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Postwar Studebakers

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    The Avanti mentioned above won quite nicely at Amelia Island this weekend:

    1963 Avanti R1002, the second produced, just won Best in Class for the American Production class — at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

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  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261

    The Lark Marshall:

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Neat lemko, thanks for posting! At the Stude Museum, there's a '64 "Marshal". They had a bench seat, but around the driver it was bolstered like a bucket seat.

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  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    A couple of that era Stude truck recently sold for $25K, each, in the past few weeks, but they were faaarrrrrrrr from that one ,condition-wise! LOL

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  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261

    It's almost as if they tacked a new front end onto the 1949-era truck somehow.

  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342

    At least the seller removed the old split rims. I don't know of any shops around
    here that have the equipment of know how on how to do these.

    We used to do them when I ran an Auto Center for Sears but we took every precaution.

    They can be deadly!

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    That truck is a '57. I like that large fiberglass grille. There were some smaller styling changes over the years from '49, but that is indeed essentially the '49 truck. It was the basic Stude pickup through 1959, and the Lark-based Champ pickup was introduced in '60 (still on a real truck chassis though).

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    Isn't that what they did, tacked a new front onto an old body? A new style dip chrome trim spear on the side, too.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Yes, that is what they did. I liked that new grille better than the preceding grilles.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    I think the new grille is maybe a little too angular for the soft ~1950 style cab. The side trim is a nice update though, trucks did well with a little bit of 50s flair.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023

    @isellhondas said:
    At least the seller removed the old split rims. I don't know of any shops around
    here that have the equipment of know how on how to do these.

    We used to do them when I ran an Auto Center for Sears but we took every precaution.

    They can be deadly!

    When did split rims go away? Or do they still use them on big trucks, I wonder? Back in 2000 I came dangerously close to buying a 1974 Travco 220 motorhome, and it used 17.5" split rims. I imagine getting a tire in a half-size like that isn't an easy find these days, either.

    Interesting too, seeing how much trucks have grown over the years. That Studebaker truck, even with an 8-foot bed, is only 122" in wheelbase. For comparison, my '85 Silverado is 131.5", and I think my 2012 Ram is 140.5"!

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675

    Studebaker police cars are discussed in the current issue of Class Cars from Hemmings.

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  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342

    @andre1969 said:

    Split rims were usually on 3/4 ton and larger trucks. I think they went away sometime in the3 mid 70's. I'll still an older truck once in awhile with them on. A lot of construction equipment still use them I believe.

    A person messing with them better have the right tools, a safety cage and a lot of know how.

    I once saw one destroy a heavy safety cage.

  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261

    The wheelbase on my 1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille was only 130."

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    "Only" 130! ;)

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2014

    Geez, I don't have my new Hemmings Classic Car yet. They are often partial to Studebakers, which I enjoy of course. No one in my family had one, nor did Dad ever look at them in my lifetime, but I certainly remember them in our town. I mostly like the '62 and later Studes, as I remember them best. I know people will chuckle at this, but I even like the Champ pickups with the wide box...as long as it was the long, wide box. They were 'cobbled together' from the Stude parts bin, but I think they tend to look 'lighter' than other big pickups, although they were still 1/2 and 3/4 ton. I'm sure only the Studebaker faithful bought them, but they did have a few advantages. They were America's lowest-priced pickup, had a full-width rear window standard instead of optional, were upholstered inside (headliner and door panels; I remember a neighbor's '66 Chevy strippo "10" that was all-metal inside), had exclusive sliding rear window and 5-speed optional, and were advertised as being able to carry more weight than the others, because although they were rated the same GVW, the Champ was itself lighter. That claim's a little comical, but give me a '63 or '64 with the swing pedals, long wide box, chrome moon factory hubcaps, and whitewalls, and I'd be happy. I saw a light blue '64 1/2-ton advertised for sale at a swap meet last weekend, and it looked brand-new, but at $11K it was a tad "dear" for me! LOL

    http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss155/BobPalma/mred2_zps35363445.jpg

