Now that the nest is empty.........

[556063]

Been a long time since I've shown my cars regularly. Now that we have both in college, my wife encouraged me to take the '55 to her hometown (South Whitley, IN) for their Annual Car show.

I was always at a disadvantage back in the day because this car was so original, I never saw the need to make it perfect, like the treatment many C & K Coupes got even as far back as the 1980's. Yes, I was displaced from the top 25 by a 2014 Challenger and a 2012 Corvette. Even a 1991 Nissan Z car. But, my day was made as a couple people stuck their head in my open windows and took deep breaths to take in that original "old car smell". You can't recreate that, and it's why as long as I own it, it will stay that way.

After being out of action for six or seven years, and owning it for 35 years, it may not be a contender. But it's what getting into the hobby was all about when I got into it. The only Studebaker and car of it's type there today, it was a lot of fun. And it made the 120 mile round trip without incident:

[StudeRich]

That's one fancy Champion! Looking real Good!

[57pack]

Your Studebaker is a beautiful original survivor car! In my opinion ( for what it's worth) those late model cars should be separate and judged separate from cars 25 years old and older.

[sweetolbob]

If it was all about winning, I'd sell my Studes/Avantis and buy my SBC powered 39 Ford Standard Coupe back.

It's great you are out again with a nice looking 55. You meet a lot of nice people that way and they'll talk more about a Studebaker than the line of brand X's next to it. BTW, nice writeup.

Bob

[studegary]

Your Studebaker is a beautiful original survivor car! In my opinion ( for what it's worth) those late model cars should be separate and judged separate from cars 25 years old and older.

I do not believe those very late model cars belong in any show except a new car show. At many shows and cruise-ins that I attend, a large number of the cars are newer than our everyday drivers (2001). The local AACA annual show is even accepting cars up through 2001. If I wanted to pay the $15 to enter the very clean 2001 Acura 3.2 CL that I drove to the show in, I would have gotten either a first or second place trophy. 1) I have boxes of legitimate trophies. 2) I do not think that my everyday cars, or anyone else's 2001, belongs in an AACA judged show. Makes me think of years ago when I took my 1958 Packard Hardtop to this same AACA show and was refused admission because my Packard was too new. Now, most of the shows and cruise-ins in this area advertise that they take any year of vehicle. I guess that they just want anyone's money and have no standards.

BTW - The 1955 sedan looks excellent!

[8E45E]

The local AACA annual show is even accepting cars up through 2001. If I wanted to pay the $15 to enter the very clean 2001 Acura 3.2 CL that I drove to the show in, I would have gotten either a first or second place trophy. 1) I have boxes of legitimate trophies. 2) I do not think that my everyday cars, or anyone else's 2001, belongs in an AACA judged show.

Your 2001 Acura is 13 years old. In 1978, I attended a car show where there were a good amount of 1965-66 Thunderbirds, which were 'only' a 12-13 year old car at that point in time. I do not remember ANYONE having an issue of those Thunderbirds being there at the time.

I was at a car show today, I got to see LOTS of Thunderbirds from 1955 thru 1964, an '89 Turbo Coupe, and one each from 2002 and 2005.

I guess 'old' or 'vintage' is in the eye of the beholder.

Craig

[sweetolbob]

I do not believe those very late model cars belong in any show except a new car show. At many shows and cruise-ins that I attend, a large number of the cars are newer than our everyday drivers (2001). The local AACA annual show is even accepting cars up through 2001. If I wanted to pay the $15 to enter the very clean 2001 Acura 3.2 CL that I drove to the show in, I would have gotten either a first or second place trophy. 1) I have boxes of legitimate trophies. 2) I do not think that my everyday cars, or anyone else's 2001, belongs in an AACA judged show. Makes me think of years ago when I took my 1958 Packard Hardtop to this same AACA show and was refused admission because my Packard was too new. Now, most of the shows and cruise-ins in this area advertise that they take any year of vehicle. I guess that they just want anyone's money and have no standards.

BTW - The 1955 sedan looks excellent!

Most shows around here have two purposes: Raise money for a cause or the organizers and get the local car folks together. Under that criteria, they will let most anything in that's shiny unless it's in primer or a "Rat Rod" and they come in too.

I have no problems with that criteria because at the shows that historically were only old (Pre 70's cars or so), you got the same crowd and the same winners. If I wanted a reunion, I'd plan one.

The latest criteria brings together a wider sampling of the car hobby and exposes a lot of younger folks to we old farts that still have a passion for our rides. I must admit that it's fun to walk past a tuner or hooptie and get into the same passionate car discussion with them as I do with the old farts that brought their 49 Caddy Limo or 55 BBC powered Chevy.

It's interesting that at local shows now I have about as many car guys in their 30's know me as the older folks. I'm now trying to outlive the younger ones. It doesn't get me many trophies, but I have a few with the Avanti/Studes but it keeps my passion for the hobby young and that's by far the most important criteria for me.

Next weekend, I'll be at the local show sponsored by the Corvette Club and I'll be up to my arse in late model fiberglass. I'll have a great time because we are car guys and there will any number of young and old car guys in any type of rides.

Bob

[BobPalma]

Very nice, Kevin. That has to be one of the most expensive Champions built in 1955.

