Experience the height of 1970s opulence with our gallery dedicated to the Stutz Blackhawk, the ultra-exclusive coupe favored by icons like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Offering the ultimate in exclusivity, prestige and luxury, the Stutz Blackhawk was manufactured from 1971 to 1987. Other than the name it has no connection with the original Blackhawk of 1929-30.

The Stutz Motor Company was revived in 1968 by New York banker James O'Donnell who joined forces with retired Chrysler stylist Virgil Exner. Exner's design incorporated a spare tire that protruded through the decklid and freestanding headlights à la his early 1960s Imperials. He added a protruding, chromed grille, simulated exterior side exhaust and fake running boards.

Ghia of Italy was hired to build the Blackhawk prototype, at a cost of several hundred thousand US dollars. The body was built on a Pontiac Grand Prix platform - with Pontiac running gear, including 455 cubic inch V8 and three speed GM turbo-hydromatic gearbox. The Blackhawk debuted in January 1970 with prices starting at US$22,500 all the way up to US$75,000. To put that in context - $22k in 1970 USD is now $185k! Early Blackhawks were two-door coupes, with sedans being offered in subsequent years. Convertible versions were called D'Italia and Bearcat.

Stutz Blackhawks became the car of choice among elite entertainers of the day. By the time production wrapped up in 1987 over 500 cars had been manufactured, many of which survive today. Elvis Presley famously purchased the very first one built - soon after taking ownership, his chauffeur crashed the car so that Elvis put it in storage until his death in 1977. The car was eventually repaired in the early 1980s and recently came up for sale - images of the black Stutz below are the car Elvis owned.