in this car
More like ugliest car in 1971
It's so ugly!
These - and the Bugatti/Ghia 101 - are easily the most butt-ugly cars ever built. Virgil Exner was supposed to be a styling genius?
He certainly fizzled after he broke away from Raymond Loewy (who gave us the Avanti - a design that still looks good today over half a century later), didn't he?
Salut my friend super car super video subscribe subscribe
Pretty nasty car. You had to be pretty classless to buy that thing!