Rare Exemplar 1 concept car heading to auction in Connecticut
Learning that a 1967 Exemplar 1 Concept Car is going to make its first public appearance in 30 years is like rediscovering a lucky penny that went missing decades ago.
But you don’t have to be superstitious to appreciate the significance, considering the unique materials that were used to make the car.
“It’s one of the most fabulous made things I’ve ever seen,’’ said owner Manny Dragone. “Everything in the car is either bronze, brass, or copper.’’
Dragone is president of Dragone Auctions, the Connecticut-based auction house that will be selling the Exemplar 1 on October 17.
“It’s a hand-built Italian car,’’ said Dragone. “Concept cars were not built to this quality.’’
Dragone had planned to bring the Exemplar 1 to the 2015 Boston Cup last month, but was not able to complete the necessary restoration work in time. However, he said he is working on plans to auction several other cars off next year around the same time the public car show returns to the Boston Common.
Story continues after gallery.
See how brass and copper make it into every detail of the Exemplar 1:
[bdc-gallery id=”1421244″]
The Examplar 1 Concept Car is the brainchild of Mario Revelli di Beaumont, an Italian car designer who was responsible for designing several popular cars of the early 20th century.
Revelli was tapped by the Bridgeport Brass Company (of Bridgeport, Connecticut) and the Copper Development Association to design a car to highlight the potential applications of metals like brass and copper in automotive design. Revelli designed the car while another Italian designer Sergio Coggiola was responsible for building the prototype.
The Bridgeport Brass Company and the Copper Development Association partnered to design a car to highlight the potential applications of metals like brass and copper in automotive design.
From the Dragone Auctions listing:
“The Purpose of Exemplar 1 was to present to the automotive world with engineering innovations for greater safety, comfort, performance and design, and to demonstrate new decorative applications for copper and bronze.’’
It’s all in the details
Manny Dragone points out copper and brass are prominently featured on the Exmplar 1. Even the dashboard and seat trims are made of copper, he says.
“The brakes rotors in the front are made of copper, the valve covers are copper,’’ said Dragone in a phone interview. “Just about every component has an element of copper or brass.’’
“Just about every component has an element of copper or brass,’’ said owner Manny Dragone.
The variety of metals creates a colorful mix of red, orange, copper, gold, silver, and brown from the control panels to the dashboard to the trims.
Beyond the decorative effect of copper, the Exemplar 1 also used copper to highlight greater safety features. According to the Dragone listing, the car has copper disc brakes, copper brake lines, and dual copper radiators, one to cool the engine and another to for the air conditioning. It is also used throughout the car’s electric system.
In addition to its unique choice of metals, the car also delivers a powerful performance. It was built on a modified Buick Grand Sport chassis and has a V-8 engine that gets 360 horsepower.
A tumultuous history
After construction of the car was completed in 1967 in Turin, Italy, it was shipped to the United States. The Bridgeport Brass Company toured it around the U.S. to promote the use of copper and copper alloys. It made appearances at the New York Auto Show in both 1968 and 1969 where it drew crowds for its use of unusual metals and for Revelli’s creative design.
According to the listing on Dragone Auctions, the car is estimated to be worth between $1.2 and $1.8 million.
Following its popular appearances at the New York Auto Show, the Examplar 1 was decommissioned and was eventually slated to be destroyed because it was designed as a concept car. However, Bridgeport Brass Company president Herman Steinkraus felt the car was “too beautiful to be destroyed.’’ He purchased it and it was kept in his estate in Darien, Connecticut, where it was hidden away for more than two decades.
After his death in the early 1990s, the car was purchased from Steinkraus’s estate by Manny Dragone and his brother, George Dragone. It has remained in the Dragone personal collection ever since.
What’s it worth?
Dragone says the concept car, which cost roughly $150,000 to build in the late 1960s, would be worth considerably more by today’s standards. According to the Dragone listing, the car is estimated to be worth between $1.2 and $1.8 million.
While he admires the car and its one-of-a-kind design, Dragone is ready to sell.
“I really like it but I think it’s time,’’ he said. “It’s time for someone else to take it to Pebble Beach or one of the other big shows.’’
Because there is no car like it anywhere else, Dragone believes the Exemplar 1 will be snatched up quickly at the auction.
“For some collector, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,’’ said Dragone. “Someone will buy this [car] and it will never get sold again. It’s that unique.’’
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