1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner Coupe

Another great "My Ride" story.

"I bought this ride in the fall of 2010 because I wanted to indulge my lifelong passion for everything automotive and because I (and many observers) consider the Studebaker Commander Starliner to be the most beautiful American car of its era. Originally conceived as a concept car by the design studio of Raymond Loewy, the coupe received so much attention that Studebaker decided to make it a production vehicle."

Read more at SFGate.com. Photo copyright SFGate.com.

1951 Studebaker Champion Convertible - Sacramento, CA

Well, well. Look what turned up at my local car museum! A nice 1951 Studebaker Champion convertible automatic. Pretty rare feature combination for a 10G model.

View this car on auction at eBay.

Studebaker Pickles - Oakland, CA

I've seen Studebaker cars, Studebaker pies, and an effort to revive the Studebaker automobile. Now, I've been given Studebaker pickles! The Oakland company features handmade pickled goods - labels to letterpress to spicy picked epicure foods. Find them at Studebaker Pickles dot com.

Trapped by Genius - Studebaker

Sad to hear about musician Sly Stone's hardship. Hopefully he can create music from this challenging experience and get back into a home, some counseling, and (as he requested) a new paint job for his beloved Studebaker.

"Over the years, Stone has dropped tens of thousands of dollars on his other hobby: automobiles. In his early days, he drove a Jaguar XKE he painted purple. There were Hummers, a London taxi and a beloved Studebaker, which Stone asked to have painted in exchange for this interview."

Read the full article here.

History of Suicide Doors - 1951 Studebaker Commander

A great explanation of why "suicide doors" were invented.

"These front suicide doors were a common practice from the late 1920s and into the 1930s. My 1931 Hupmobile four-door had these doors, and my dad's 1951 Studebaker Commander had the rear suicide doors."

Read the full article here.

Valve Cover Races - 2011

We had a great first annual Karel Staple Chapter Valve Cover Race today in Fair Oaks, CA. "Doc Junior" won "Best Boy's Car." I think we had the sympathy vote ... or we won based on the two little helpers I brought with me, ages seven and three.

Hot Chili And Cool Cars Come To Rocklin, CA - Packard Hawk

"Hot Chili And Cool Cars Come To Rocklin" takes place on Saturday, September 17th. L.C. of the Karel Staple Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club will be showing a rare 1958 Packard Hawk - only one of 100 still in existence - at the event.

See the video at KCRA.com.

International Drive Your Studebaker Day 2011

It's International Drive Your Studebaker Day! It was a beautiful drive to Clarksburg with one frustrating moment of vapor lock that almost got me towed. All in all, a great time out with a great result; "Doc" made it home sans tow, and we met some kind folks in Freeport and Clarksburg to boot.

Richard Carpenter's 1963 Studebaker Avanti

Interesting factoid: Richard Carpenter of "The Carpenters" music duo is a car lover. Richard has 25 cars including this beautiful 1963 Studebaker Avanti.

See Richard's Avanti here.

See Richard's full car list here.