1972 Stutz Blackhawk

Description

Hagerty Marketplace is honored to offer another selection of vehicles from The SugarCreek Collection. This private collection in southwestern Ohio is supported by its own in-house restoration and maintenance shop, with a full-time staff of craftsmen. The garage is a true spectrum of car enthusiast dreams, ranging from unfinished restorations to the most recent sale of the SEMA-exhibited 1,000 HP 1962 Dodge Power Wagon, supporting the Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation. Thirty select cars from the collection are being offered just in time for spring. Whether awaiting restoration, preserved showroom stock, restored to like-new, or tastefully modified, these cars and trucks are truly SugarCreek quality. 

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The Stutz Blackhawk was the brainchild of retired Chrysler stylist Virgil Exner. The Stutz Motor Company was then revived by New York banker James O'Donnell, with the first Blackhawk produced in 1971.

The 1972 model was part of Series II, with production taking place at in-house Carrozzeria Saturn in northern Italy. The Blackhawk was marketed as the “World's Most Expensive Car” at the time, with a price tag of $22,500. Each one was hand-built, taking approximately 1,500 man-hours to assemble. The body required 18 to 22 coats of hand-rubbed lacquer, and the interior was equally lavish, featuring 24-carat gold trim, Connolly leather seats, and a dashboard made from Italian walnut. The Blackhawk was built on a Pontiac Grand Prix chassis and powered by the Grand Prix’s 455 cubic-inch V8 engine.  

The second Blackhawk prototype was delivered to Elvis Presley, and other celebrity Stutz owners included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Lucille Ball. Craftsmen at the factory tried to convince management that a rear design without a visible spare-wheel would look better, and this Blackhawk is one of four to six “Humptrunk” versions produced out of approximately 500 Stutz automobiles built from 1971 to 1987, as confirmed by the Stutz Blackhawk Registry. 

Highlights 

• Offered from The SugarCreek Collection 

• Rare “Humptrunk” model verified by the Stutz Blackhawk Registry 

• Finished in orange and black paint over tan and black cloth and leather interior 

• Powered by a Pontiac 455 cu-in V8 engine 

• TH400 three-speed automatic transmission 

• The chassis number (2K57Y2A103298) decodes as: 

  • 2 – Pontiac Division 

  • K – Grand Prix 

  • 57 – Two-door hardtop coupe 

  • Y – 455 cu-in V8, four-barrel carburetor 

  • 2 – 1972 model year 

  • A – Atlanta, Georgia, final assembly plant 

  • 103298 – Sequential production number 

Features 

• Based on a 1972 Pontiac Grand Prix  

• Frame-on restoration by The SugarCreek Collection shop 

• Power sliding moonroof-sunroof 

• Non-functional side exhaust pipes 

• 24-carat gold plated interior trim 

• Italian Walnut instrument panel 

Known Imperfections 

• Dent in driver side front fender bodywork  

• Chrome spot missing on side of driver side headlamp  

• Paint chip on driver side above bumper by parking light  

• Paint chips on both sides of rear quarter panel where bumper attaches  

• Paint chip on driver side roof behind windshield  

• Paint chips and wear marks on both sides of sunroof top  

• Hood vents slightly raised up in the back  

• Rear window defroster elements show wear 

Ownership History 

This 1972 Stutz Blackhawk was acquired by The SugarCreek Collection in 2009 and given a frame-on restoration in its shop between 2009–2010. 

Additional Notes  

A Broad Arrow Auctions Specialist is working as an agent on behalf of the owner of this vehicle. Broad Arrow Auctions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hagerty. 

Contact: Matt Lowney   Phone: 623.308.2640   email: mlowney@hagerty.com