My Father the Car - Studebaker - Canada

The Internet makes for some winding roads. I found this commentary/synopsis of the new book, My Father the Car, by way of TreeHugger.com > Canoe.com > Autonet.ca. Endemic to Canadian audiences, this quick article provides for an interesting, alternate entry into Stu Chapman's book.

"With a workforce of 1,200, the Hamilton plant produced cars that were sourced almost entirely in Canada, including locally produced Stelco steel and Firestone tires. Since South bend was no longer manufacturing engines, they were obtained from General Motors’ plant in nearby St. Catharines."

Read the full article on AutoNet.Ca.

Featured on Mike's Show N Shine

I want to thank Mike's Show N Shine for featuring our Studebaker Champion today. The article struck a nice tone, and I also appreciated Mike's inclusion of my photographs. Thanks Mike!

Read the full article on Mike's Show and Shine here.

1950 Studebaker Champion Regal DeLuxe Fully Restored

"Murray Welsh has no explanation as to why a 1950 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe sedan is parked in his garage – other than its peculiar appeal."

"The bullet-nose Studebaker was built in the automaker's South Bend, Ind., factory in August 1950 and was then shipped to Philadelphia, Pa. Welsh and his wife, Linda, encountered it more than 45 years later when they went Studebaker-shopping about a decade ago."

"During the eight years that Welsh has owned his Studebaker, he has driven it about 12,000 miles. He wanted a distinctive car to drive – and that's exactly what he got."

Read the full story on the Palm Beach Daily website.

1955 Studebaker President

"I used to own this car so I can tell anyone interested that it is a 1955 Studebaker President State Sedan. It was the top of the line 4-door in 1955 and very few have survived due to lack of collector interest. About 14,500 were built. There was also a detrimmed Deluxe sedan of which only 1,019 were built.

The President series included a 2-door hardtop coupe that was specially trimmed and badged to become the President 'Speedster' Special, the originals of which were trucked around the country for the Autoramas in late '54. They were popular enough that Studebaker put the car into Production, originally only in Green & Yellow with a Yellow leather interior, and later in Black & White, Gray and White, and Pink and Gray all with an Ivory leather interior. 2,215 were built and they survive in a very high % due to brisk collector interest.

The President in this pic is all original but should be on wide whitewall tires."

See photographs of the 1955 Studebaker President here.

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.

Hemmings Classic Car Magazine - February 2010

Studebaker-Packard fans will enjoy the February 2010 issue of Hemmings Classic Car Magazine; the entire issue is dedicated to Packards. There is an interesting feature about the Studebaker President/Packard Clipper.

More about the 1957 and 1958 Packard Clipper.

There are also some shots of the Packard Clipper on Jalopnik.

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

1947 Studebaker M5 Pickup Truck - Well Said

You don't have to be rich to have fun.

"It wasn't the Studebaker's inherent beauty that motivated me to shoot this feature on Bruce Johnson's '47. Sure, it's a neat ol' truck but what motivated me is the fact that it's a low-buck owner-built one that exemplifies something I've been preaching for years: You don't have to be rich or a mechanical whiz to enjoy the fruits of the classic truck hobby. All one needs is the desire, some free time, and a few stray bucks here and there to end up with something that'll be worth its weight in gold in self satisfaction and a whole lotta fun."

Read the complete article on Classic Trucks.com.

1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk - SF Gate

Great new article on SF Gate about a 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, GT Hawk.

"The previous owner was the original owner. He was losing his eyesight, and his daughter was anxious to see this rare Studebaker with 130,000 miles on the odometer find a welcoming home. So I carefully drove it home to Oakland and parked it in my driveway. It sat for months under a car cover, and the restoration of the car proceeded slowly.

Since the engine runs hot and burns oil, I drive the car sparingly. My last "long" trip was to Half Moon Bay, where it navigated Highway 1 over Devil's Slide. Before that, I drove it to a Studebaker club meeting in Turlock held in conjunction with the annual auto parts swap meet. Everywhere I go in the East Bay, pedestrians and motorists stare at the car."

Read more from this article at SFGate.com.

Studebaker Scotsman - Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics had no love for the Studebaker Scotsman ... nor the Rambler in 1958. Read the full article by clicking on the image below. Quote, "It's a plain Jane -- a dull, unexciting machine."

