Postwar Studebakers

uplanderguy

Forgot that I have a color photo of a new '58 Transtar Deluxe pickup on my office wall. The truck is dark green with light green grille and wheels, so at least that was the case then.

thebean

That Stude pickup is very cool. Just something about that front end speaks to me. Thanks for showing the pic.

explorerx4

@thebean,
Hey, I haven't seen one of your posts in a long while. Have I just been missing them?

thebean

No, I’ve just stepped back from the C&C and CCBA forums. Too much of the same thing over and over (not you - I always enjoyed your posts), plus way too much condescension from one particular poster. I’m just reading this Stude forum and a few others. Thanks for asking. Hope you and your family are well.

uplanderguy

I always liked the look over the hood of a '64-66 Stude. This is my car on a 59-mile drive this past Sat. The fender peaks are smaller, but remind me of our old '74 Impala.



Poor image, as it's a photo of a photo, but my friend sent me a pic of his Dad's 40-year service plaque from Studebaker, received in 1966 for forty years in Greenville.

fintail

Paint shines nice from that angle, I take it the car made it ok. Always nice to look down a hood at a hood ornament and shapely fenders:

uplanderguy

The hood of your 'Benz sort-of reminds me what a Hawk looks like from behind the wheel.

sda

I like the stylized 'S' hood ornament for the Studebaker. Who can fault the classic design of the MB hood ornament? Looking out the windshield and over the hood of both, the ornament on both look great and I would say provide a sense of satisfaction for the driver.

kyfdx

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1962-studebaker-champ-truck-7/

fintail

Forgot to mention the font on that plaque catches my eye, as it seems 20 years ahead of its time.

uplanderguy

I love Champ pickups, particularly the long wide box, even if it is wider than the cab. I always thought the styling of the bed actually matched the styling of the Studebaker cab more than it did the Dodge cab. When Ford's pretty unibody pickups of that era were shown to not be holding up, Ford starting using the '57-60 bed on its '61 cab. The width was close, but the styling was a mish-mash. The crease on the bed, and the wheel openings, bore no resemblance to the crease on the cab or front wheel openings!

The Champ truck has a midsize vibe, and I like the prominent grille on these, but the rating of it was actually slightly better than other full-size half-tons, as it was 'rated' to carry the same as those trucks but the truck itself weighed less. They were America's lowest-priced pickup at the time. The full-width rear window was standard, and the sliding window was unique in its class, as was the availability of a 5-speed transmission.

The paint color of the Champ for sale is not a factory color; the bumper should be white, and the wheels should be off-white. I'd at least have to change the wheels to factory color.

Still, I bet it'll sell well.

uplanderguy

I'd like a Champ like Mr. Ed's '63 or '64 here. For some reason, I like Champs with whitewalls.

Despite the 'cobbled' vibe, I think these seem a bit more modern today than other domestic pickups of the same era.

sda

Lou Costabile just posted a video on U tube of a restored basic 66 2dr Commander. The current owner of the Commander is the son of the owner of the Studebaker dealer who originally sold it. Worth a watch.

uplanderguy

I did see that, thanks. Low-line Commander model with almost zero options. I could nitpick a couple authenticity things in the restoration, but it's cool it was the last new Studebaker sold by his grandfather.

uplanderguy

Back to that Champ--I always smile when I see "STUDEBAKER" across the tailgate of one (supposed to be in white letters). Almost too big to put on a tailgate!

sda

uplanderguy said:

I did see that, thanks. Low-line Commander model with almost zero options. I could nitpick a couple authenticity things in the restoration, but it's cool it was the last new Studebaker sold by his grandfather.

Grandfather, oops. Better put my listening ears back on, lol. I was impressed how smooth and quiet the 194 Six performed. Like the 283 V8, did Studebaker use the Chevy six in the last years of production? The car overall seemed quiet for a base model. I remember riding in a base Valiant. The road and engine noise was prominent, with rattles and squeaks very present.

uplanderguy

Yes, Studebaker used the Chevy-designed 194 and 230 sixes those '65-66 years when production was in Canada.

Studebakers were always body-on-frame. I know there are differences of opinion here, but some say body-on-frame is better for soaking up bumps and noises.

uplanderguy

One last thing I remembered about the Champ wide bed--despite the misinformation from a poster on that sale site, Studebaker took over production of Dodge replacement beds for Chrysler, in South Bend, as part of their buying the bed tooling from Chrysler. Studebaker did make their own tailgate and front-of-bed panel for the Champ from new tooling.

uplanderguy

The Champ sold for $11,100.


https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1962-studebaker-champ-truck-7/

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

The Champ sold for $11,100.


https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1962-studebaker-champ-truck-7/

Seems like a good deal for the buyer. Fun toy for $11K

uplanderguy

Even with the six, I'd have thought it would've brought more too.

