Roger Ebert: If You Were a Kid in the 1950s

A fun photo retrospective of the 1950s ... including a bullet nose Studebaker.

View Roger Ebert's full post here.

1950 Studebaker For Sale - Vancouver, WA

Wow. This is a beauty for $10,500. It's not stock and not all elements are period correct, but you can drive it right off the showroom floor.

See this 1950 Studebaker on CraigsList.

1950 Studebaker Champion - Wedding Present

Charlotte Goldberg fondly remembers her wedding gift - a 1950 Studebaker Champion (the photograph corrects the author's error). Goldberg and her husband will be married 60 years this month.

"My husband, Harold, and I became engaged on March 5, 1949, and the following Dec. 18 we were married. I had always thought to have a large wedding, but my parents gave us a choice. They said, "Would you like a large wedding or would you rather have a smaller one with family and close friends?" They added that if we chose the smaller wedding, they would order a brand new car for us as their wedding gift. We didn't hesitate and chose the smaller wedding. This is the cute little 1950 Studebaker we received."

Read the full article on the St. Petersburg Times website.

Life in 1950 - Studebaker 1950 Champion

What was life like in 1950? Here are a few facts from the year in which my Studebaker was built and sold.

Finances:
- Average income: USD $3,216
- New car cost: $1,511
- Loaf of bread: .14c
- Gallon of gas: .18c
- Pound of coffee: .70c
- Gold per ounce: $35
- New house cost: $8,450
- Dow Jones Average: 216
- Minimum wage: .75c

Life expectancy: 68.2 years
US Census reports population of 150,000,000 people

Sports results:
- Ben Hogan won the US Open
- The NY Yankees won the World Series
- The Cleveland Browns won the championship
- City College of New York won the championship

Top music:
- Mona Lisa
- Good Night Irene
- Music, Music, Music
- Guys and Dolls

Studebaker Commander - 1950

There is a "historical" (I read stock) 1950 4-door Studebaker Commander at the California Automobile Museum. I've coveted this Studebaker for years, and wanted to share it here again.

I never understood the visual (yes, there is a physical size difference) difference between the Champion and the Commander before owning our Champion, but it's clear to me now.

- Champion wheelbase: 113 inches
- Commander wheelbase: 120 inches

Quick update: This car sold in November 2009 for the incredibly low price of $6,501.00. See the final bid page here.

1950 Studebaker Commander for Sale

I'm not sure that I should be sharing this news... I covet this car.

The 1950 Studebaker Commander - a registered "historic vehicle" - is now for sale by the California Automobile Museum.

For more information, contact http://californiaautomuseum.com/.

1950 Studebaker Truck Restoration

There is a nice restoration of a 1950 Studebaker truck on the Route 66 Restoration website. Quote:

"This truck fell victim to some neglected and aged wiring within the distributor which left things a bit crispy. We re-wired the ignition system, tweaked a few things and the owner was back on the road enjoying his rare and eye-catching truck that turns heads wherever it goes."

See the full article on Route 66 Restorations' website.

New Studebakers Make Bow - The Evening Independent

From The Evening Independent, November 16, 1950:

"One piece windshields, now standard on all Champions and Commanders, will make an important contribution to safer motoring."

"The new Commander is powered by a rugged, compact V-8 engine for which $15,000,000 were spent in engineering alone."

Click the image of the 1951 Studebaker Champion below to read the full article.

Studebaker for the Postwar Generation

"Auto design in the immediate postwar era was strongly influenced by the streamlined shapes of fighter planes and bombers. Studebaker pointed the way with design cues like bullet-nose front ends (a shape meant to suggest aircraft engine housings), gun-sight hood ornaments and the wraparound rear windows of the 1947-52 Starlight coupe. The windows, along with other details, make the car’s front and rear ends look so similar that it was often called the “coming or going Studebaker.”

See the full article on the NY Times website.

Studebaker Champion Regal DeLuxe for Sale

This seems like an unbelievable deal...

"Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe.

4 Door sedan. 6 Cylinder flathead 3-speed stick. Acquired this car in 1997 as an on frame restoration - not professionally restored. When purchased it had new main and rod bearings, crankshaft, ignition, exhaust, tires, complete interior, clutch disk and others items along with rebuilt starter, generator, radiator, gas tank, brake system along with some motor work and exterior paint job. No chrome work done.

I had the frame strengthened, installed new springs, electrical work, etc. A complete inspection and some recommendations for work were made by a retired Studebaker dealer in the area still active with old cars. He went over the car in detail and provided me with a list of things that ideally could/should be done.

This car has served me well for years but it's seldom used now. Stored in garage. Would be a great project car with high end potential or a great driver with minimal work. Additional pictures and information available. I'm located 30 minutes from Iola, Wisconsin.

