Ep. 15 Riding High: The History of the Neoclassic Car 

This channel is criminally underrated.

I'd love too see a video on why modern car designs are moving towards massive, gaudy grilles.

I wouldn’t call Morgan neoclassical since they never really became new, they just began making classical cars and never stopped

Morgan just never stop making them.... thats not the same

It's not Steve Brooks, it is Brooks Stevens. Legendary designer for Studebaker as well. He was also an industrial designer of furniture, appliances, motorcycles, and more. Fascinating guy.

8:20 To be fair Morgan has made that car practically unchanged (except the engines) since 1936 although in 1950 the vertical grille was changed to the one it has now.

A friend of mine had a 1986 Excalibur SS, 2 door with rumble seat, it was actually a decent looking car.

Ed, I'm studying in the Netherlands so let's do coke together and talk about the 1972 Lincoln Continental

I saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile a few months ago parked in front of Hotel Indigo in Baltimore, Maryland. Pretty groovy.

Your channel and RCR sure are RU-vids good side of car content creators!

Maybe it’s because I love the Panther Devil and wish I was 80s rich but I unironically love these cars and wish they were still around

One those neoclassical Zimmers used to park on my street about 20 years ago. As a kid I thought it was a car from the 30's, though I could tell something wasn't right.

I LOVED seeing an Excalibur driving by as an Eighties child. 🇺🇸

Bro there is no way you only get this many views, please keep up this amazing work. The quality and the edits are that of a multimillion subscriber channel. I can’t wait to see when your channel get big.

The Mitsuoka Buddy looks alright from the front. If they chose something with a more vertical rear to put that grille on, it might actually look good.

Has anyone told you you look like Leonardo Dicaprio?

When my stepmom was a kid her mom's boyfriend had one of these weird roadster things. It had a weird musical horn apperantly

There were a ton of citroen 2CV based neoclassical Kitcars. Speaking of citroen, there is a company that fits Classic looking pannels to modern Vans.

A Zimmer Golden Spirit, much like the one pictured has been one of my top 3 dream cars for about a decade, along with a Grenlin X & a 69 Dodge Charger R/T

The way you say ‘situation’ is awesome. Thanks for putting this together man.

The Wiener mobile. I laughed right along with you Ed. I believe this may be my all time favorite RU-vid channel. Thanks. An Excalibur did come up for sale locally. I wanted it pretty bad but had no place to park it. Four full size is my limit. Instead, it sat there and went to hell very quickly. It showed the cheap fiberglass it was made out of, no doubt. It lost it's finish almost immediately. The dealer started driving it and took it with him when he left. It was all Ford based however, not a mix and match. There was another company based in Minnesota who did better 57 Thunderbird's than Ford could ever do. They were all Ford based as well and were excellent cars.

I really appreciate how much work you put into every damn video..thank you so much kind dude man!

Actually, there was one company in the Exner revivals that gained traction - Stutz. There were multiple different models that pretty much followed Exner's design language, and the company sold about 617 cars between 1971 and 1995. There were a couple of Stutz Blackhawk revival cars featured in the original Gone in 60 Seconds from 1974.

The 35-36 Cord boattails done by Glenn Pray's ACD company are about the only cars of the neo classic genre to actually appreciate in value. And they're worth every penny if you can't afford 5-600k for the genuine article.

From the land of DAFs & Donkervoorts, a great channel you have here, Ed! We Americans of Netherland ancestry are fond of saying "If u ain't Dutch, you ain't much", which is why we continually offend most decent folks. ...Always assumed these gaudy NeoClassics were aimed at guys who survived the Depression, fought WW2, and always admired the Duesenbergs from their youth. Once they'd retire to Florida, they'd buy a gauche white Clenet to match their golf shoes and belt.

The founder of Excalibur was named Brook Stevens, and he designed a lot more than just the Oscar-Meyer Weinermobile. He also designed the late-50s Gaylord Gladiator of King Farouk II fame, the Willys Jeepster, the Miller brewing logo, and the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk among other things. I own a GT Hawk myself, and it's an absolutely lovely thing. A real underdog in American car history. Great video otherwise!

@ 5:45 "As the 70's wore on, THE WORSE IT WAS GONNA GET" Yeah, you just summed up the 70's nicely.

