1955 Cadillac Die Valkyrie by Brooks Stevens / Spohn Ravensburg

Brooks Stevens is one of America’s great industrial design masters. He is perhaps best known for his work with Studebaker. But one of his earliest contributions to the motoring industry came in 1955, with a car that he hoped would introduce American V8 power to the European marketplace: 1955 Cadillac Die Valkyrie. (in German: Die Walküre, which in the Nordic mythology represents a female spirit being.).

Stevens began with a new 1955 Cadillac Series 60 Special chassis # 556078063, and designed a flamboyant new body from the ground up. Coachwork and construction was handled by Hermann Spohn of Ravensburg Germany. Most consider the Valkyrie the finest bodywork and execution done by Spohn. Why exactly Stevens selected a Cadillac chassis -- and how he convinced GM to supply him with one -- remains unclear, but an undocumented story surrounding the car suggests that Cadillac officials at the time were exploring the possibility of entering the European market and saw Stevens' project as a way to test the waters while maintaining plausible deniability should it fail.

Die Valkyrie was a big car, sharing the same 133-inch wheelbase (= 337,82 cm). But it also shared Cadillac’s OHV, 331 cubic inch dual-quad engine that made a solid 270 horsepower so performance was not lacking. But ultimately, the project never went beyond two cars, the first which was purchased by Stevens himself as a gift for his wife. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the second car.