Excalibur Phaeton Price Guide

The Excalibur Phaeton is the four-seat open touring body that accounted for the majority of the Excalibur production run — a neo-classic automobile deliberately evoking the great open sports tourers of the 1920s, specifically the Mercedes-Benz SSK, but built on American production car mechanicals across six series from 1966 to 1990. The Phaeton is the practical Excalibur: longer than the two-seat SSK Roadster, accommodating four adults, and in most specifications fitted with a removable hardtop that allows year-round use.

The Car Across the Series

Brooks Stevens conceived the Excalibur in 1963 and the Phaeton body joined the range in 1966 alongside the original SSK Roadster. The Series I and II Phaetons (1966–1974) used Chevrolet small-block V8 engines — the 327ci Corvette unit producing 300bhp initially, then the 454ci big-block — on a purpose-built chassis, giving a genuine 0–60mph time of around six seconds and a top speed exceeding 130mph. The Series III (1975–1979) grew slightly and adopted the 350ci small-block as emissions regulations reshaped the American performance landscape. The Series IV (1980–1984) was longer again, stylistically pivoted toward referencing the Mercedes 540K rather than the SSK, and adopted the 305ci V8 with automatic transmission only — the generation where critics felt the Excalibur’s sporting credentials gave way to show-car theatrics. The Series V (1985–1990) continued similarly.

The Visual Character

Every Phaeton carries the defining Excalibur visual signatures: side-mounted exhaust pipes exiting through the front wing, external spare tyres mounted on the rear quarters or sides, chrome wire wheels with whitewall tyres, a long louvred bonnet, cycle wings over the front wheels, external chrome headlamp pods, and a canvas hood or removable hardtop over the passenger compartment. The fibreglass body is finished to varying quality standards depending on series — earlier cars are generally better-built than the later production vehicles.

What Goes Wrong

The fibreglass body panels do not rust, but the steel chassis beneath does — inspect the frame carefully, particularly on cars that have sat unused for years. The Chevrolet V8 engines are among the most comprehensively supported in the world, with parts available through any American car specialist. Correct Excalibur-specific brightwork and trim components require specialist sourcing through the Excalibur Automobile Association. Electrical systems on 1980s Series IV and V cars can be troublesome after decades of neglect. Chrome restoration to the correct Excalibur specification is expensive.

Buying

The Series I and II Phaetons are the most driver-focused — lighter, more powerful relative to weight, and closest to the original sports car concept that Brooks Stevens intended. The Series III 350ci is the practical sweet spot: numerous enough to find good examples, with the dependable small-block V8, and before the Series IV’s stylistic shift toward pure show-car territory. Condition and originality of specification drive value far more than series designation. The Excalibur Automobile Association registry in the United States is the essential authentication resource for any serious purchase.