Many thanks to my friend at eichlerific.blogspot.com for the article.

1948 Studebaker Land Cruiser - Mantua Man Buys 'Interim Car'

Why have just one great Studebaker?

"Bill Jones, an officer and editor of the South Jersey Studebaker club’s slick newsletter, couldn’t wait for his 1962 Studebaker Lark Daytona to get fully restored and show-ready. So, seven months ago, he bought a fine example of a ’48 Land Cruiser (top-of-the-line above the Champion and Commander) while he waited."

Read the full story here,

Studebakers - New on Car Carriers

I love old photographs of Studebaker dealerships and such. This is the first time that I've seen photographs of new Studebakers on car carriers.

Scroll down the page to see Studebaker pick-ups, 1951 Champions, and a few Packard pick-ups.

See all of the photographs here.

Studebaker - Trunk Handles - Maker's Mark

Modern consumer-class automobiles excel in both safety and technology, but they fall down when you consider what door handles, trunk latches, and raised logos and lettering felt like before the advent of plastic and silver foil. Just take a look at the trunk handles and maker's marks on Studebaker automobiles; each one is unique and impressive.

Studebaker Meet - Sacramento

I attended a meeting of the Studebaker Karel Staple (KS) Chapter today at my new second home, the California Automobile Museum. The meeting was great because of the welcoming and informative members of the KS Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club.

See the Karel Staple chapter website, Halk Talks, here.

Here's some eye candy:

Studebaker V8 - Engine of the Day

Quick Mention: Studebaker received "Engine of the Day" on Jalopnik.com.

"The Golden Hawk of 1957-58 got a McCulloch supercharger and churned out an impressive-for-the-time 275 horses."

There are some great images and comments in the discussion section under the main article.

Click here to read the full article on Jalopnik.com.

Mathis Motors Building - Studebaker Dealers

“This building has more emblems in better shape than any other former Studebaker dealership in the country.”

"The building, still in a remarkable state of preservation, was meant to look like a church – a huge open space with a high ceiling, sconces and chandeliers. And on the back wall, high above the sales floor, was one of the Mathis brothers or sons at a desk, ready to sell Studebakers to the “worshippers.”"

"And sell they did. After supervising the construction of the building in 1926-27, the Mathis brothers and their sons won silver trophies for outselling all other dealers in their category (determined by population). By 1953 the dealership had delivered 8,000 units."

Read more about the Mathis Motors Building on NJ.com.

How to Drive Like the MAD MEN - Top 10 Cars of the MAD MEN Era

Hagerty Picks Stylish, Sophisticated Collector Cars that Epitomize the Don Draper Lifestyle.

"Hagerty, the country's leading provider of collector car insurance, has put together its picks of the collector cars that the most powerful and influential professionals of the MAD MEN era would have driven." The 1963 Studebaker Avanti and the 1964 GT Hawk made the list! (of course)

Cars include:

- 1963 Buick Riviera ($28,000-$36,100)
- 1963 Corvette Sting Ray ($61,000-$74,000)
- 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird ($35,000-$45,000)
- 1961-63 Lincoln Continental Sedan ($18,000-$24,000)
- 1961 Chrysler 300G ($59,000-$67,000)
- 1963 Studebaker Avanti ($23,000-$31,000)
- 1962-63 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ($14,000-$20,000)
- 1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk ($27,000-$32,000)
- 1963 Buick Electra 225 ($13,000-$19,000)
- 1963 Ford Galaxie XL Convertible ($31,000-$36,000)

Read the full list of cars and their details here.

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.

On Hemmings Blog: 1929 Studebaker RV

"Allegedly, Harvey Firestone did [was a camping enthusiast], and one of them recently turned up in South Carolina on a 1929 Studebaker chassis, and H.A.M.B.er mottsrods shared some pics of the behemoth with us."

Read the full article and see more pictures on Hemmings Blog.

A Quick Look Inside the Studebaker National Museum

A three-minute tour of the Studebaker National Museum. The quick clip made by another party shows a few of the cars at the SNM including a President, Commander, Dictator, and a Champion.

Quick digression: Stolen 1965 Volkswagen Van Recovered after 35 Years

"A 1965 Volkswagen van stolen 35 years ago in Spokane, Washington, was found by customs agents in a shipping container in the Los Angeles port last month, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said."

