Postwar Studebakers

uplanderguy

Found this image online of Egbert's '64 Avanti, pictured above. I could enjoy owning it.

uplanderguy

Note no outside mirror. I love the clean looks of that, but hard to live with I think.

sda

Sunroof and windows left open on some. That can’t be good. Impressive variety.

fintail

Murilee Martin recently featured a Lark in his junkyard series:

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/down-on-the-junkyard/junkyard-find-1959-studebaker-lark-viii-deluxe-4-door-sedan-44500549

uplanderguy

Thanks for posting; I didn't see that. I question his source of MSRP's, but have nothing to back it up with. Again, the 'Standard Catalog...' is factually wrong when it mentioned that the Deluxe model, seen here, was fleet only. I know someone who had one and in fact I rode in it back then. The Deluxe trim was just the basic trim and in no way was special order or fleet only.

Again though, thanks for posting!

So much stuff put out online could be corrected if the writer took a five-minute detour and looked at the brochure online.

fintail

I'd was thinking a Rambler Rebel was more expensive than that, too.

uplanderguy

Broke the Stude out of its winter slumber today. Started right up; ten mile ride home was smooth; cleaned battery terminals and first bath this year.

thebean

Very nice, @uplanderguy. I like most everything about your Cruiser. Is the paint original? I’m sure you have told us, but I can’t remember. That is a great color!

imidazol97

Too bad you aren't closer to this All GM carshow to enter your beautiful Studebaker--it is GM powered.

https://hunthalloween.com/event/1st-annual-20th-century-all-gm-car-show-andamp-swap-meet-eid4a7bw2til6

uplanderguy

bean, thanks. I feel pretty sure it is original paint, and that's how the previous owner presented it. It's faded, generally, and has patina otherwise, but I like 'original'.

fintail

A friend spotted this at the Estrella Warbird Museum in Paso Robles, CA. Apparently the adjacent Avanti also has the same powertrain:

uplanderguy

I like that black '63 but to me it's begging for whitewalls!

I can't see the little "LARK" letters on the front fenders. When fenders are replaced, almost no one drills for and replaces those letters.

Still, while I like the '64 two-doors for seeming a bit more modern-looking, the '63 is definitely more European. I've owned both and loved them both.

Michaell

The "Ascot" sign on the back wall has some significance to me.

Ascot Park was a dirt racing track in Gardena, CA. When I was in HS I dated a girl whose father ran three quarter midgets (small sprint cars with 750cc motorcycle engines) at the local track where we lived, but on a few occasions we loaded up the race car and drove to Ascot Park for some races there. Great place, good memories.

fintail

Funny, first thing I thought when I saw the pic is "I think that car is supposed to have "Lark" fender letters".

sda

uplanderguy said:

Broke the Stude out of its winter slumber today. Started right up; ten mile ride home was smooth; cleaned battery terminals and first bath this year.

I like the 283 badge. I know it must have been disappointing the Studebaker 289 was no longer offered and admittedly when I think of 289 it reminds me of a Ford 289. Sharp car.

uplanderguy

Die-hard Stude guys (even beyond me, LOL) tend to pooh-pooh the Canadian '65 and '66's but I figured, easier to get serviced locally and I also figured the Canadian GM engines were what Studebaker themselves decided to use, so OK with me, overall.

'66's are few and far-between, with only 8,947 built in total. I gotta say though, on the same body, I like the '64 and '65 styling touches better than the '66. A small thing that bugs me about the '66 is the Hawk emblems all over it. It's like they were saying "Remember us? We used to build the Hawk!".

I can say that I have not seen a '66 that is better original condition, in or out, than mine.

fintail

Uplanderguy's car is probably the best color combo, IMO.

uplanderguy

The combo I have is the one I'd have ordered back then.

Ironically, the last one my hometown dealer retailed was the same year, model, and exterior color, but with off-white all-vinyl interior. I saw that at the Stude Museum archives.

fintail

Was all-vinyl a higher spec or lower spec thing? I know at one time vinyl was seen as more deluxe.

uplanderguy

I've had '63-66 Studes, and all-vinyl was optional (at extra-cost) on all of them.

Funny, per the album I have, black cloth was recommended for my Timberline Turquoise exterior. Similarly, black vinyl was recommended.





