David Stevens Carries on
Excalibur Tradition at Sebring

    David B. Stevens, President of Excalibur Automobile Corporation, finished second in-his-dass this past March in the Kendall Vintage Grand Prix at Sebring, Florida. He drove the Excalibur J, one of the three team cars raced by his father, Brooks Stevens, from 1952 to 1958. The car David drove was the second Excalibur J built and is lovingly referred to as "Number 56."
    The Excalibur J was built on a 100 inch wheelbase Henry J chassis. The chassis were strengthened and fitted with metallic brake linings and knock-off wire wheels. The F-head Willys engine displaced 161 cubic inches and originally   produced     90    horsepower

Brooks Stevens modified it with exhaust headers, static and dynamic balancing, three carburetors, and hot ignition. By the time he was through, the horsepower was up around 125 at 6500 rpm.
    The Excalibur J body is lightweight and simple in design of the Lotus school rather than the Corvette school. A low, squat radiator blended into a squared-off hood. The front fenders are free standing. The weight factor is low and the performance definitely exciting.
    In the first two years these Excalibur J's were raced, they were entered in 24 races. In these races they took nine firsts, seven seconds and four thirds in Class-D-Modified. Their  most important win was

at the 1953 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.
    Often in their racing career, the Excalibur J's trounced such expensive and potent competition as the 2.7 Ferrari, the Jaguar XK-12 OMC, the Cunningham and the Allard.
    David Stevens has been racing for several seasons now in the Vintage Series in the Excalibur J and has driven Number 56 to victory once and placed several times. Just as in the 50's the competition is stiff and David finds himself up against the same Maserati's and Lister Jags that Number 56 raced against more than 25 years ago.