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2014

    Just got the May Hemmings Classic Car today in the mail. Andre may very well like the '71 (I think) Fury police car on the cover. Article about New York City police cars, 1917-73. Besides the separate article on Studebaker police cars, I'll have to dig into the article on the '65 Pontiac Grand Prix restored and owned by the son of the original owner. Since my sister's first father-in-law had one when I was a kid, I've loved those. IMHO, the interior was not equalled by Olds or Buick that year.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2014

    Put a black vinyl top on the front portion of the roof, as was optional that year, and this is the Studebaker I've had ordered myself if I could. I know it has DNA from the '53, but you could sure start at a worse place than that. It's my favorite '64 color too:

    http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=SC0514-183958

    This car, IIRC, brought $45K maybe five years ago; it will be interesting to see what it brings now. Personally--and it's probably a function of my age--I like these Hawks a lot better than Golden Hawks which have been performingly extremely nicely at auctions the past five years or so.

    I love the instrument panel on these Gran Turismos, and I like the '64's smooth, denuded decklid ('62 and '63 have a metal panel overlay on the decklids).

    There are two very minor things that have always bothered me about this particular car--I think the whitewalls are a little too wide and the off-white wheels look like they are a tad too brown for authentic/original. Other than that, the car looks in and out as Studebaker built it--no doubt better fit-and-finish.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2014

    I just today stumbled across this ad...my former dark blue '64 Daytona hardtop is for sale by the guy I sold it to, in Australia:

    http://www.studeparts.com.au/for-sale-64daytona-ht-mp.html

    I believe he did a good bit of work on it. I know what I sold it for...a ways from the asking price!

    I see the ad is from March 2012 so don't know if it's still for sale or not.

    I see it still has the Ohio 1964 plate(s) I put on it when I bought it.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    When I first bought my white '63 Stude, one thing I had a hard time getting over (not in a bad way), was not seeing any remnants of a Big Three or even AMC product inside, as I was much-more accustomed to. It was weird to see "Studebaker" written across the radio face plate, for instance. But that's one little thing I loved about owning an independent. Born in '58, I remember Studebakers. Had I been ten years older, I might have been smitten by a Hudson, Willys car or Packard for the same reason(s).

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Correction on what that dark green '64 GT Hawk sold for about five years ago--$35K instead of the $45K I had previously posted.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    That blue '64 I had, three posts up, was light on options compared to my '63 with Avanti R1 power and sunroof, but it did have 50/50 seats which my '63 didn't. A couple small touches I liked on the '64 compared to the '63, was red instrument lighting (a la Avanti), and the Avanti's slide-out beauty vanity and mirror. The '63's vanity was a simpler set-up, although honestly both wasted space in the glovebox IMHO!

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited April 2014

    I will predict as a WAG, $50K for that dark green '64 GT Hawk at Mecum. I like them much-better than Golden Hawks, but the Golden Hawk has more of the '50's swag and I think that's probably why they bring more. We'll see here in May.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675

    This is Studebaker garage that's in our area. It used to have an Avanti, white, in it
    s parking area.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Geez, is that in Dayton? Pretty cool! The sign on the left looks genuine, really.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675

    @uplanderguy said:
    Geez, is that in Dayton? Pretty cool! The sign on the left looks genuine, really.

    Is the sign on the right with the raised 3 prong wheel also something Studebaker used? It looks like whatever was on the raised prongs was taken off. To my eye the rest of that one looks real.

    It is a Studebaker garage. However, like many of our politicians today, what I said is meant to mislead. It's a garage. It has Studebaker signs. It used to have a white Avanti in the parking area long, long ago. However, the business there is Studebaker.........Electric. It's within 2 miles of I-70 on Rt 48. I shot the picture through the fence. During the work week, I tried once before and the garage door was part way up since the weather is mild. Looks better with the garage door down.

    My sister used to live nearby decades ago, but I recall the Avanti from 15 or so years ago.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    Here's a race prepped later Studebaker spotted at the British "Goodwood" vintage racing event:

    image

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Thanks for posting. I like the '64 Daytona Hardtop--only 2,414 produced between South Bend and Hamilton, Ontario, but I know people who say "it may be more mainstream and/or modern but it looks less like a Studebaker than a '63". I know what they mean.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Imidazol, the sign on the right sort-of looks like it may have been a Fallout Shelter sign originally--I have one in my office right here now I'm looking at. The cover over that sign was meant to look pretty close to the symbol and font Studebaker used on brochures and in advertising from about '63 to the end.

