Postwar Studebakers

bhill2 · January 2019

A business in my home town, I think the local newspaper, had a '59 Chevy panel wagon. Even to my pre-teen mind, the combination of delivery vehicle starkness and those bat wings made me dizzy.

uplanderguy · January 2019

From a couple days ago....R3-powered '64 Studebaker Lark Challenger still owned by original owner. I know the fellow (though not well). Of course, the required correcting comments to the article are below it.

https://journal.classiccars.com/2019/01/29/this-plain-brown-studebaker-is-not-mere-grocery-getter/?utm_campaign=20190130&utm_content=20190130_ds_advertorial__featured_dealer_with_logo_inventory_jan_2019&utm_medium=email&utm_source=zaius

uplanderguy · January 2019

Nice c'47 photo from the Richard Quinn collection:

berri · January 2019

Somehow, I keep waiting, anticipating this is going to be a cross between the Three Stooges and Animal House before it is over.

Seriously, I can remember when I was growing up that parades were actually big deals.

uplanderguy · February 2019

Maybe because I'm from a small town, but I've always liked parades...especially Memorial Day parades. I can remember the WWI veterans riding in a convertible in them in my hometown.

Conversely, my wife and daughters have zero desire to ever watch a parade, sigh.

fintail · February 2019

Here's a fun Stude tangent. BTTF fans like myself probably know the name of the dealership that sold Marty's dream Toyota 4x4 in Hill Valley 1985 as "Statler Toyota":

One can see the corner of the building at left:

In Hill Valley 1955, Statler Toyota is Statler Studebaker, apparently changing to Toyota after Stude left the market. It is only seen for a brief moment in the normal release, again at left:

However, in some cut scenes, there was actually a pretty cool dealership mock-up, pretty realistic looking:

And in Hill Valley 1885, Statler was in the transportation business as well:

uplanderguy · February 2019

Thanks for the reminder--I haven't seen that movie in a long time.

Joe Statler could have been selling Studebaker carriages in 1885, but I guess he hadn't linked up with the company yet!

uplanderguy · February 2019

Taken from Facebook tonight. I've seen this pic before, but never in such high-def. 1963 Lark Daytona Skytop.

sda · February 2019

uplanderguy said:
Taken from Facebook tonight. I've seen this pic before, but never in such high-def. 1963 Lark Daytona Skytop.

Sweet, I want one!

uplanderguy · February 2019

I owned a white one for 23 years; I miss it and it's the only Studebaker of the four I've had my wife and kids actually say they wish I still had, LOL.

uplanderguy · February 2019

I've posted a link to this ad before, but now I can post the actual pic here. 1963 Cruiser. I would love one of these, especially with a Skytop and the broadcloth interior option, both extremely rare though:

imidazol97 · February 2019

uplanderguy said:

Taken from Facebook tonight. I've seen this pic before, but never in such high-def. 1963 Lark Daytona Skytop.

Beautiful color for seats and car.

berri · February 2019

I do like that color. Didn't Pontiac and Olds have something similar in the first half of the 60's?

uplanderguy · February 2019

Color, you mean? No other domestic had a sunroof in the '61-63 model years Studebaker had.

berri · February 2019

I seem to recall a similar type color on maybe mid 60's full sized Olds and Pontiacs, but can't remember the GM color name. The only other vehicles with a fabric sunroof I remember were foreign like VW or Renault, but there have been an oddball domestic one like Buick Skylark, not sure though.

berri · February 2019

I'm also curious how fabric sunroofs held up? Part of me thinks less overall exposure than a convertible roof and braced on all sides by a metal roof. But the other part thinks it has to absorb the full hit from snow, heavy rain, etc. rather than some absorption spread over a larger fabric area convertible roof. Guess that's a question for the engineers or body shop guys.

fintail · February 2019

Body color hubcap trim?

uplanderguy said:
I've posted a link to this ad before, but now I can post the actual pic here. 1963 Cruiser. I would love one of these, especially with a Skytop and the broadcloth interior option, both extremely rare though:

uplanderguy · February 2019

The '63's had white paint on the wheelcovers, no matter the exterior color.

When my Skytop was restored, the top was replaced (recovered), much like a convertible top for wear IMHO.

uplanderguy · February 2019

A white band on the wheelcovers, that is.

fintail · February 2019

Maybe they kind of wanted the MB look, but didn't want to look like copycats

berri · February 2019

I always thought those later Studebaker's had some Euro touches long before that became the in thing.

uplanderguy · February 2019

The M-B touches IMHO started with the '62. This short dealer promo clip is hilarious and oh-so early-sixties.

I like Larks, but "sexy" isn't a word I'd use, I don't think!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYafg6WTxOE

I thought the '63 revisions, which included dropping the wraparound windshield, and revised roofline, were good ones.

Funny they didn't use a Daytona convertible, but the lower-line Regal.

uplanderguy · February 2019

Absolutely insane. Bid to $17K on eBay now. And the instruments pictured are all aftermarket. ZipVans did not have SW gauges including a 160 speedo, LOL.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401702454415

uplanderguy · February 2019

Happy Valentine's Day, 1961.

uplanderguy · February 2019

uplanderguy · February 2019

That police car pic looks like you could step right into it. I wish I could...even if for only a little bit.

uplanderguy · February 2019

fintail · February 2019

Something unusual from local CL

Needs more details

uplanderguy · February 2019

Ugh, that gasser! Although, I guess if it was too-far removed from 'original' condition, why not?

