1960 Lark Deluxe 4-door Wagon

[joecooz]

My good friends in law has a 60 Lark Deluxe 4-door wagon he is willing to sell to me.
It is ALL original and has what appears to be 21K original miles
It is rust & rot free and still wears its original black paint. Has a few small dings here and there.
The interior is original (red) and is in very good to excellent condition needing only to be cleaned.
It has the 6 cylinder and 3 speed trans. and runs and drives very well.
Can someone tell me a ballpark figure as to what to pay for this car.
I do not have any pictures - maybe tomorrow. That will help evaluate the cars condition.

Thanks

[sals54]

WOW.. so many variables on this car. The fact that its original is amazing.
So far, it sounds like a terrific find.
Pictures will be absolutely necessary to determine whether or not it is indeed original or refreshed at some point in its life.
Also, the fact its a 4 door wagon knocks it down slightly in the value market.
And also, the 6 cylinder 3 speed is a slight negative, when a V8 was a very good option at the time.
Until pictures, it'll be anyones wild guess at this point.

[studegary]

Since you asked for a ballpark figure, based on this limited information (six cylinder, standard) and no picture, I will estimate $4000-$5000.

[joecooz]

Here are some pics of the Lark Wagon.
The white seen on the door panels is just mildew which comes right off.
Let me know what you all think

Thanks

[joecooz]

A couple more pics

[joecooz]

Forgot to mention.....
Went to car today and took these pics AND jumped the dead battery and got it running.
Runs excellent - no smoke,noises, etc.
So the car can and has been driven so it is roadworthy.

[62champ]

Looks like a great start. More important than running is getting it stopping. Above price range is probably correct. Photo is of my '60 when we lived in Nazareth. Drove it to work in Bartonsville a number of times when we lived in the Lehigh Valley - it enjoyed the backroads more than 33, but fun no matter where it was driven.

[joecooz]

It stops just fine. As I said it is a running, driving, stopping car.

[studeclunker]

Nice car. Basically worth what has been stated here, or whatever you can get your friend to take for it. Not worth a whole lot, as per what Sal has already said. However, I would think a survivor in this good of condition would be worth around 5k.

[sals54]

It stops just fine. As I said it is a running, driving, stopping car.

Don’t be too quick to risk your life or someone else’s life just cuz you drove it for a few minutes. Engines don’t like to sit for a long time without running. Something about cycling through the warmup, driving, pressures, cool downs, etc which help an engine live a long life. Sitting engines can sometimes have gaskets dry up, rings get lazy, seals go bad, etc. which may not show themselves for a few hundred miles. You don’t want to find a blown out freeze plug at 65 mph on the freeway.
Also, the interior is of a small concern cuz of the mildew. These old plastics will dry with age. Be very careful getting in n out of this car so the vinyl doesn’t crack. Also, the stitching can rot and will break down in short order once you start stretching it by getting in n out of the car.
Get some vinyl conditioner on it right away so it can regain some of its pliability.
Last concern of mine is brakes. For same reasons above. They may feel fine right now, but having sat for so many years, they could easily be prone to eminent failure unless you do a thorough check of all the braking systems components.
Im not trying to put a downer on the car. It looks awesome. And appears to be a fantastic find. Just don’t be too quick to trust it based on looks alone.

[70Avanti2]

What he said. Don't think that because it drives and stops it will give you thousands of trouble free miles. Things need to be done and looked at. Problems will surface that will need repaired.

But it should be a fun car.

Hope you have a garage to keep it in.

[Hallabutt]

Joe,

Great car! This is the way those of us who care about the history of cars, like to find them. Try to resist doing anything that will change the original character of the car from the way you found it. Try to refrain from doing any painting, even under the hood. This is a car that would be a prime candidate for a survivor award at an AACA judging event. Look into the judging standards on the AACA website. Try also to get any bit of information about ownership, history etc that would verify it's original condition. Especially important is original paint and interior. Alterations to either of these features could mean all the difference in the world, during the vetting processing. I love the condition of the interior including the original rubber floor mat, which you just don't see. IMO this car is as close as it gets to being a museum quality survivor!

Where you live this is a very rare car. You will seldom see another one like it, even at a Studebaker event, including an international. If you do see one, I will guarantee that it will not be in the same league as your car. You might be able to buy the car for $5000, but if it was in my backyard I would think hard about paying $7500-90000 for it. Regardless of monetary value this car, and it's history, are of significant historical importance. Please take care of it!

In my collection I have one similar. Mine was in a garage for 39 years, undriven during that time, had about 67K miles on it, and was, and still is all original. It does have a V8 automatic. Because of the condition and the story, "Humphrey" has quite a following around the PNW. It has been a real joy to share with real car people. I only hope that you appreciate what you have found, please do it right or sell it to someone who will.
Bill

[Milaca]

Would be interesting to know the history of this car. Why does it have so few miles? From what I can see, it looks great!

[joecooz]

Would be interesting to know the history of this car. Why does it have so few miles? From what I can see, it looks great!

From what my friend tells me it sat in a warehouse for many years.
He probably knows more about it. I will ask him

[fastjohnll]

From post #10
"Get some vinyl conditioner on it right away so it can regain some of its pliability."
What product will make old vinyl pliable again?