"While it was likely worth just a few hundred dollars when it was stolen, the VW is now valued at about $27,000, he said.

Allstate Insurance Company, which paid the original owner for the loss decades ago, now owns the van, according to Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet."

Read the full article on CNN.com.

Reiff's Gas Station - Woodland, CA

I picked up a business card for Reiff's Gas Station at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento, California. I was amazed by Reiff's website and now must book a tour. A bit about Reiff's:

"Mark started his collection with the purchase of a 1930's Wayne Gas Pump at a neighborhood garage sale. Since then he has added a Diner, Barber Shop, Gas Station, General Store and Old Time Movie Theater."

Click here for a photo of a Studebaker "bulletnose" at Reiff's. It's sad to see the nose up on the wall, but better there than rotted out in a field.

Visit the Reiff's House website.

Studebaker Carriages - Presidents

The Studebaker National Museum is featuring eight vehicles as part of its "National Treasures" exhibition. There are many carriages and one automobile.

Presidents Arthur, McKinley, Harrison, and Hayes all rode in Studebaker automobiles. President Harrison's carriage cost $1,700 - a princely sum back in the day.

Andrew Beckman, an archivist at the museum, says the exhibit was funded by a “Save America’s Treasures” grant they received several years ago. He says the vehicles range in age from the 1820s to the 1900s.

Be sure to watch all three news clips.

See the video clips on WNDU.

Studebaker Car Trailer

I may have finally crossed over into the "fanatical category" re: Studebakers.

We were on a family getaway in Napa, California, this past weekend when I spied this trailer in a yard; I won't say where out of consideration for the owner. That said, it was very cool to see a Studebaker logo so unexpectedly.

There were plenty of Fords and Chevys sitting in overgrown brush nearby, but not a Stude in sight.

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.

Article Excerpt: Studebaker’s New V-8: Triumph and Tragedy

Just a few excerpts from an ambitious tome by Murray D. Stahl. Have a look at the full article (link below).

"From Studebaker’s New V-8: Triumph and Tragedy - An Independent Automobile Company’s Quest to Survive a Change in Its Reality." By Murray D. Stahl

"As the new V8 was introduced, Studebaker management were congratulating themselves on 1950 sales of 334,554 vehicles. It was a high water mark. Soon the company would be hanging on by their proverbial fingernails selling 82,000 cars, 113,920 vehicles in '54; a 66% drop in three years despite a “state of the art” engine and redesigned automobiles."

"The new engine offered more power and the additional benefit of greater economy as well. In the Mobilgas Economy Run of 1951 a V-8-powered Commander with overdrive managed a 28-mpg average from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon via Death Valley. That beat the 1950 L-head Six Commander's mileage by more than four miles per gallon. As you look at the EPA figures for our modern full size cars take note of how few can match this fuel economy 50 plus years later."

View the full article on StudebakerSpeedster.blogspot.com.

Studebaker Champion Taillight Bulbs

Sometimes the simple things are incredibly comforting. After years of "the big stuff," repairs on our 1950 Studebaker Champion seem to be settling into a "maintenance mode." Now, maintenance on a 59 year-old car includes a head gasket and what could be seen as major part reconditioning.

But then there are days like this, when a simple bulb replacement is ... as simple as replacing a bulb. A & E Auto Parts in Sacramento, CA, is THE place for 1940 and better basic car parts. A & E had the 1158 and 1129 bulbs that Kragen and AutoZone did not - complete with a fancy, old-school cardboard bulb holder.

Note: these bulbs are for 6 volt systems. Our 1950 Champion has a 6V, positive ground system.

See a 1158 miniature bulb.

See a 1129 miniature bulb.

FYI, if you want to identify your stop light switch, I received this advice from StudeRich on the SDC forum:

"If your car has TWO female PUSH-ON terminals on the wires to connect to two (bullet type) male pins on the switch, it takes the 666858 switch. Or, you could ask for a 1962 Ford Truck hydraulic type stop light switch at your local Auto Parts Store. They fit most ANY pre-'65 or so U.S. car!"

Until next drive.

Your Dream Garage - Studebaker Gran Turismo

"For DeCrane, 62, who grew up fixing cars in his father's six-car garage in Fairview Park, the idea of creating a dream garage where he could tinker with his collectible Studebaker cars, cook turkeys at the holidays and host a yearly clambake came true in 2004 when he and his wife, Sheila, moved into their newly built home."