Automatic Drive or Overdrive? What is the dealer tag(?) below the trunk handle on the deck lid? BP

[8E45E]

Very nice, Kevin. That has to be one of the most expensive Champions built in 1955.

Agreed, Bob.

It still looks as good as it did in 1983: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ight=quarterly

Craig

[63t-cab]

Very Very nice Kevin, would you happen to have any pics of the interior We could see.

[556063]

I bought the car in June 1979 from Les Miller in Bremen, IN as it was on display at a gas station in LaPaz, IN (US6 & US31) for his non negotiable full asking price of $1800. He had reservations selling it to a 16 year old, (but, my Dad and Mom were with me, after a failed trip trying to buy a 63 Lark Daytona in South Bend that the owner backed out of selling when the front clip separated from the rest of the car as he pulled it with a tractor to try and start it). I had $1000 from mowing lawns and delivering papers, and my Dad loaned me the balance.

I had just landed a job in a grocery store, and was H**L bent on owning a Studebaker.

The car had 58,000 miles in 1979. We just flipped 71,000 today. The car was originally shipped to Burlington, IA but somehow ended up back here. Les treated it to some new NOS fenders and a lower body repaint in 1970. It still wears that same paint today.

3 spd. OD. The top Windsor Blue is almost certainly original paint. As is the all vinyl interior. I've had the seats out, and the tags on them match the build date of March, 1955.

Engine is a replacement short block, and the dealer tag is one of the reproductions of a Newman & Altman tag sold the past few years. It may have covered up one of the few scratches that are in the original paint.

Andy Molnar sold me the half fender skirts. They were originally yellow, and Andy said he got them from a Studebaker Engineer that was driving a kerosene powered yellow '55 sedan test buck (boy, the stories I've heard with this car back in the day)!

I took the time to add everything up years ago, and I figured the car would have had a retail price of about $1850 in 1955. About what I paid, and probably why I ended up with it. Got the build sheet and all that. My high school classmates made fun of me, and asked me if I knew how nice of a pickup I could have bought with the money back then. I really didn't care what they thought. (I had to skip the burnout competition today, too):

[RDWEAVER]

Wow! Kevin what a beautiful car! I would say that you could draw an extreme amount of attention at any car show. One thing I have noticed when I go
to any car show is people (car people) tend to pay more attention to what is not as common something the have not seen in a while. Or in a Studebaker's case maybe never seen. There is lots of Camaros and Mustangs at the shows we take our Studebaker to but, when the cars are judged by the people attending they almost always pick one that is out of the ordinary.This can only be due to the attention drawn because it is not so common.
Keep showing that car!
It deserves it.

[556063]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. One other original detail I forgot to mention is that even as a Champion Regal, it's floors have the black rubber mat in front, with carpet in the back. For years, I wondered if that was an owner's customization? There was a discussion either on the Forum, or maybe before the Forum, that sedans left the factory that way back then.

This car has always been fun to show. Ladies have always loved it (colors). I could spend hours talking about how show attendees and participants have changed the last 35 years. I've run the gamut, from guys coming up to me saying they put the fenders on it, to people now who kind of know what it is but have never seen one before. This car would be the last one I would ever sell, but I don't want to be buried in it. Maybe one of my girls will marry a guy who will take it from where I left off.

[Corvanti]

great job showing the Studebaker "flag", and a great car!

most of the multi-make car shows here are for 25 years or older, but i've been to a few that showed newer models. some had separate judging, some didn't.

to all, i can only say - keep showing them!!! i'll never forget one rather large show a few years ago where my '40 was parked between a '69 road runner and a modded t-bucket. guess which one had the largest crowd all day!!! the one below...

[BobPalma]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. One other original detail I forgot to mention is that even as a Champion Regal, it's floors have the black rubber mat in front, with carpet in the back. For years, I wondered if that was an owner's customization? There was a discussion either on the Forum, or maybe before the Forum, that sedans left the factory that way back then.

This car has always been fun to show. Ladies have always loved it (colors). I could spend hours talking about how show attendees and participants have changed the last 35 years. I've run the gamut, from guys coming up to me saying they put the fenders on it, to people now who kind of know what it is but have never seen one before. This car would be the last one I would ever sell, but I don't want to be buried in it. Maybe one of my girls will marry a guy who will take it from where I left off.

'Nope, Kevin; the front rubber mat / rear fuzzy carpet was not a prior owner's customization; it was factory issue on 1955 Champion Regals for some reason. The first Studebaker I ever bought with my own money, my 1955 Champion Regal Coupe, was exactly that way and I purchased it directly from the original woman owner (in 1963, when I was 17).

Also, don't be surprised if one of your daughters does just that; marries a guy who is interested in keeping and maintaining the car.

To wit: I spent a happy couple hours getting caught up with an old Ford friend at The Hoosier Auto Show & Swap Meet this past weekend; we really hadn't spent that much time in conversation for many years, and I appreciated getting caught up.

Among other things, he related to me that he recently gave his nice 1930 Model A Ford Tudor to his youngest daughter and her husband. He bought the Model A in 1962 so, yes, he had owned it continuously for 52 years , well before she was born,and gave it to her and her husband just a couple months ago. 'Still in the family! BP