After having been dormant for over 30 years, Stutz was relaunched in 1969 with the backing of famed automotive designer Virgil Exner. This reborn company's first offering was the Blackhawk. This new Blackhawk was a series of rear wheel drive, high end luxury cars that were powered by a range of third party V8 engines (Ford, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Cadillac). The Blackhawk was available in coupe or convertible (known as the Bearcat) body styles, and was built in limited numbers until 1987.