The 1960s gave America some of its most memorable vehicles while also allowing automakers to grow as one of the main engines of the U.S. economy. With tens of millions of cars rolling off of assembly lines every year, industry leaders looked for ways to increase their share of the billion-dollar pie that automakers were cooking. This included the Copper Development Agency, or CDA, which in late 1967 debuted the Exemplar I concept in a bid to get Detroit to expand its use of copper beyond just wiring.

This gorgeous concept could only have come from outside of Detroit, and it was very nearly lost to history due to government regulations regarding concept cars. But it was saved from the crusher and recently restored, according to Hemmings Auto Blog. This fall the one-and-only Exemplar I will cross the auction block, though what it might sell for is anybody’s guess.

Built out of the CDA’s desire to see more copper used in American cars, the Exemplar I actually used a 1967 Buick Riviera with a 360 V8 before turning control of the project over to Carrozzeria Coggiola of Orbassano, Italy. The famed styling house gave creative control to designer Mario Revelli de Beaumont, who at the urging of the CDA made sure to include copper accents, highlights, and trim pieces at every turn.

The gorgeous and unique Exemplar I is one of the best things to ever come out of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and while it doesn’t appear to have led to more copper use in average cars, it was uniquely beautiful. For two years it toured the car show circuit before the CDA decided to crush it, but a Connecticut businessman named Herman Steinkraus bought the Exemplar in a bid to preserve it.

After Herman’s passing, his estate sold it to Manny and George Dragone, who were taken in by the ostentatious overuse of copper. Finally, after decades of sitting idle, the Exemplar I was given a full cosmetic makeover ahead of the annual Dragone Fall Auction. But because it’s a totally unique car, pre-auction estimates are all over the place. Copper has definitely made a comeback as home accent pieces, but outside of a handful of cars, copper trim is still only really used in high-end concepts like the Peugeot Onyx supercar.

There’s probably a reason for that.