Elvis' 1971 Stutz Blackhawk prototype
# 276579 P 330858
Jules Meyers and Elvis' Stutz at the Airport.
This second shot I got in July 2004, it's a scan,
coming from B.
Kavcic, owner of the first
prototype.
Elvis Presley liked the design of Virgil Exner's Revival Cars.
photo by "stutz3"
He had ordered a Duesenberg,
but the production never had started,
so he bought the Stutz Blackhawk. The very first one!
photo by Butch Sedlow
I heard, that Elvis and Frank Sinatra were guests in
a TV-show, where the Stutz was presented.
Both wanted to buy that car, so the decision was made,
that the first, who can pay cash will get the car.
Elvis won, and Frank Sinatra never bought a Stutz,
seems that he was not used to loose...
But the rest of the Rat-Pack, Sammy
Davis, jr., and Dean Martin
bought several Stutzes.
A similar story is issued by Graceland, written on
a collector card.
In August 2003, I had the chance to talk to Sonny
West, he was Elvis bodyguard, he told me a completely different
story:
Jules Meyers, the first
Stutz-dealer showed up at Elvis' home at Hillcrest
with the Blackhawk.
Elvis was interested,
and Mr. Meyers told him that he can sign a
contract, and that the Stutz-Company will build him his Blackhawk during
the following months.
Presley wasn't interested
in signing a contract, he was interested in buying the car,
the car standing next to him.
Jules Meyers tried to
explain that this car was the very first Stutz, that he need the car to
show to potential buyers, to drive around, showing the beauty of the car.
Elvis answered with a
question:
"How do you think you will sell more cars, when you
drive it,
or when the people see ME
driving it around???"
Well, Jules saw the point...
All what he was able to do was to ask for a ride home...
The TV-Show-story was good, but this story is better,
and it sounds more like Elvis handled these things.
Thanks to Sonny West for sharing this story with me and the Stutz-fans!
In March 2004, I had another chance to hear more about
the true story,
how Elvis got his first Stutz,
I talked to Jules Meyers,
the seller.
He told me that Elvis
wanted to see the car, so they made an appointment.
When Jules Meyers came
to Elvis' home, Presley wanted to have the
car, so Meyers told Elvis
that there will happen a car show, in a couple of days, and that he will
need the car to show it.
It was O.K. with Elvis,
so the car was sold,
and Meyers was able to
show the car at the local car show.
Elvis agreed also to
take some press-pictures with him and the car, good for publicity.
Jules Meyers told me
that it is true that Sinatra was also interested
in the car, but Sinatra also said that if
he will get the car nobody will be able to show the car at any car-show
anymore, and taking pictures of the Stutz with him is not going to happen.
So it was obviously the better decision to sell the
car to Elvis Presley.
photo by "stutz3"
The first Blackhawk that was sold, showed some differences
to the later models of 1971,
it was the second prototype, the first
one was owned by the founder
of Stutz.
One of the best photos, showing the car at daylight.
photo by Scott Gilkey
The most significant detail of the prototype was the big rear-window.
photo by Scott Gilkey
Unfortunately, the car was involved in an accident, and the front was heavily damaged...
photo by Bengt Dahlgren
Jules Meyers, who sold all the Stutzes to Elvis, made
an offer.
He offered $1,000.00 for the wreck.
I don't know if he made a joke, I don't think so,
he is a businessman,
and it would have been the most interesting deal in
his life, if Elvis would have accepted...
photo by Bengt Dahlgren
Later, Mr. O'Donnell, the founder of the new Stutz
company helped to restore the car.
I don't know why, but they didn't use the original
lights.
In my opinion, the car looks ugly with these ones!
photo by Bengt Dahlgren
They used head-lights of a 1961 Imperial, as you can see on the photo below.
photo by Ron Swartley
The following photos were taken
by Bengt Dahlgren, in 2002.
I hope you will enjoy!
see photos of the production of this car:
The
Klemantaski Collection: Page 2
The
Klemantaski Collection: Page 3
see photos of this car, when it came out of the factory:
The
Klemantaski Collection: Page 4
see his
1971 production car
see
his 1972 Blackhawk
see
his 1973 Blackhawk