I've seen the Tahitian Red all-vinyl interior on a couple '66's over the years, and I did like that.

texases

Black vinyl - ow ow ow ow! Not my preferred upholstery in TX.

fintail

Funny. To me the patterned cloth is a bit more premium than vinyl - but I know a little earlier especially, vinyl was seen as a modern if not futuristic material.

thebean

texases said:

Black vinyl - ow ow ow ow! Not my preferred upholstery in TX.

This times 1,000. 😥

uplanderguy

Four new 'Spring' colors were introduced late in the '66 run, and two others were discontinued (Mount Royal Red and Algonquin Green). Stude usually did do the additional 'Spring Colors' thing.

uplanderguy

I don't believe I have ever seen a prettier and more authentic '62 or '63 convertible than this Daytona on BaT right now. I love the metallic brown myself. I can plainly remember two different '62 Larks in my hometown this very color--one a wagon; one a four-door sedan.

The interior is spot-on correct, as are the bumper guard placement, whitewall width, wheel color, and everything else I can see.

What elegant styling for a compact car.

What may hold the price down, IMHO, is that it started life as a six/automatic, so the build sheet doesn't match to the car now. But it sure sounds like the seller did his (restoration) homework. This is the same seller that sold the Bermuda Brown '64 Hawk a few months back, that had me foaming at the mouth.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1962-studebaker-lark-convertible-3/

fintail

A shade not see in the wild much anymore - seems like the 70s really ruined brown. Will be interesting to see what it goes for, pretty car.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

What may hold the price down, IMHO, is that it started life as a six/automatic, so the build sheet doesn't match to the car now. But it sure sounds like the seller did his (restoration) homework. This is the same seller that sold the Bermuda Brown '64 Hawk a few months back, that had me foaming at the mouth.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1962-studebaker-lark-convertible-3/

Since you can’t get your preferred Corvette paint color now, maybe cancel that order and go after this. It really is a beauty.

uplanderguy

In 1962, the Lark Daytona convertible was the Indy pace car. Here is Connie Hines from “Mr. Ed” in an event that weekend. Race winner Rodger Ward was given a new Avanti.

Richard Quinn photo.

thebean

I’m not normally a brown car lover, but the metallic brown on that Daytona looks great. Someone is going to get a really nice car.

uplanderguy

The brown '62 convert sold for $30K.

fintail

Did you buy it?

uplanderguy

No, not me, LOL!

uplanderguy

Headed to South Bend tomorrow!

uplanderguy

Just posted on a FB page. Beautiful (to my eyes) '64 Daytona Hardtop with the Halibrand wheels.

fintail

Driving the old car to South Bend?

uplanderguy

No, too freaking hot. MId 90's out there.

Went out to the annual swap meet. I'm to the point where I'm not looking for any parts. I visit with some old friends I only see there, but I can't spend five or six hours at the fairgrounds every day; boredom takes over.

A friend and I took a tour of the Administration Building. It's in disrepair and I'd been in it before, but my friend had not. I enjoyed going through again. The next day, on a whim, we drove 15 miles west on Route 2 out to the old Proving Ground and went inside the clubhouse, built 1926 and Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert and his family had the upstairs remodeled and lived there. It's a nature center now for Bendix County Parks.

Told the lady there my interest and said I'd heard that the upstairs is largely unchanged from the early '60's remodel and that the bathroom I heard really looks the part. She said, "Come on up". Bathroom had light blue fixtures and a huge mirror with a ton of large lightbulbs around it. Room next to it was I assume their bedroom, as it was large and had two very large closets on opposing walls--I assume 'his' and 'hers'. Lady who took us upstairs showed us this very large wooden pull-out thing that was for shoes...apparently Mrs. Egbert's.

I enjoy stuff like this and when I go someplace, I like to see things. Another friend wasn't interested in seeing the museum again (I actually stayed at an airbnb called "Avanti House" right across the street); wasn't interested in a tour of the Administration Building, and made fun of me for being interested in Egberts' living quarters. Oh well. Here's the clubhouse at the Proving Ground, used as a backdrop in many brochure photos over the years. Navistar owns the track and proving ground buildings now, other than the clubhouse.

uplanderguy

One of my very favorite cars there. "Barn Find" '63 Cruiser, all original, 57K miles, holes at the bottoms of both front fenders, perfect interior (though not broadcloth option):

imidazol97

uplanderguy said:

No, too freaking hot. MId 90's out there.