Price - $ 5,450"

A link to this car is here. A picture is below.

Fender Side Vents - Chrome Diamonds

A few giving Studebaker loyalists have helped me source the questionable parts on my Champion.

In May, we solved the engine block/head question here.

Today, we solved the question of the diamonds on our '50 Champion's fender side air vents. The triple diamonds on our Stude's fender side air vents come from a '47 - '49 Commander or Land Cruiser. They were apparently factory Regal trim. So, either the previous owner of our Stude added the diamonds to the vents, or he swapped out the air vents somewhere along the way.

See the previous post on this topic here.

See the thread on the SDC Forum.

1950 Studebaker Champion For Sale - $5,450

Below is a nice '50 Stude Champion for sale in Iola, Wisconsin, that could prove to be a great driver in short order.

See more about the 1950 Studebaker Champion below.

Or, see a list of Studebakers for sale on CarsOnline.com.

1950 Studebaker Commander - Cuba

Many of America's classic cars have found a second life in Cuba. While complete restoration is not typical, you'll find 1950s icons roaming the streets and alleys of Havana.

The Studebaker Commander below is in terrible shape, but there's a 1950 Chevy convertible that looks mighty fine; see the June 29th blog post.

See a 1950 Studebaker Commander at Cuban Car Lovers.

Studebaker Champion Sedan - Photographs

Below are a few new photographs of our beloved Studebaker Champion. 

Studebaker Champion - Magazine Articles

Below is a link to an amazing archive of magazine articles about the 1950 Studebaker Champion and 1950s Studebaker cars.

Publications include:

• Popular Science, September, 1949
• Popular Mechanics, September, 1949
• Automotive Industries, September 1, 1949
• Mechanics Illustrated, November, 1949
• Australian Monthly Motor Manual, December, 1949
• Science and Mechanics, December, 1949
• Consumer Reports, March, 1950
• Motor, March, 1950
• Popular Science, April, 1950
• Science and Mechanics, August, 1950
• Motor Trend, January, 1980
• Turning Wheels, October, 1985
• Car Collector, November, 1985
• Cars and Parts, March, 1986
• Thoroughbred and Classic Cars (from Britain), December, 1989
• Car Collector, June, 1990

See all Studebaker magazine articles.

Studebaker Advertisements from the 1940s - 1960s

I found 51 Studebaker advertisements from the 1940s - 1960s advertised for sale on CraigsList - and now they're headed my way.

For a priceless treasure trove of Studebaker and other classic car ads, head over to John's Old Truck and Car Advertisements.

See more Studebaker ads at John's Old Car and Truck Advertisements.

1950 9G Studebaker Champion Engine

We were told that our '50 Champion had a '53 engine. I finally checked the engine number, 536180 (with a #2 below it), and it looks like the engine belongs in a 9G '50 Champ - our car. Any guidance or clarification is appreciated.

Update - This from Dwain G. on Google Groups:

"At the very top, front, left (driver's) side of the engine block is a smooth machined pad about 1/2" tall by 2" long. Find that area and clean it off with a putty knife, wire brush, sandpaper, whatever and tell us what you find there. There should be no real difference between a '50 and a '53 engine, but a lot of differences from '55-on."

See a listing of Studebaker engine numbers at the SDC website.

I'll inspect my engine this week. Until then...

1950 9G Studebaker Champion DeLuxe Four Door

Thanks to the fellas over at the Studebaker discussion board on Google Groups for helping me to determine that my Champion is a DeLuxe four door.

The defining characteristic of the "Regal DeLuxe" is the 1/2" chrome around the side windows, which we have, so there is still some confusion. 

The hold-hold clutch, heater, overdrive and radio were options on all models, the Custom, Regal and DeLuxe.

Visit the Google Groups Studebaker discussion board.

Find out your Studebaker Model name at How It Works.

Stand By Me - Movie - Studebaker Champion

The movie Stand by Me debuted during my adolescence and shaped some of the adventures that my friends and I sought in the nearby suburban wilderness… though none of our travels mirrored the dramatic events depicted in the movie. The movie is further solidified as one of my all-time favorites by the recent discovery that one of the cars in the film is a 1950 Studebaker Champion.

The driver of the Champion unfortunately lost the race in the movie, but seeing a baby blue Champion in the film was a thrill regardless.

See Studebaker Champion cars at IMCDb.org.

Studebaker - Starlight Coupe - Smithsonian

"1950 Studebaker Champion Regal DeLuxe Starlight coupe with all-steel body. Green with light gray-green upholstery. Six-cylinder engine, manual transmission. 16' 6" L x 5' 9" W x 5' 2" H."

The Smithsonian was gifted with a 1950 Studebaker Champion Regal DeLuxe Starlight coupe by Richie Clyne.

See the 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe.