Eye Candy 11/30/11: 51 Champion Regal convertible

[Steve T]

Seen at Chillicothe ZM 2010...



S.

[studegary]

So many try to make their 1951 nose look like a 1950.

[kmac530]

Beautiful. I did not know they came in a convertible. No hardtop in '51 but a convert. Seems wierd if the already had the doors and glass for a HT model from a convert and just needed a roof, why not make it?

Gary, not sure why anyone would want to make their '51 look like a '50? I like the smile of the '51 better but that may just be me. I do not prefer the extra bumper gaurds. jmho

[woodysrods]

Is it me? or does that bullet look half & half???
Good Roads
Brian

[studegary]

Beautiful. I did not know they came in a convertible. No hardtop in '51 but a convert. Seems wierd if the already had the doors and glass for a HT model from a convert and just needed a roof, why not make it?

Gary, not sure why anyone would want to make their '51 look like a '50? I like the smile of the '51 better but that may just be me. I do not prefer the extra bumper gaurds. jmho

They had convertible models from 1947-1951.
The car still has what you refer to as the smile. It is the nose ring that should be painted body color on a 1951 that has been chromed like a 1950.

[Steve T]

Brian--

Spot on...'51 bullet, '50 outer ring. Frequently seen, as the '50 version is chromier and more glitzy, besides which there were more '50s than '51s, so presumably availability of the '50 bits is better. Myself, I prefer the '50 bullet but the '51 overall nose. Probably the "ultimate" in this vein is a '52 hardtop that wears a '51 front clip with a '50 bullet! It was for sale in TW a year or so ago. Looked like a really nice car.

S.

[kmac530]

I like the chromed bullet, just looks classy, but I prefer the lower grill on the '51. They just look happy. I would be happy driving one.

[kmac530]

Brian--

Spot on...'51 bullet, '50 outer ring. Frequently seen, as the '50 version is chromier and more glitzy, besides which there were more '50s than '51s, so presumably availability of the '50 bits is better. Myself, I prefer the '50 bullet but the '51 overall nose. Probably the "ultimate" in this vein is a '52 hardtop that wears a '51 front clip with a '50 bullet! It was for sale in TW a year or so ago. Looked like a really nice car.

S.

I wont spoil his surprise....but you may wanna ask Dean Pearson what he is building....WOW. Close to what you describe. I am not sure if he has posted his combo before.

[mbstude]

Kelly, Studebaker took their convertible in '52 and made a steel roof for it, thus having a hardtop.

ALL '51's had an all-chrome bullet surround. There's a body colored piece of sheetmetal that clamps around the outer edge, thus leaving a small portion of the chrome showing. At a glance, it looks like the surround itself has been painted. Remove that piece of sheetmetal and you have an all-chrome surround.

There's no way a '51 bullet would fit in a '50 surround. Also, the '50 surround had "STUDEBAKER" cast into it.

I have a "loose" '51 bullet assembly. I can post photos if needed.

[Chris Pile]

I would gladly own and drive that Studebaker.

[kurtruk]

"They had convertible models from 1947-1951."

And '52.

[Harv]

That is a real nice car. It belongs to Ron Fisher of Strongsville, Ohio. He's had it for near 20 years and drives it all over. He is a member of our Western Lake Erie Chapter and often drives his '51 to meetings & events. It has a dual carbed flat head six, 3-speed w/OD and large dual pipes out the back. Sounds real sweet!

[Roscomacaw]

It's a beautiful car, no doubt about that. Probably even more attractive with her top down! But again, here we have that iconic bullet-nose front - half obscured by those optional, ugly overrider bars! They do NOTHING for the car's looks and probably even less if someone backed into them.

[studegary]

"They had convertible models from 1947-1951."

And '52.

Yes, I know. I only said through 1951 because that is what the direct question was about. I included the 1947-1951 part to indicate the earlier postwar convertibles (with the same body style). Of course, Studebaker also had earlier and later convertibles.

[BRUCESTUDE]

Nice ragtop!!!!! Reminds me of summer......