Photographs from the 2011 California Automobile Museum Car Cruise

Additional photos:

Elk's Lodge - Studebaker Meet-Up

We had a great turnout at the Elk's Lodge #6 in Sacramento, CA, today. Here are a few new pics:

Studebakers - Orphan Car Show - Oregon City

There are some amazing photos from the Orphan Car Show in The Oregonian. Click here to see the full set.

Photographs © OregonLive.com, 2011.

Sacramento Swap Meet - April 2011

The April 2011 Sacramento Swap Meet was full of great parts and cars. I saw two 1950 Studebaker Champions and a blue Lark for sale. There was also a 1947 Dodge truck and some really nice gas pumps - love those Sinclair pumps.

Entry Level Collectibles - Studebaker Lark

An interesting article about the automobile collectors market. Great to see the Studebaker Lark noted among the group of desired vehicles.

"What of the Pabst Blue Ribbon end of the market, the domain of younger and less liquid collectors? The auctions taking place this week in the Phoenix area may provide clues to the health of this vital part of the vintage-car hobby.

Of the major auction houses holding sales, Silver Auctions of Spokane, Wash., is the most firmly identified with the entry-level market. Held in Fort McDowell, about a half hour northeast of Phoenix, it’s the North African souk of auctions, where one can find cars like a clean Corvair or an obscure British roadster like a Jensen-Healey.

“At the height of the market, the entry point for a car you’d be proud to take to a local show was about $15,000,” said Mitch Silver, the founder of Silver Auctions. “Now, you can find quality cars in the $7,000 to $8,000 range. Prices haven’t been much lower in the last 10 years.”

The Studebaker; Now That Was a Car

We talk a lot about MPG efficiency. Here's a comment by a former Studebaker Lark owner, as well as some history about Studebaker's forward-thinking electric vehicle - introduced 100-plus years ago.

"Back in 1960, I bought a Studebaker Lark V/8 and it delivered 28 miles per gallon. The cost? $1,950. Nowadays that wouldn't pay the taxes on these overpriced and overrated imported
wheel twirlers."

Read the comment about the Studebaker Lark in the Daily Record.

Little do people know that Studebaker created electric vehicles. "The Studebaker Electric was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company of South Bend, Indiana, a forerunner of the Studebaker Corporation. The battery-powered cars were sold from 1902 to 1912."

"By 1912, it became conventional wisdom that the future lay in gasoline-powered engines rather than heavy, sluggish electrics, and the limited production of electric cars stopped. An official announcement from the newly re-incorporated Studebaker Corporation stated: The production of electric automobiles at South Bend has ended. . . It has been conducted for nine years without much success, and ultimately the superiority of the gasoline car (is) apparent."

Read the article about the Studebaker Electric here.

Photo below of a 1902 Studebaker Electric Victoria Phaeton. Source: RemarkableCars.com

California Automobile Museum Swap Meet - Studebakers for Sale

Two intriguing "For Sale" ads at the Cruisin' News booth at the California Automobile Museum swap meet today: one for a 1951 Studebaker Commander Coupe, and the other for a 1963 Studebaker Lark. Both look like interesting cars.

Click on the ads below for contact info.

Cars & Parts Magazine - September 2010

In addition to the Studebaker Daytona article noted below, Cars & Parts also has two other Studebaker stories:

1. A one-page article about the market value of the Studebaker Avanti, first shown at the 1962 New York Auto Show.

2. A look at Billy Blalack's private yard, featuring a 1956 Studebaker 4-door Champion, 1959 Lark, 1954 Studebaker Champion, and what looks like an R2 truck.

Pick up Cars & Parts at your local newsstand - September 2010 issue.

Ode to a Studebaker Lark - The Truth About Cars

"So stylist Duncan McRae walked into the studio and hacked off the hideous front and rear ends he had grafted onto the 1953 sedan body two years earlier. The result was a drastically shorter and cleaner car, but the passenger compartment was unchanged. A “compact” with the interior space of a standard size car; what a brilliant concept! The result was the exact polar opposite of the long and willowy Starliner coupes; Studebaker was going for the extremes. The new Lark shed several hundred pounds on the cutting room floor , allowing it to use the same little 170 CID flathead six that had powered the ‘39 Champion. Another twenty-year cycle repeats itself."

