Dean Martin wasn’t the only US star to fall for the extrovert Excalibur’s retro, fibreglass-bodied charms. Other owners included Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Dick Van Dyke, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Ronald Regan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Excalibur began in 1964 as a show car, designed as a “contemporary classic” for Studebaker by industrial designer and Mercedes SSK enthusiast Brooks Stevens. The resultant “Mercebaker”, described at the time as a “fun machine with antique class”, went on to spawn versions that continued to be built in Milwaukee until 1990, when around 3,500 had been built.
Dean Martin’s Excalibur, in restored condition with a UK MOT and just 20,932 miles from new, is a Series II roadster which Bonhams experts say is one of the most collectable models of the Excalibur marque. It comes with a presale estimate of £60-65,000 – not bad for the King of Cool’s car!
Photography by Bonhams.