Feeling curious

[Lark1959]

Just wondering how some of you fellin in love with Studebakers. It happened to me as a kid. Is that the way it is for most of you or dis you discover them later?

[dixiana]

I was about six years old. (I'm 60 now) There was a 1959 Lark Wagon parked on our block that belonged to "Sylvia's Flowers", a florist. I was fascinated with it. When the 1962 Lark came out I saw one of the first ones drive by and was interested especially in the new rear end treatment. My Dad (who was patient with my obsession) took me to Howard-Perry Studebaker, 4748 W. Fullerton in Chicago to see the new models. This was in October, 1961. My Father took several pictures of me with several 1962 Larks and several leftover 1961s. Sadly, all but a few pictures were burned in an apartment fire years ago. I still have 2 pictures of a turquoise Lark Deluxe 2-door, one of a yellow 1961 Regal hardtop and one of a yellow 1961 Regal convertible. The one I wish I still had was me holding the door handle of a white 1962 Daytona convertible. I was seven at this point and an avid Mister Ed fan. Loved the commercials as well as the show.

[Flashback]

It started early, can't remember the exact age, My Dad had a 41 Studebaker wrecker. This was somewhere between 47 and 50. I would have been three to six. I loved playing in this thing. Then when I was eleven, he gave me a Studebaker truck. This really got me started. But the real "when I fell In love" was later in 1955, when I was 11. A neighbor had a 55 chev, with a power pac. He challanged my Dad to a race. I was ridin', and Dad BEAT him. That was IT. The chev he was racing was a red and white two door hardtop bel air. The other guys name was Hugh. My Dad and Hugh are both gone, but that memory is not. O, I know you are dying to know: The Studebaker Dad was driving was a Green and white 55 4 door President, with a power kit . Yea I remember

[Roscomacaw]

A young fella I was working with - this was in '73 - would drive one of his family's fouir different Studes to work each day. That was the first I'd ever paid attention to Studebakers, even tho I was well aware of them before that. Anyway, I'd drive past this forlorn 60 Lark ragtop every day and finally ended up owning it.

[JoeHall]

It was back in the late 1960s. I was a few weeks shy of 16, and dad and I had been looking for a "first car" for several months, with growing intensity as my birthday grew nearer. (Back then in Kentucky, most kids got their license at 16.) We had looked at several cars, but none of them tickled my fancy till we stopped at a used car lot owned by an old friend of dads. Sitting there was a black 56J. I knew when we walked within 100 feet of it, that it was the car I was looking for. The rest is history. Since then, I have owned ten 56Js, and have driven them well over 200,000 miles. I have also owned several other Studes, mainly Hawks, but till now, nothing tickles my fancy like a 56J. I am sitting within 20 feet of the blue & white one now, as it sits in the attached garage.

[tony58]

Born and raised in Columbia,Tennessee.Every Summer I would go to Cullman Ala. and stay 2-3 weeks with my Uncle Bill Nesmith and family.All that uncle Bill drove was Studebakers.So when it came time for a car it was a Studebaker.Get this,it was a 1953 Studebaker Starlite Coupe .If I had just known what I had. I sold it for $300.00 while I was in the Navy...
Thanks,
Tony

[bezhawk]

It was a hot and sultry day.....there she was sitting in a field glistening......beckoning me over. I caressed her shiny rear bumper and had to have her. Dad said she'd break my heart. Too late. I . was. hooked........

[r1lark]

My family had a Packard dealership, which was dualed with Studebaker in the mid-fifties. As a youngster in the early to mid-'60s, I can remember my mothers '55 Packard hardtop, my grandmothers '60 Lark V8 hardtop, my other grandmothers '59 or '60 six cylinder 2-door, and the various used Studebakers my dad would drive home. I clearly remember riding with my mother in her '60 hardtop, and a guy runing a stop sign right in front of my mother; no injuries to us, and the car did get fixed to drive again. This was the same car that my brother and friend (probably about 15 then) would push away from the house (after sneaking out of the house) and go joy-riding around town. At least once that V8 outran the cops.........

Got my first Studebaker ('64 GT) in the early '80s and have put a lot of miles on that and subsequent Studes since then.

[Pat Dilling]

Here's a picture that shows the oldest Studebaker I remember, our '53 Commander Starliner. Those are my brothers and me, kinda blurry. I am told that we also had a 50 or 51 bullet nose. My dad moved on to Cadillacs for a while as he traveled many miles a year as an insurance salesman and wanted a more comfortable car. My mom became the primary driver of the 53 Stude. I still remember having my fingers caught in the door one time. And riding on the center arm rest in the back seat.

[dnevin]

My 9th grade science teacher mentioned how beautifully streamlined the 50s Studebakers were. So I started looking at pictures of them...

[j.byrd]

My Dad worked at 4 different dealer locations in Knoxville and Clinton, Tennessee. I got to go to work with him, and hang around the Clinton dealership after school. All this started when I was 5, and I'm not over 'em yet ! ( I'm 65 and very immature, ha ! ) We have owned 12, my parents owned 4. I don't have one right now because we sold them and more to move here, but I'm constantly terrorizing a buddy with a 54 Champion coupe that I keep telling him and his wife they "don't need". It was her Dad's since new, so I'll probably have to keep looking.

[SN-60]

My Father owned a restaurant which happened to be diagonally across the street from the local Studebaker dealership. (Kibart Motors of Brockton, Mass). The owner of that dealership, the salesmen, and of course the mechanics would eat at My Father's place. NATURALLY it was 'good business' for Dad to buy new Studebakers. So, I grew up with them, and it 'stuck' I guess!

[JimC]

The short story is that my grandpa had a '60 Lark Hardtop that he loved with an obsession, and I caught the bug as a little boy.

Some of my earliest memories involve that car. Riding around in it, helping my grandpa fix it. Playing in it. At one point, my grandpa needed a parts car, so he bought another Lark which was known as Jim's Lark, a black '61 4 door. So then I had two to play in. When he died, the hardtop was left to me, but as I wasn't even a teenager yet, it went to sit in a field and waste away. I picked it up 6ish years ago, but it was too far gone. Now I own a '63 that I love, as does my 3 year old, who is maybe more excited about Studes than I am!

[studegary]

No one else in my family owned a Studebaker. In 1946 I saw a new 1947 Studebaker five passenger coupe (later Starlight) parked at the curb. I stopped and looked at that car and walked all around it. Those with me could not understand the attraction. My interest was elevated greatly when a family friend bought a new 1953 Commander Starliner (I later bought it from them.). A neighbor replaced his Hudson with a new 1957 Silver Hawk. Then I bought my first Studebaker, not my first car, in 1960. It has been followed by more than 50 more Studebakers.

[Green 53]

My dad only had one Studebaker. A new 48 Commander Starlight coupe. Traded in 49 for a new Buick.

Denny L