Pix: Ted Harbit's Teacher's Pet Then & Now

[BobPalma]

Several folks have asked for a current picture of Ted Harbit's first drag-racing Studebaker, his 1951 Commander State Convertible he nicknamed Teacher's Pet.

Here is the oldest (and only) known photo of it when Ted owned it. This was circa 1960. (Yes, I posted this photo earlier in a related thread):




Ted sold it to long-time SDCer Luther Barnes shortly after acquiring The Chicken Hawk. Luther still has it, and it is again being refurbished. But today I ran across this photo of it I took about 20 years ago. AFAIK, the ghost flames against the pretty dark blue remain the current paint treatment:



Woo-Hoo: History in The Heartland....this IS The Heartbeat of America! BP

[raprice]

Boy, do those photos bring back memories. My family had a '51 Commander State Convertible when I was in college. It's amazing how good design stands the test of time. And this car certainly meets the test in my opinion. I wish I still had that car.
Rog

[studegary]

I see that it lost its fender top trim, bumper rails and exterior mirror. Was this part of the go-fast treatment?