Comment for the algorithm because this channel needs to grow. It's great

If you mention Zimmer here in the UK, the thing that immediately comes to mind for us is those walking frames for the elderly 😉

I love this channel I'm a car geek and i always learn something

I love this channel.

Haha! This is so on point as I'm watching the A-team episode where Faceman drives around the Excalibur! Oh, the 80s.

I am surprised you didn't mention the Plymouth Prowler. I see it as the last gasp of this design look.

2:48 The cadillac logo lights and rolls grille I love it 😂

Ed your content deserves a lot more subscribers and views. Really top! You know how to make a good show...Derek

I dont real consider Morgan as a neo classical car builder id call them more of a novelty car brand being as they been doing it the way on the same mechsens since the 1950s

There was a neoclassical type car, similar to a Zimmer round where I lived. It sat out side on the road for sale for a year or two, before the guy who owned it realized that no one had the money to buy it, let alone kept the thing on the road.

The Stutz Blackhawk was one of the few high quality neo-classic cars produced back in the day.

This is a great channel. 👍❤️🇨🇦

The Panther DeVille is gorgeous! The few lucky people who own them, treasure them, and you are very unlikely to see one for sale. I saw one once in a showroom outside Slough, but I couldn't stop at the time. Never seen one since, but I would buy one in a heartbeat.

Kan echt niet stoppen met kijken, keigoede content!

Fantastic. And historically important. When they were new and I was a boy, they looked bad. They have only grown more hideous with age. Answering the unasked question. Why? Exner is involved with many hideousities. Brilliant man! Look forward to more of your work.

7:54 What in all that is unholy and holy is that? It looks like one of those frankenstein cars you find on Reddit that just makes your brain hurt the more you look at it.

There is the Trans Am. While not making cars from the first half of the century, they make modernized Pontiac Trans Am. 📻🙂

4:09 the Wienermobile is amazing! I used to drive trucks in the US and saw one once driving down the interstate. I just yelled and pointed (I was alone in the vehicle) it's like seeing a unicorn on American highways. Just more wiener-y. There was a fleet of them even double decker ones if I remember right. Such a stupid idea that it comes around to being brilliant.

Absolutely amazing video! Now I better understand where the Tim Burton Batmobile took its inspiration.

I love the Mitsuoka Viewt - still in production - go on - take a look 😎

I legit seen one of these cars the other day at a car show in Australia what a unique car

I remember the ads for these kit cars and I admit as a teen in the 1970s I thought they were COOOL. lol The one I would still like is the Auburn Boat Tail roadster.

love your stuff! keep it up please :)

Ever since I saw the documentary "Pimps Up Hoes Down,' I never liked the Excalibur. It always reminds me of the car that pimps like to drive.

You are so humorous! :D

One more neoclassical car company that still existed to this day was Bufori, originally an Australian firm founded by the Khouri brothers, their current low volume lineup consisted of the Geneva saloon as well as the La Joya coupe, and those two models were fully assembled in facilities at Kepong, Malaysia since the company moved in 1998.

First let me say that I find your videos interesting and educational, and your narration is delightfully entertaining. (Yes, I have now subscribed). So far what I have seen, though, are videos that deal only with the outside (the design) of cars. But what about what's happened with cars on the inside, ie, creature comfort, variety of uses, and various extras.

A Wiesmann would be a nice addition to the video. Interesting design with BMW "M" Technology. Anyway, well made videos. Keep it up!

Underrated subbed

For a few months in 2005 I lived in an apartment in south Florida while we looked for a house. The condo building we moved into had a parking garage where I kept my 928. One of the other cars there was under a cover. Eventually I pulled into the garage and my eyes were partially damaged by the sight of a "Zimmer Golden Spirit" with the cover off. I honestly puked a little into my mouth! In any case, my vision returned after viewing the engine of my 928 and I shielded my eyes from the HIDEOUS contraption parked on the end of the garage. I thought about suing the owner due to the damage to my corneas.... One day I got into the elevator with another guy. He saw that I pushed the "G" button for the garage. He was holding a clipboard and asked me if I knew where the "Zimmer" was parked. I gave him directions to the egregious assault on aesthetic taste. And I recommended that he wear a welding helmet if he wanted to look at this "car" and then be able to eat the following week-

07:45 That Mustang "Kermit the Frog" 🐸 Edition is one of the most cringe-worthy cars ever.

