Interesting fact - last Studebaker?

[Scott]

I was perusing my old TW issues last night and was looking at (I think) the September, 1993 issue covering New Zealand Cruisers. To make a long story short, the front cover shows two 1965 Cruisers, one of which was assembled after the plant in Ontario closed. The caption said the car was assembled March 31, 1966 (even though it was a 1965 model!). I wonder if that's really the last officially assembled Studebaker, even though it was not done at the Hamilton plant. Maybe there's even a later assembled car out there somewhere overseas.

It also makes me wonder how close a person could get to assembling a "new" Studebaker from NOS parts... hmm...

[Roscomacaw]

I've read that there were a few brand new Studes still available as late as 1967.

As to building a new one from parts, it was definitely do-able when I first got interested in Studes in '73![] The toughest part would have been acquiring a new body tub - or even parts to weld one together. And at that, you'd have to have the jig fixtures to weld one up straight enough to be useable.[}]

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[studegary]

quote:Originally posted by Scott

I was perusing my old TW issues last night and was looking at (I think) the September, 1993 issue covering New Zealand Cruisers. To make a long story short, the front cover shows two 1965 Cruisers, one of which was assembled after the plant in Ontario closed. The caption said the car was assembled March 31, 1966 (even though it was a 1965 model!). I wonder if that's really the last officially assembled Studebaker, even though it was not done at the Hamilton plant. Maybe there's even a later assembled car out there somewhere overseas.

It also makes me wonder how close a person could get to assembling a "new" Studebaker from NOS parts... hmm...

If it was a 1965 model "...assembled after the plant in Ontario closed", I don't think it could be considered an "...officially assembled Studebaker..."

I believe that it was in the '70s or early '80s, someone in California took a 1963 Lark basic body assembly (tub) and put all NOS fenders, trim, interior, running gear, etc. on it. It was a plain model Lark. I believe that they had "NOS 63" plates on it. I saw it at one SDC International Meet and never again, that I remember.

[2R5]

Didn't Studebaker Hamilton have cars the built then took apart and crated and sent over seas in the British Empire for reassemble ? If so this could have been one of these but the serial # would of been recorded as an earlier #

[Scott]

I would consider it an officially produced Studebaker if it was assembled by a contracted agency in another country. I can't see how that would disqualify it from being a real Studebaker. Otherwise any CKD unit assembled in another country could never be considered a real Studebaker!