It's dreamy to think about what one wants from their garage. As the owner of a 1.5 car garage built in 1936, there's not much room for anything more than our 1950 Studebaker Champion, tools, the kids' bikes, wagon, etc.

Read the full article on the Cleveland.com website. BTW, check out the Gran Turismo in the photograph - nice!

1951 Packard 200 - Photographs and History

The fierce debate about Packard's demise is worth a good look; see the in-line discussion below the main article. The pictures of the 1951 Packard 200 are also very good. Many thanks to The Truth About Cars for the article.

View the 1951 Packard 200 here.

It's Official: Studebaker International Bought SASCO's Inventory

"The inventory eventually will be moved to the Studebaker Business Center, 711 Chippewa Ave., South Bend. When that building reopens in the spring of 2010, Reynolds said it will be part of a retail complex that caters to Studebaker enthusiasts visiting the city to tour the Studebaker National Museum or other events."

Read the story on the South Bend Tribune website.

Read the official announcement here.

Hershey Fall Meet - Studebaker Truck

"The thing about Hershey is that you can come here for 35 years and see something you’ve never seen before," said John Ravikio, who started coming to the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Eastern Division National Fall Meet here since 1975."

"Mr. Ravikio and his friend, Tom Wilburn, watched the departing cars from their folding chairs. I think that was a Studebaker,” Mr. Wilburn said. Neither he nor Mr. Ravikio knew for sure, so Mr. Wilburn got up and ambled up to the parade for a closer look."

Read the full article on the NY Times website.

Bengies Drive-In Theater

A great little story about keeping the drive-in theater tradition alive.

"Vogel has spent most of his life trying to maintain the feel and charm of the Baltimore, Maryland, drive-in movie theater that his family opened in 1956. Vogel wants moviegoers to have the same experience as he did when he went to his family's outdoor theater as a child, although he knows that people today have many more entertainment options."

"At Bengies, each night is a double feature, so guests can see at least two movies for $8 a person. Vogel estimates that Bengies makes 60 percent of its revenue from ticket sales, and the rest comes from concession purchases. There's a strict "no outside food" policy, and he's open about the fact that the food sales help keep the business open."

Read the full story of Bengie's Drive-In Theater on CNN.com.

See the website for the WestWind drive-in theater in Sacramento, CA.

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 Showroom

I found this amazing Studebaker showroom picture on Shorpy.com. Check out the picture below and visit Shorpy for the 8" x 10". It looks like there are a few '51s on the showroom floor.

Stunning: 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air Vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu

The video speaks for itself.

SASCO Era Ends - Studebaker Auto Parts Treasure Trove

"More than one million Studebaker parts hit the auction block Tuesday as the assets of Studebaker Autoparts Sales Corporation, or SASCO, were bought out by South Bend based Teacher's Credit Union."

"Tuesday's sale marked the end of an era in South Bend, as TCU became the sole bidder on what South Bend city leaders described as more than a million dollars in SASCO assets. SASCO moved into the former Studebaker Engineering Building 92 nearly a decade ago, after many years of sales on the other side of Sample Street."

Read the full story here.

6 Rare Packard Design Concept Cars on Display

"Six rare Packard design studies from the private collection of Ralph Marano here are headed for the Fairfield County Concours d’Élégance in Westport, Conn., on Sunday. There they will be joined by another car from the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Ind., and for the first time, examples of all seven postwar concept cars commissioned by Packard will be together in one place."

Read the full article on the New York Times website.

Photo © New York Times

Studebaker Champion Overheating

You've got to have a passion for cars in order to own a 59 year-old automobile, because when things break, and they will ...

you might as well rip out your heart, stomp on it a few times, and stick it back in your chest haphazardly. Then, withdraw thousands of dollars from the bank and flush them down the toilet. But ...

when your classic car is repaired - and purrs - you suddenly forget about the heartache, the money, and the frustration. Your heart beats back to life and your brain falls in love all over again with the hulking mishmash of parts and toxic fluids.

