Introduction
The Stutz Blackhawk was the luxury car of the elite of the entertainment industry in the 1970s and 80s. It was, for all intents and purposes, the ultimate status symbol, and was highly sought out by the rich and powerful.
Elvis Presley owned four. Dean Martin owned three. Sammy Davis Jr. owned two. Lucille Ball, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Al Pacino, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Evel Knievel, Liberace, Wilson Pickett, Debbie Reynolds, and many other celebrities, each owned one.
Origins
The original Stutz Motor Company was based out of Indianapolis, Indiana, and was in business from 1911 to 1935. Even in their original incarnation, these were high-end cars for the wealthy. From 1911 to 1923, Stutz produced fast sports cars. Over the next eleven years, they produced more of a luxury vehicle.
The change in the type of cars they produced was due to a change in ownership. In 1920, the original owner, Allan Aloysius Ryan, allowed his friends to engage in a stock manipulation scheme. By August 1922, the company was bankrupt and was de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange.
Allan was disinherited by his father, and the company ownership changed to include Charles Schwab and Eugene Van Rensselaer Thayer, Jr., the president of Chase National Bank. The new owners hired Frederick Ewan Moskowics, who had worked for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG). He would go on to change the type of cars that Stutz built.
Bankruptcy and Rebirth
In 1935, Stutz would once again be the victim of stock market manipulation. The company would soon file for bankruptcy in 1937, and the courts would order the liquidation of their assets by April 1939.
In 1968, the Stutz brand was revitalized by James O’Donnell, a New York banker. He teamed up with Chrysler designer Virgil Exner to create a new brand for the company. Shortly thereafter, the Stutz Blackhawk was born.
The Stutz Blackhawk was produced until 1987. By that time, they had sold six hundred of their custom-built cars. Stutz would produce a few other models in the 1980s and 1990s, but by 1995 they had ceased the production of new cars.
Details
Each car was hand-built in Italy and took approximately 1,500 man-hours to assemble. That was just for a single car! The car was a hand-built Pontiac as it used a Pontiac Grand Prix chassis, with a GM TH400 3-speed transmission, and a Pontiac 455 V-8 engine.
The interior of the Stutz Blackhawk included 24-carat gold plated trim and either bird’s eye maple or burled walnut and redwood paneling. The seats and dash were Connolly leather and included mink carpeting and headlining.
Also featured was a cigar lighter. Instrument markings in both English and Italian. Air conditioning. An electric sunroof. Cruise control. A burglar alarm and a high-end Lear Jet AM/FM eight-track quadraphonic sound system.
Luxury and Expenses
The coolest thing about each car was that the name of the original owner was displayed in a beautiful gold-plated plaque on the dash. Plus, for your convenience, there was a liquor cabinet in the backseat.
In 1971, the price of the car was listed at $22,500 ($145,000 in 2020, adjusted for inflation). By 1981, the price of the car had jumped to $84,500 ($240,000 in 2020, adjusted for inflation). With subsequent large price jumps almost every year.
To compare prices in 1971, a Corvette would set you back $5,500. A Cadillac would run you $7,000, fully loaded. A Rolls-Royce was $19,000, and a Lamborghini would set you back $20,000. The Blackhawk was the most expensive car for sale, up to that point.
Frank and Elvis
The Blackhawk prototype was built in 1970 by Ghia, an automotive design firm in Italy. It costs $300,000 to manufacture just this single car. A second prototype would be built by Carrozzeria Padane, another Italian automobile firm. This firm would end up being the one that built these cars for the marketplace.
This second prototype was soon shipped to Los Angeles, where it was taken to the homes of various stars and celebrities – to show them this beautiful and unique machine. If they liked the car, they could place an order, but only for one at that time. This worked just fine until the car was taken to the homes of 2 stars: Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
Stutz car dealer Jules Meyers took the car to Sinatra first. Sinatra wanted to buy the Blackhawk right there in his driveway but was told the car wasn’t for sale, as it was a prototype. When Meyers took the car to Elvis’ home in Beverly Hills (1174 Hillcrest Rd.) he too wanted to buy the prototype.
When Jules Meyers tried to explain to Elvis Presley that he couldn’t sell the car, Elvis, in typical Elvis fashion responded:
“How do you think you will sell more cars, when you drive it, or when the people see ME driving it around?”
Jules Meyers recalled:
“Elvis wanted to have the car, I told Elvis that there was a car show, in a couple of days, and that I would need the car for that. It was O.K. with Elvis, so the car was sold. Elvis also agreed to take some press-pictures with him and the car – good for publicity. Frank Sinatra was also interested in the car, but Sinatra would not agree to any pictures of the Stutz being taken with him and he would not agree to the car being displayed at the car-show. So it was obviously the better decision to sell the car to Elvis Presley.”
Elvis paid $26,500 for the car on October 9, 1970.
In July 1971 Elvis sent his Los Angeles chauffeur, Sir Gerald, to get the car washed. The front end of the Stutz Blackhawk was damaged in an accident. Elvis would put the car in storage where it was fully restored after his death and is now on display at the Graceland Museum.
Frank Sinatra never bought a Blackhawk.