    I think I've heard that Studebaker Electric in Dayton was owned by a fellow named Carroll Studebaker, now deceased. I understand he had a nice-sized collection of Studebaker vehicles and Studebaker watches as well. There is some connection with the watches but I'm not fully aware what. Thanks for posting the pic!

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Just saw a post on the Studebaker Drivers' Club forum listing model names used by Studebaker into the mid-sixties that were later used by Mopar, like Champ, Challenger, and Daytona. I hadn't thought much about that. Of course, Toyota also used "Land Cruiser", last used by Studebaker in 1954. International trucks also used "Transtar", last used by Studebaker in '64. I'll allow that 'Champ', 'Challenger', and 'Daytona' are somewhat generic, but there's no way 'Land Cruiser' and "Transtar' were an accident...LOL

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited April 2014

    I'm liking this factory-grey Avanti, a color rarely seen IMHO:

    http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/car-of-the-week/car-of-the-week-1963-studebaker-avanti-r2?fb_action_ids=828774000469695&fb_action_types=og.likes

    Grey replaced black after a few months, when it was determined that it was hard to get a good finish on black fiberglass. Later, black came back as a $35 option.

    OK, I hate that incorrect steering wheel.

    Those wheelcovers are Studebaker's optional wire wheelcovers. I probably prefer the standard Avanti wheelcover, but again, I do like that grey color.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    Girls missing since 1971 identified as the remains found in submerged 1960 Studebaker:

    http://autos.aol.com/article/car-accident-killed-south-dakota-girls-missing-since-1971/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl5|sec1_lnk3&pLid=465274

    Sad that the one girl's father died only five days before the car was found.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited April 2014

    Interview with a guy who owns the most-original-looking '64 Avanti I've ever seen in person--a square-headlight-enclosure, turquoise one--on display at the Peabody-Essex museum in California as part of their "California Design--Living in a Modern Way" exhibit:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjgYCNCEGBQ

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    Nice color. Needs to be displayed with mid century houses.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited April 2014

    Turquoise is my favorite color of them. It is funny (or unfortunate!) that where he says 'when I first saw one, my eyes bugged out' and then they show the '63 with round lights that some say look 'bug-eyed'! LOL I vascillate between which I like better. Right now I'm liking this '64.

    If you're used to a Big Three car, it's hard to believe someone could remember their car's serial number from decades before, but an Avanti serial no. starts with R and only has four digits after it. When I bought my white '63 Lark Daytona, I asked the seller for the serial number and he said "63V-5224". I said "that can't be right". I learned that it was!

    CORRECTION: The Peabody-Essex Museum is not in California, but is having this 'California design' display right now.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    I kind of like the round lights, maybe kind of exotic, but the squared off lights are cleaner and probably go with the design better.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861

    A small thing I liked about Studebakers in those last years..even the lowest Larks..had glass instrument lenses instead of plastic, real chrome instrument surrounds instead of plastic, and no hard metal at the bottom of the instrument panels.

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  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600

    Haven't heard from you in a while, uplanderguy. Hope everything is well with you.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    Thanks, hp. I took a self-imposed exile of six months after being thrown "in jail" for a couple days. I just re-upped. ;)

    I have mentioned here before that although I'm not a big fan of Golden Hawks, probably due to my age as much as anything (I do love the later Gran Turismo Hawks however), but I think this is a beautiful example of a Golden Hawk and it recently won the "Founders Award" at the Hilton Head show. I love the color combo; have never seen one like it although it is a factory combination.

    I have noticed some Golden Hawks bringing surprising money at the big auctions the past several years.

    http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/11/06/studebaker-golden-hawk-takes-inaugural-founders-award-at-hilton-head-island-concours/

    Back to the Gran Turismo Hawk--it was by far the oldest basic body shell still being used at the time, but I've read that only a handful of parts numbers, body or otherwise, are a perfect interchange with the '53 coupes. Stude seemed to use the term "classic" in its advertising a lot, probably a good idea. ;)
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  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600

    Thanks, hp. I took a self-imposed exile of six months after being thrown "in jail" for a couple days. I just re-upped. ;)

    I have mentioned here before that although I'm not a big fan of Golden Hawks, probably due to my age as much as anything (I do love the later Gran Turismo Hawks however), but I think this is a beautiful example of a Golden Hawk and it recently won the "Founders Award" at the Hilton Head show. I love the color combo; have never seen one like it although it is a factory combination.