Went out to the annual swap meet. I'm to the point where I'm not looking for any parts. I visit with some old friends I only see there, but I can't spend five or six hours at the fairgrounds every day; boredom takes over.

A friend and I took a tour of the Administration Building. It's in disrepair and I'd been in it before, but my friend had not. I enjoyed going through again. The next day, on a whim, we drove 15 miles west on Route 2 out to the old Proving Ground and went inside the clubhouse, built 1926 and Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert and his family had the upstairs remodeled and lived there. It's a nature center now for Bendix County Parks.

Told the lady there my interest and said I'd heard that the upstairs is largely unchanged from the early '60's remodel and that the bathroom I heard really looks the part. She said, "Come on up". Bathroom had light blue fixtures and a huge mirror with a ton of large lightbulbs around it. Room next to it was I assume their bedroom, as it was large and had two very large closets on opposing walls--I assume 'his' and 'hers'. Lady who took upstairs showed us this very large wooden pull-out thing that was for shoes...apparently Mrs. Egbert's.

I enjoy stuff like this and when I go someplace, I like to see things. Another friend wasn't interested in seeing the museum again (I actually stayed at an airbnb called "Avanti House" right across the street); wasn't interested in a tour of the Administration Building, and made fun of me for being interested in Egberts' living quarters. Oh well. Here's the clubhouse at the Proving Ground, used as a backdrop in many brochure photos over the years. Navistar owns the track and proving ground buildings now, other than the clubhouse.

I'd enjoy see all those things. I wish I could get away to see things like that.

uplanderguy

Inside the old Administration Building, with the 'History of Transportation' mural from 1910 that goes the entire way around that inside wall, starting with ancient times and ending with a 1910 Studebaker:

President's office:

Lobby, still wearing its 1961 remodel:

fintail

Bendix County - was it named after the company, or the other way around?

I am the same about hot weather and the old car. Above 85 or so and I generally don't take the car out, it becomes an oven. Funny how I drove the car for years when I was younger and the heat never annoyed me much, but today I just don't want to do it (it'll probably be upper 80s here today, and I don't think I will go for a drive).

uplanderguy

My mistake--Bendix Woods Park is in St. Joseph County, IN. Bendix bought the property in 1966 and very quickly donated 175 acres to the county, including the clubhouse, as a park. The trees that spell out "STUDEBAKER" from the air are still there.

uplanderguy

This was on the wall of the Avanti House where I stayed. I'd never seen it before.

uplanderguy

My two favorite cars in the museum. First, the '64 Gran Turismo Hawk designer Brooks Stevens bought new himself, and the last South Bend-built car off the assembly line, given to the City of South Bend and now with just under 24 miles:

uplanderguy

'55 President Speedster on the turntable

sda

Red looks great on the Daytona.

fintail

Fun ad, counting MB as "family". I still think it was a fair relationship at the time even if it didn't last very long - MB got a distribution network for little capital outlay, Stude got something to bring new traffic into showrooms. It would be cool to see a display of period MBs alongside Studes at the Museum.

I am still amused that a Citroen was on the turntable when I visited the museum (these cabrios are the ne plus ultra for the DS - variants can easily get into 6 figures these days):

uplanderguy

I think a M-B temporary display, or even one car for permanent display (knowing they have space limitations) would be totally appropriate. I don't know why it hasn't happened yet, and I think it would draw people who might not otherwise visit. I want to say I once threw the idea out to the archivist I know there, who's been there a good number of years, and he seemed to agree.

I felt a bit bad when I saw your pics from your museum visit a few years back. Whatever their temporary display was, I can't recall, but it seems like a good number of Studes had been moved out for it. A Citroen on the turntable? Almost unforgivable! LOL I seem to remember a nice car in basement storage that was pretty dusty with a rag on it. They usually do soooo much better than that there.

The current 'special' display was Studebaker Presidents, starting with about '30 and going to '58. Someone had recently donated a '58 President Hardtop. I don't love those cars but it is an attractive roofline and the example they have is about a perfect one.

thebean

@uplanderguy, outstanding posts & pics. I really enjoyed them. That Stude poster is superb. Thanks for posting all these. I think it’s very cool you getting to see Mr Egbert’s loving quarters. 👍

imidazol97

Here's a 'little red truck' everyone should be able to love

uplanderguy

That is a cute little truck! Those trucks were unusual in a couple ways--they had the cab step inside rather than outside the door, and the bed lacked a rolled edge on top like everybody else had.