Today, my heart is still on the floor. My Stude is a pint low and in need of a fluorescent green transfusion. There's a wound on the radiator that needs cauterizing and a quadruple bypass in the repair plan. I can tell you what's not the cause of the escalating heat issue:

- Thermostat (replaced)
- Rust in the engine block
- Water pump impeller (pump OK)
- Radiator cap (right size)
- Gas in the crankcase (I pray not)

Yes, it's just a car, but it's my Studebaker. Until next drive.

1963 – 64 Studebaker Avanti

Here's a fun feature on CarDomain.com re: whether or not the Avanti belongs in the "muscle car parking lot."

"Key features include a long hood and short deck, popularized by the Ford Mustang: grill-less front end, which was popularized a decade later with other performance oriented cars, a glass fastback rear, picked up for the Plymouth Barracuda, and other vehicles, as well as other styling touches, too numerous to mention here. Let's just say that when the Avanti was introduced, it looked like nothing else on the market. But is it a muscle car, and does it deserve a place in the parking lot?"

Read the full article here.

Studebakers on Good Day Sacramento

Sacramento, CA, Studebakers will be on display at the 2009 California State Fair. Good Day Sacramento interviewed a few Karel Staple Chapter Studebaker owners about their cars and trucks. See the video clip on the right-hand side of the screen at the link below.

See the full 3-plus minute clip on Good Day Sacramento.

Amphicar?

"... Amphicar, the only civilian amphibious passenger automobile ever mass-produced. There were 3,878 Amphicars built in Germany from 1961 to 1968, and 90 percent of them were exported to the United States."

See the Sacramento Bee article about the Amphicar here.

Photo: LEZLIE STERLING / lsterling@sacbee.com

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.

Are the Days of the Classic Car Over?

MSNBC asks if the days of 'the classic car' are over, i.e., are there any cars made today that are worth saving for the future? I wonder if restoration of a modern car will be possible 25 years from now ... considering how much plastic and computer equipment goes into a modern car. Will a NOS Toyota Prius battery pack be available in 25 years? Probably not.

"There are a lot of reasons the classic car culture may fade. While modern versions of muscle cars such as the Camaro and Corvette retain a good deal of their aesthetic appeal, the design concerns of the contemporary carmaker — including government safety regulations regarding crash readiness and a car's aerodynamic profile — can lead to visual similarity across models."

"This is gone," said Beller, 68, sweeping his hand across a parking lot along the cruise's Woodward Avenue route, where 100 other classic cars were lined up. "This is gone forever."

Read the full article on MSNBC.com.

1958 Studebaker President

I service my Studebaker at Porter-Sprague, Inc. in Sacramento, CA; they've been around since 1917. There's another shop that I eye as well and that's John Ellis & Son in midtown; they've been around since 1927.

"For 80 years, John Ellis Garage has been a permanent fixture in midtown Sacramento. John Ellis opened his garage in 1927, after working as a mechanic for the W.I. Elliott Company, which sold star cars during the twenties. John Ellis was so good to his customers that many of his customers followed him to his new garage where they continued to have their car repaired for over half a century."

Here are a few pictures of the 1958 Studebaker President parked outside of John Ellis garage.

1958 Studebaker President - More Photographs

Father of industrial design?

An interesting article on the SF Examiner website about Raymond Loewy. The article contains pictures of Loewy automobiles that I'd not seen before.

"Raymond Loewy coined the term "industrial designer" in the 1930s. His first car design was an aerodynamic re-style of the fading Hupmobile brand. This brought him to the attention of Studebaker who hired him to redesign their line for the 1939 model year. Loewy's designs had a light, trim, airy look that was years ahead of the thick and doughy style of most contemporary cars."

Read the full article about Raymond Loewy and Studebaker.

CAMBER Cruise in the Sacramento Bee

File under funny and fun. My daughter and I were featured in the Sunday (August 2, 2009) Sacramento Bee re: the CAMBER cruise. The Bee writer enjoyed my explanation of drive-ins to my five year-old; her reply was that the whole idea of a drive-in was "silly."

Link to the full Sacramento Bee article. Image below.

CAMBER Cruise 2009 Photographs

The California Automobile Museum's Big Event on the Road (CAMBER) Cruise took place yesterday in Sacramento, CA's, Midtown/Downtown area. I spotted a '55 Studebaker Commander from the Karel Staple Chapter and a Studebaker Hawk that's been hanging around the John Ellis garage on 19th Street. There were many other amazing cars on display - more than 150 in total.

A few pictures are below.