    I have noticed some Golden Hawks bringing surprising money at the big auctions the past several years.

    http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/11/06/studebaker-golden-hawk-takes-inaugural-founders-award-at-hilton-head-island-concours/

    Back to the Gran Turismo Hawk--it was by far the oldest basic body shell still being used at the time, but I've read that only a handful of parts numbers, body or otherwise, are a perfect interchange with the '53 coupes. Stude seemed to use the term "classic" in its advertising a lot, probably a good idea. ;)

    Welcome back, uplander!

    That Gran Tourismo Hawk is a striking looking car, especially in that color combination.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    Thanks. I know, I'm so used to Golden Hawks being....gold, that gold-on-black is striking I think.
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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited December 2014
    Hey UP----it's not postwar but how could you pass on this level of Studebaker Obscurity?

    http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/4782191394.html
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    Gee, what a steal...add cross-country shipping to my place, and I'd still be....asked to leave our house, probably!

    I just helped put a buyer and seller together for a 'lemon and lime' '55 Studebaker Speedster. He was from the nearest city to me and saw on the Studebaker Drivers' Club forum that I lived in Kent. He said he was looking for a 'nice shiny driver'; he knew I lived close and did I know where one was available? As a matter of fact, I did...at least as of a year or so ago. Older club member who passed and his step-son had the car. The buyer was already considering one in Colorado so this one worked out--to his liking and nearby. He told me he has several Studebakers but 70 cars in total! He recently bought the Stude E40 big truck that Granatelli used in Stude's Bonneville trials in '63. He bought that from a guy in our club and the production order verifies it being shipped to Paxton Products in CA (Granatelli). He said there are R3 engine parts on that truck! LOL
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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's probably a true story. I know when Mercedes raced in the 1950s, their transporter had a souped up Mercedes 300SL Gullwing engine in it.

    Speaking of Granatelli, do you know what STP stands for?

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    I've long-heard "Scientifically Treated Petroleum", but I think there are one or two other explanations out there.
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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yep, that's what I heard. STP was whacked by the FTC for false advertising in 1995. They were a bit over the top in their ads.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    I do know from experience, that STP increases oil pressure...but molasses probably would too! LOL

    I just noticed for the first time, that Andy Granatelli is in the upper-left of the photo of the divisional presidents in the boardroom, to Egbert's right in the photos in this link, taken Aug. '62:

    http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?30766-A-Visit-To-Studebaker
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited December 2014
    Here's about as close a 'twin' as there is to my old white Lark Daytona Skytop (pictured recently in the other old car discussion thread). This is a Regal Red model with black Skytop and R1 engine, but also has black bucket seats and a four-speed. The owner has owned this car since 1965 when it was traded on a (gulp!) Marlin. When both my kids are out of school, I could see myself trying to pursue this car. The side (rear quarter) trim is not in great shape. I was lucky to buy NOS both sides for my car for a total of $110 in 1994, but it's NLA. The gold "Daytona" nameplates are available though.

    http://www.studebakerskytop.com/picspg3'63Daytonapic1Mikkelsen.JPG

    Only fourteen Studebakers were built with both an R-series engine and a Skytop. I know this myself because I personally did the research--armed with the serial numbers of all 628 '63 Lark two-door sedans, four-door sedans, and hardtops built with R-engines. I went through those 628 production orders myself back at the old Newman and Altman parts place in South Bend, looking for the words "sun roof". The Studebaker National Museum has all the production orders now.

    I think this car's a little more elegant by today's standards than a '63 Chevy II, Falcon, or Valiant, but obviously I'm biased. ;)
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  • bhill2bhill2 Member Posts: 2,597

    I think this car's a little more elegant by today's standards than a '63 Chevy II, Falcon, or Valiant, but obviously I'm biased. ;)

    Yes, elegant is the word when comparing to the other compacts of the day. It just looked more classy than its contemporaries.

    2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])

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