I like the '64 although can nitpick some stuff for authenticity; still, nice car but definitely more details needed.

Both are the lowest-production Lark-types for those years, after the convertible.

'63 Daytona Hardtop production, 3,763; '64 Daytona Hardtop production 2,414.

Thanks for posting!

thebean · February 2019

Where are those dressed up people going out in the desert with the Avanti? Is there a country club just out of shot?

omarman · February 2019

Touring with Noel Coward maybe. "I like America. America's OK".

uplanderguy · February 2019

Andy Granatelli at Indy.

sda · February 2019

I noticed a lot of the tires of this period have shallow ribs on the sidewalls. Was this an attempt to make the tire more all seasons and allow for some snow or mud traction?

uplanderguy · February 2019

Good question. I have no idea!

ab348 · February 2019

That seemed to be a thing until the late 1960s. I think with bias-ply tires the edge of the sidewall touched the pavement more when cornering. Maybe that type of edge gave better grip in the wet when doing that? Not sure.

berri · February 2019

Maybe it was just a look?

omarman · February 2019

I think the vintage bias ply design with the pie crust sidewalls are more rigid than radial tires. Somebody maybe Coker makes a "bias look" radial tire.

uplanderguy · February 2019

That ZipVan on eBay sold for $17,100.

Crazy.

uplanderguy · February 2019

berri · February 2019

The Wagonaire I believe

uplanderguy · February 2019

Yes, '63 Lark Daytona Wagonaire. Note all the pre-Beatles haircuts.

ab348 · February 2019

Check out this '53 Studebaker custom:

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/most-stunning-1953-studebaker-starliner-youll-ever-see/

He loses points for using a Chevy LS engine instead of a Studebaker mill, but it sure is a pretty thing otherwise.

uplanderguy · February 2019

That is some workmanship!

berri · February 2019

Say Uplander (and maybe ab too). I know you're a big Studebaker Hawk GT fan. I was reading the latest Hemmings Classic Car and there was an ad about a book released devoted to Studebaker's 62-64 Gran Turismo . The ad is on page 14 of the April magazine and the book is on www.oldemilfordpress.com . You may already know, but just in case...

uplanderguy · February 2019

Thanks, berri. I have heard about that book, but haven't seen it in person. I have heard that two of the three cars photographed for the book (for the three model years) were white, which disappoints a bit.

A Gran Turismo Hawk is my favorite Studebaker, period...particularly a '64 with the (half) vinyl 'Sports Roof'.

uplanderguy · February 2019

Came up on my Facebook feed. I always liked this pic a friend took of me driving my old '63 Lark Daytona Skytop, factory R1 Avanti power, factory air, Twin Traction, Ermine White with red vinyl interior with matching inserts. This was taken around 2008 I'm thinking. He was leaning out the RF window of his Tahoe while his 15-year-old daughter was driving (!), passing me while taking the pic.

The rectangular badge on the front fender read "Avanti Powered", the 'Avanti' being in the same script as on Avanti cars.

It had factory tinted glass in all windows, somewhat rare. When I bought it, the windshield was not tinted so had been replaced sometime over the past 25 years. I found a tinted windshield in a '63 Cruiser in a junkyard only about 18 miles from where I grew up and took it out of that car and had it installed.

I do miss that car.

I did production order research on '63 Skytops with Avanti engines (the only year those two options coexisted). Someone else had all the serial numbers of Avanti-engine cars, so my wife and I looked at build sheets of only the two-door hardtop and two-and-four-door sedan serial numbers. There were only 14 cars built for '63 with both options, and ours was the earliest serial number (car was built in Sept. '62). Seven had factory A/C and ours was one, although it never worked during my ownership, LOL.

sda · February 2019

That was a sharp car! I especially enjoyed the pictures you posted earlier with the early/later with the car and original owner.

uplanderguy · February 2019

Thanks. Here it is on Labor Day weekend 1964, at Yellowstone:

thebean · February 2019

I’m reading Richard Langworth’s book on postwar Studes, and I’m up to the chapter on Larks. All very interesting reading. I can’t imagine being fortunate enough to have owned one, let alone two.

uplanderguy · February 2019

I'm on my fourth.

Really, '64 and later, only the lower-line two series, Challenger and Commander, were called 'Lark' in the brochures. But everyone in the Studebaker Drivers' Club refers to '64 and later cars as 'Lark-types'.

Besides the white '63 above, I had a dark blue '64 Daytona hardtop that was sold new by my hometown dealer, and also a '66 Daytona Sports Sedan. All three are in Australia now. I had the '63 and '64 at the same time although had the '63 for 23 years and the '64 for only one year.

I now have a '66 Cruiser that's a very nice original, rock-solid, low-mileage car, but it's not as interesting as that old white '63 I had.

Postwar Studebakers

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