Hey dude! I'm enjoying the channel quite a lot j(ust discovered it by chance) plus I get to know why american cars are like they are (I'm from Chile). I'd be great if someday you plublish a video telling why americans love so much the v8. Never been able to understand that. Keep on going!!!!

Yes, do a video about the Weinermobile and other similar weird wheelies. This was a good video.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Thanks Ed for cheering me up. Now I know where dear old uncle Pack went. I can finally sleep tonight. Last saw that Packard Clipper 4 yrs ago and then suddenly gon.....

At last I found another automobile enthusiast who has been entertaining auto fans like us can we be friends gentleman?

One might argue that the "new" beetle & mini coopers are neoclassic cars... also that fiat thing and the Nissan Figaro.

I remember in the 80s they had one called the Pegasus. It was a body kit that you could put on a Trans Am to make it look like a Ferrari Daytona.

As kids growing up in the 50s, we were all familiar with the Wienermobile, and “Little Oscar” the symbols of Oscar Meyer hot dogs. I walked through the Wienermobile when it made an appearance at our local supermarket in Philadelphia. Little Oscar (a dwarf) handed out souvenir plastic whistles in the shape of a hotdog. I didn’t know the Wienermobile was still around, although I imagine there was more than one.

Strongly assume you are Dutch. Super cool humor and education. Do the our American friends get it? Could be main stream TV show

Bonus feature, there is a kit car in this style that when you spot the passenger area is a classic mini sitting between an actual trunk and a long nose, you can never unsee it!

A really new neoclassical brand, Pembleton, is worth noting, but they released their first model in late 2020, so it makes sense not to be in this video. They have a focus on old sports cars, with small displacement, and very light weight. It's a very cool brand in my opinion, as it isn't just neoclassical in styling, but keeping with lightweight British roadster design philosophy. It's neoclassicism that isn't just riding on its kitschy style.

I love "Mitsouka" ! They should bring back the "Classic British Daimler Brougam Limousine" !

There's NOTHING AMUSING about hotdog-on-a-bun themed vehicle. Good day to you, sir!

You forgot Prinzing funeral coaches. Those are suuuuuper neo-classical and I actually really really like them

Good one scarface lol I like the zimmer

Btw there's a Malaysian neoclassic car company called Bufori which is still in business. Last I checked they were using Chrysler Hemi engines, carbon Kevlar bodywork, and copies of vintage Jaguar taillights which are supposedly higher quality than the original Jaguar units they were using before Jaguar stopped making them.

The pimpmobile brought me here, I'm guessing. Not sure what brought me to the pimpmobile...

The FIRST Neo classic was the' 64 Studebaker S S, which later evolved into the Excalibur. It was designed by Brooks Steven's, not Steve Brooks!

This is first video in this series that you mention DOUSIES ( Duesenberg ) . That's were the expression " WHAT A DOUSY !" or " She's a Dousy " or other twists of it come from. Learned that from Jay Leno 🤣

Don't forget when the big car companies tried their hand at this, like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Dodge Prowler, or Chev SSR.

I saw a Morgan once, thing of beauty.

I'm from Malta and a number of wedding car companies are operating hideous neo-classical cars badged 'Beauford' .. they have doors off a Mini Minor but the rest seems to be custom built, probably with a Ford V6 engine (as would be found in a Capri ..)

The Excalibur car company still exists to this day.

Now that car in the icon is really good looking.

8:46 well this actually looks damn cool! 😯

A few small companies were making fiberglass "neo-classical" cars based on a Volkswagen chassis in the 1970's and 1980's as well. If you wanted something with a bit more aggressive styling, one of the aftermarket high performance car parts suppliers (Summit Racing or Jegs) once offered all the parts you needed to make your own T-Bucket or Roadster hot rod - including frame, body, engine, and accessories.

The Excalibur was developed for the 1963 New York Auto Show by Studebaker Corp. It was equipped with a Studebaker 289 and built on Avanti chassis. Named the Studebaker SS, the car was designed by Brooks Stevens, not Steven Brooks. The project was dropped when Studebaker started its wind down of automotive production and Brook Stevens purchased the manufacturing rights and created the Excalibur company.

Honestly 1950's styled cars built with modern day technologies would be pretty cool.

This guy could be a GTA character

Just a few years ago, I was passed by a Weinermobile in freeway traffic. They're used to promote the Oscar Meyer brand of hot dogs.