Read more on The Truth About Cars.

Hemmings Classic Car Magazine - Studebaker Lark Story

Count 'em ...

Four pages and 16 pictures of Dennis Gajda's classic 1962 Studebaker Lark in Metallic Green in the October issue of Hemmings Classic Car magazine. Outside of the SDC Turning Wheels magazine, when do you see this much attention paid to Studebaker? Thanks Hemmings!

Did You Know? The Avanti and Lark Share a (Modified) Platform.

There are some great tidbits of information in the October 2010 issue of Hemmings Classic Cars magazine, including the one about the Avanti and the Studebaker Lark.

"The Avanti was built on a modified Lark platform, a car that debuted in 1959. Later Avantis were based on the GM-body (Monte Carlo) rear-drive platform." I had no idea that these cars shared anything!

Check out the October 2010 issue of Hemmings Classic Cars for other great stories, e.g., the Checker Marathon, Ford Model T, etc.

See the Studebaker Avanti page on Wikipedia here.

See the Studebaker Lark page on Wikipedia here.

Propane-Burning, Supercharged Studebaker Lark

"You say your daily driver needs classic early-60s looks, clean-burning alternative fuel... and enough supercharged horsepower to rip out your spine? You want instant Project Car Hell Poster Child status? We've found your next car!"

Read the full Jalopnik article here.

1963 Studebaker Lark Daytona

I am surprised every time I see a Studebaker in Sacramento, CA. Today, I spied this 1963 Lark Daytona outside of ACE Hardware on "I" Street. It looks like a fun 'rod and sports a cloverleaf and flames theme. Enjoy!

Street Scenes - Studebaker - Photographs

The SDC forum has a link to photographs of street scenes from yesteryear that include a Studebaker Lark, Studebaker President, and 1951 Studebaker Commander. How many Studebakers can you find?

See all of the images on the Supercar Registry Bulletin Board.

Studebaker Lark, Reunited

A heart-warming Studebaker story.

"Kenneth Scheer sold this car to his grandfather almost exactly 50 years ago. The brand new 1959 Studebaker Lark's window sticker at the dealership where Scheer worked totalled $2,516.88. Scheer got the car back about a year ago and says it definitely will stay in the family."

Read more about this great Studebaker story here.

Jalopnik.com DOTS: Two Studebakers. We Can Do Better.

This is a rallying cry. Jalopnik.com publishes a feature named "Down on the Street" (aka DOTS). The DOTS articles highlight unique, classic, venerated, adored ... any vehicles worthy of discussion. And of the 200 DOTS to date, only a Lark VIII and an Avanti have been featured from the Studebaker bloodline.

While I love both the Avanti and the Lark, Studebaker owners need to show the breadth, depth, and engineering excellence of the Studebaker name with a few more Studes. Let's get a Speedster DOTS. I'm considering a trek from Sacramento to the Alameda with our trusty '50 bulletnose Champion.

Anyone else "in"? And hopefully, geographically closer?

See all 200 cars recorded in Jalopnik's feature, Down on the Street.

Studebaker Pace Car - Indy 500

"What the heck is a Studebaker Lark doing as the pace car of one of the fastest races in 'Merica? Well, initially the Stude-ly compact was not the intended choice. The much faster Avanti was to set the pace but wasn't finished in time. Thus was born one of the stranger Indy 500 pace cars in recent memory."

See all "Twelve Awesome Pace Cars" at Jalopnik.com.

1963 Studebaker Lark and Avanti Commercial

This one has speed; this one has interior room (for your hat); this one is juuuuust right!

It's criminal that disc brakes weren't standard on all cars starting on the date of their invention.

Studebaker Fuel Efficiency

From the Los Angeles Times:

"Look beyond the nostalgia factor in this film produced for Studebaker dealers. Listen to the comments. The Studebaker Lark was, according to this film, intended to give consumers what they wanted: a low-priced, fuel economy car. We know today, of course, that Studebaker failed for many reasons. But these executives were positive they had read the market correctly."

See the full article about Studebakers and fuel efficiency.

1963 Studebaker Lark Standard - Blog

I found a kindred spirit in Clark Novak. His writing and photographs documenting the restoration of his 1963 Studebaker Lark Standard strike a chord with my efforts to restore our '50 Champion.

Visit Clark's Studeblogger Blog.