The conventional wisdom used to be to end car auctions on eBay on a Sunday evening. I bought two cars (neither 'classics') well on no-reserve eBay auctions that ended on weekday mornings. If there was any way to control the ending date on other 'bid' sites, I'd try and end it Sunday night too.

Michaell

What would Studebakers look like today if they had stayed in business?

Anyone ever do a rendering of a “modern” Studebaker?

uplanderguy

Good question, michaell. I fear I wouldn't be that interested today!

I doubt they could've survived (afforded) all the safety requirements starting in the '67-68 era and later.

Although, now that I think about it, Avanti II somehow did it on their small output.

uplanderguy

From the Studebaker National Museum's Facebook page today--another photo of the Studebaker divisions billboard across the street from the Administration Building at 635 S. Main St. in South Bend.

The automotive divisions were the foundation for the other divisions.

1962 photo.

fintail

Gravely like the lawnmowers?

Michaell

I saw a Studebaker in the wild today. Two door coupe - Golden Hawk?

Didn’t have enough time to snap a pic, though.

uplanderguy

Yep, Gravely tractors.

I like that it appears that the white Lark hardtop has tinted glass in all windows. My white '63 had that option, which was somewhat rare. I was always reminded of an old glass Coca Cola bottle.

ab348

Funny thing today. I was out in traffic this aft and saw one of those little Hyundai Venue CUVs coming towards me. If you squint a little, they can remind you of the front end of an early Lark, with the shape of the grill and the positioning of the headlights. Happened once, then when I saw a second one it’s all I could see.

uplanderguy

I see what you mean about the Venue. Grille in the center that is wider at the top than the bottom, which was Studebaker's concept from '56-63 on the whole line, and into '64 on Hawks.

uplanderguy

Boy, the styling differences between the mid-and-late'50's and early sixties is evident in that pic. That '58 Plymouth is only four model years older than the '62 Lark. Although, I know Stude was different from the Big Three in styling concept in the early sixties. '62 and later Studes, well, Larks, remind me of how different the '77-78 GM downsized big and midsize cars were from other cars then, and even the GM cars they replaced just a couple years earlier.

uplanderguy

I sometimes find something about "Curbside Classics" kind of annoying, but they recently are having a discussion about this low-mileage Blue Mist '63 Cruiser I have seen for sale previously.

It's a Canadian-built car. The interior door panels used in Canadian Cruisers were the lower-line 'Custom' panels used in South Bend--and Canadian '63's used the wheelcovers without the white color band--and I'd absolutely, positively have to have the second (!) LH outside rearview mirror, and those exhausts, removed, but what a sweet car otherwise.

I LOVE the optional Broadcloth interior this car has, and I think Blue Mist is one of the very best '63 Stude colors.

And the ad they show, with the brown Cruiser and the little kid and dog with the old Studebaker Child's Wagon, is my favorite '63 piece of advertising material, period.

I always liked the narrow whitewall that went right up against the wheel. I'm sure it's not being reproduced. A year or two ago, I saw a '63 Lark Regal four-door for sale with something like 10K miles, and it was still sitting on those whitewalls. I like the look a lot, but of course know they'd be unsafe now. I subsequently saw that very car for sale in a newer ad with wide whites....yuck!

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/craigslist-classic-1963-studebaker-lark-cruiser-someones-for-just-1-52-per-mile/

imidazol97

I remember the fake whitewalls that were rings that went on top of the tire under the edge of the rim.
Portawalls, was that the name?

Those were right up against the rim on the 14 inch tires common then. These have the narrow ring but it's spaced away from the rim.

fintail

That Cruiser really is a beauty, great colors, and the interior is amazing. Strong MB vibe in it, as MB also offered an extra-cost broadcloth/velour interior, also seldom-seen. Price may not be cheap, but for the state of preservation, maybe not unreasonable. The "limousette" line might be prescient, perhaps some suits in South Bend realized there might be a market for a very high quality car that wasn't the size of an aircraft carrier - they saw their MB sales had a small but loyal cult behind them already. Fast forward 20 years, when MB started to take a big chunk of USDM lux sales, and they were proven right.

uplanderguy

I know I've said it many times, but I would trade my '66 Cruiser for a '63 in similar condition, with broadcloth. There's just something about it, to me.

uplanderguy

Imidazol, at first glance, I thought you posted an Audi ad!

imidazol97

uplanderguy said:

Imidazol, at first glance, I thought you posted an Audi ad!

Nope. Just remembering fake whitewalls that I hadn't thought about in many decades.

uplanderguy

Got my first ride in my friend's '64 Gran Turismo Super Hawk last night. He's 82 and got on it once...took right off and has a great exhaust burble. I love the '64 Hawks, best of any Stude I think.

A darker color would be sharper I think, but the original owner ordered Moonlight Silver.

I think the styling of the car makes it appear smaller than it is. Its wheelbase is 6 1/2 inches longer than the same year Thunderbird.

I like all the instrumentation.

explorerx4

Low mile Avanti review. The narrator is not one of my favorite people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT4EZlAGO8Y

sda

explorerx4 said:

Low mile Avanti review. The narrator is not one of my favorite people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT4EZlAGO8Y

Ahh, you don't like Bill? He's a hoot. I do enjoy seeing the cars he reviews from the 1960's up.

benjaminh

Seen today at the Louisville exposition center. Really nice car. Had a more useable back seat than I thought it would, but unfortunately I didn't get a pic of the back seat.

uplanderguy

Black Avanti--I think I like the '64 model better overall than the '63, but for a car with 7K miles, the wheels have been painted (they were originally off-white), and someone added the pinstripe.

That white '63 is a beaut to my eyes. MHO only, but I think even though the Avanti has a back seat, it's closer to the mindset of a Corvette, than to a Thunderbird or Riviera. When the Avanti was introduced, the '62 Corvette was still being built.

I think it's cool, and seems unlikely, that the Avanti and Hawk were built at the same time and comprised two of the three car lines at Studebaker those years--specialty coupes.

uplanderguy

Worth repeating...I HATE the mirrors out on the fenders! I've seen factory photos with them there, on the doors (preferable), or with no outside mirrors (cleanest looks but who could live with that?).

uplanderguy

At our regional club's orphans meet yesterday, this Avanti Gold '63 showed up. I'd seen the car a few years earlier. The owner drove it a couple hours each way to make this meet; appreciated. He is a very young-looking and acting eighty-something. He had bought a new '62 Lark Daytona Hardtop 4-speed and recently sent away to the Stude Museum for the paperwork on it and enjoyed getting documents with his name and old address on them. He had recorded the serial number and kept that over the years.

Anyway, the 'Tangerine' interior color on Avantis didn't last the whole way through the '63 run, and that was probably a good idea. When I do see it, it's with a white car. This combo is original and unusual, but....I can't look away, LOL.

ab348

It's interesting that the dash and door panels are in a color close to the body paint. Did that tan trim accompany all Tangerine interiors or did it change depending upon exterior color?

I love colorful interiors so I don't hate this one, though I don't like the tan trim that much.

uplanderguy

For the '63 model year Avanti, whether you got red, turquoise, black, fawn, or Tangerine interior, the dash and upper door panels were all that beige color. For '64, the interiors were all one solid color.

fintail

Pic from a local history group:



Caption:

City of Seattle 1963 Lark fleet car, sold by Central Studebaker in the biggest city fleet deal Studebaker had going in 1963. The dealership's building at Westlake & Aloha has recently been demolished.

uplanderguy

Thanks for posting, not common to see photos of later Studes when new.

That is the mid-year "Standard" model. It doesn't say "LARK" on it anywhere, but of course it's a Lark. It was brought out in the spring to have the dealers able to offer a Studebaker under $2,000.

As you know, I think the '63's are the most-handsome four-door Studebakers ever, but boy the 'Standard' was bare-bones!

That car has one of the two mirrors Studebaker offered that year--this is the one originally designed for Avanti but I like it on Larks and Hawks better than the other, plainer-style mirror and base and it was optional on Larks and Hawks.

The '64 models came out only about a month after this photo was taken and of course, on December 9, the announcement was made that Studebaker would stop automobile and truck production in the U.S. and continue Lark-type models only at its smaller plant in Hamilton, Ontario.

uplanderguy

BTW, I have seen one '63 Studebaker Standard that was built with the R2 supercharged engine. It's a two-door sedan in Super Red. Funny to see it look so bare but have the "Avanti Supercharged" badges down on the front fenders.

sda

I guess that would be Studebaker's equivalent to a Chevy Biscaynne 409.

uplanderguy

Stude Museum posted this late 1963 assembly line photo, of 1964 models at South Bend. How I'd love to step right into that picture.

For a compact car, I always liked the '64's clean and elegant front end styling, including the crowned front fenders.

I would've been in kindergarten when this photo was taken, LOL.