I think it's worth mentioning that neoclassical vibes influenced mainstream car design in the US in the '70s and well into the '80s as well, aided by new crash regulations requiring huge (chrome) bumpers and the sealed beam headlight mandate still in effect. As already mentioned huge chrome bumpers, waterfall grilles, hidden quad round headlights, opera windows, fake landau roofs, fake spare tire humps in the trunklid. Good examples are the Lincoln Continental Mark IV, V and VI, the first generation Chrysler Cordoba and perhaps as late as the second generation Cadillac Seville with its literal trunk shaped trunk hump or the K-Car Chrysler Fifth Avenue and Imperial with their stately vertical rear windows.

The Excalibur was made in West Allis (Milwaukee), Wisconsin, in a rather nondescript one story block building. The Weinermobile is a marketing tool of Oscar Meyer, also in Wisconsin. I see those (as many as six at one hotel stop) around all summer here in Madison. The current ones are 4th (?) generation, with Pontiac Grand Prix flush headlights and TransAm taillights.

as a professional truck driver I used to see that wienermobile parked in different places they used it to promote their hot dogs

As a lover of Neoclassic's I personally love the design but I will agree to disagree lovely video a friend sent it to me when I was telling them about my want for a 1988 tiffany classic coupe

My grandpa owned a zimmer Golden spirt, then before he passed he gave it to my uncle John. My grandpa was like the andrew Tate of all people. He saw something he wanted and bought it.

There has recently been a Brazilian builder who made outstanding bodies. Their style and finish appeared incomparable.

The words “ What the hell were they thinking?!?” Comes to mind

Remember when guys would put Rolls Royce grilles on their '70s/'80s Volkswagen Beetles? Those were astounding.

There’s been a beige “Clinique” car parked at the car dealer that is now where the Dover NH state liquor store is for a while, I never knew what it was, always thought it was some home built gaudy kit car, but apparently it’s an actual production vehicle (or it was)

Dude, the wiener mobile rocks. Imagine that thing with a big block chevy going down the quarter mile doing 11s? That would be wicked.

Someone drives a late model Excalibur to the local Karate school every Friday for meets. The Clenet originally used MG Midget bodies on a Ford chassis to save money. They got the body, doors, windshield and soft top from junk yards, I guess. So you paid more than premium money for a cramped MG cabin.

Allow me to defend this style in short order. The Golden Spirit (Zimmer) is perhaps the quintessential flamboyance vehicle. As such, Liberace owned one, and put candles and a candelabra hood ornament on it. Who else liked this gaudy car? People into the pimpmobiles (I saw your well done video on that). As someone who loves this style, I love both Zimmer vehicles of that era (not a fan of the Lincoln refresh, I prefer the 80s Mustang chassis with 5.0L engines). The Golden Spirit, however, is a masterpiece (to anyone who likes over the top "low life", "ghetto fabulous", etc. aesthetic). If you gave me a choice between Isaac Hayes' gold-plated Caddy, and a gold-plated Zimmer, I'd struggle to decide. Last point, and probably my best...other than subjective taste, I think much of the cyberpunk, steampunk, etc. punk art movements today, especially in cars, was birthed partly by the neoclassical movement earlier. Now, with the rebirth of DeLorean and designs like Hyundai N Vision, it's clear we're seeing a move toward retro-futurism. I personally also love this aesthetic direction, for much the same reasons I love neoclassical (the proportions of each is just reversed). So, as we move toward retro futuristic design (re-imagining the past, projected into the future) I wonder if you'll reconsider the value of the neoclassical style of automobile (re-imagining the present, projected into the past). Cars like the Golden Spirit weren't merely paying homage, or replicas...they had ballsy engines for the time, to match their tubular hoses coming out of the front end of the body, made huge alterations to donor chassis to maximize luxury around the backseat passenger(s), and gave people something they always want in a non-commuter vehicle: TO TURN HEADS. These vehicles had limited runs and came right off the line of Ford, not in kits. You KNEW you were getting something amazing. Oh, and you talked about them being cheap...but the Golden Spirit went for Rolls Royce money, so I don't know...but their resale value is cheap. $20,000 gets you into one that runs and has few interior or exterior flaws, mid-late mileage. It took over 10 times that to buy one new. The interior alone was worth more than the used price, when new lol.

my neighbor actually has a neoclassical car. some british roadster replica that's built on top of a vw chassie