Interior: could this be for real

[T.J lavallee]

I know that auto makers were very liberal with interior/exterior colors in the fifties but I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever seen a red 59 Lark Regal coupe with an Alaskan Blue interior? Sounds a bit outlandish to me but I've investigated the exterior red and it is everywhere on the car including under the blue vinyl door sill caps which I removed for re-upholstering. Also, all the exposed interior metal shows no signs of taping off. The entire trunk as well as the engine bay are all red except for the lower part of the fenders which are black. Even the floors are painted the same red.There's no signs of overspray on any of the window chrome or any stainless trim. Either somebody's gone through an awful lot of painstaking care repainting this car or it was born red. With that said, a blue interior seems a strange choice to me. Did Studebaker actually offer this color combination in 1959 for the Lark? I do want to keep it true to form if they did no matter how strange the combination seems to me. It would certainly be unique to say the least. Thanks for any knowledge on the subject....T.J.

[Bullet]

Best bet would be to order the production sheet from the national Studebaker museum. Given the age, any amount of swaps or could have happened.

mark

[TWChamp]

I agree with Mark. I ordered the build sheet for my 50 Champ about a month ago, so I hope to have it very soon.

[kurtruk]

I think it's possible that Studebaker offered it, and if not...If a customer requested it, they could probably get it.

[StudeRich]

That is not nearly as ugly as a Green Vinyl Interior in a Red Hardtop, there were some, at least one '53 built that way, just horrible!

I really don't think your combo is all that bad, just not common.

In 1963, Hundreds of Larks or more were built in Champagne Gold with Maroon Interiors and some people now think that was odd, but it looked fine to me.

[BobPalma]

My Blue Mist 1963 Hawk owned circa 1971-1975 had a red interior.

Yes, it was available, per the 1963 Color and Upholstery ordering guide, and was documented by the Production Order. BP

[Andy R.]

In 1963, Hundreds of Larks or more were built in [/B][/COLOR]Champagne Gold with Maroon Interiors and some people now think that was odd, but it looked fine to me.

The Champagne Gold/Red doesn't seem like it would work on paper, but in person it's one of the most beautiful combinations offered. It seems to my eye that somebody poured a quart of Bordeaux Red into a ten gallon drum of Champagne Gold.

Whenever I'm painting, drawing, and printmaking I almost never use a pure color. For instance, to make black I mix colors that are used elsewhere in the composition dark as possible, then add pure black sparingly to get dark enough to "read" as black. It's perceived as black, but in complete harmony with the other elements.

That's what I see in the Champagne Gold/Red combination.
Wasn't there a taupe/grey color Studebaker offered that was based on the mixture of discarded paints?

[studegary]

That is not nearly as ugly as a Green Vinyl Interior in a Red Hardtop[COLOR=#000000][B], there were some, at least one '53 built that way, just horrible!

I really don't think your combo is all that bad, just not common.

That color combination (red w/ green interior) was not offered. (I am not saying that it could not have been a one-off built that way.) The only vinyl offered in a 1953 Regal Starliner was Scarlet Red or Golden Tan and then later for the Spring Special, Flax. The cars with leather were the same colors.
The opposite of what you mention was the way that the 1953 Starliner hardtop that I knew since new and later owned, rebuilt and showed was built. It was green with a red vinyl interior. A lot of people questioned why I would make it such an unusual combination. My answer was because it was built that way. I also knew a blue 1953 Regal Starliner that had a red leather interior.

[SScopelli]

I wonder if a red car with a blue interior has the same visual effect when shaken as with blue letters on a red background..

[8E45E]

My Blue Mist 1963 Hawk owned circa 1971-1975 had a red interior.

Yes, it was available, per the 1963 Color and Upholstery ordering guide, and was documented by the Production Order. BP

This car also comes to mind!! http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...light=chestnut

Craig

[mbstude]

The opposite of what you mention was the way that the 1953 Starliner hardtop that I knew since new and later owned, rebuilt and showed was built. It was green with a red vinyl interior. A lot of people questioned why I would make it such an unusual combination. My answer was because it was built that way. I also knew a blue 1953 Regal Starliner that had a red leather interior.

The Cade's have a Maui blue (white roof) '53 Commander Starliner that originally had a red interior. They went with Tan when they restored the car.

[njonkman]

I have a 1960 Studebaker Fact Book and in there they only offered Red and Black cloth for Red cars and Red or Tan or Black Vinyls for Red cars for that year. No other options.
Nick