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**wolfie** · 11-04-2013, 07:39 AM

Originally posted by hausdok View Post

Saw a North Dakota Craigslist ad that had a bunch of old cars listed as parts cars and one of them was something called a Champion 3 Passenger Business Coupe (1951). According to the ad, the seller has had the engine running. I thought I could just make it out behind a similar Stude in one of the pictures. Are those cars, if they existed, desirable?

http://bismarck.craigslist.org/cto/4115462921.html

It is in the pic with the 4 door Stude. yes they are desirable but this one would have to be much better than I see in the pic to be worth his asking price. Steve

**Dick Steinkamp** · 11-04-2013, 07:49 AM

Here's the pic it is in...

**Chris Pile** · 11-04-2013, 07:54 AM

Most makers would call it a business coupe.
Studebaker referred to it as a 3 passenger coupe.

**jclary** · 11-04-2013, 08:04 AM

Yep...Steve's right. Also, "Three Passenger Coupe" is Studebaker's official name for the business coupe. "Business Coupe" became the "street name" for all such coupes across the brand spectrum. Probably, Studebaker would have preferred "Doctor's Coupe" as an alternative as in the Doctor's buggies from horse-drawn days. If you look at the promotional literature of the 1948 model year...it depicts a doctor giving last minute instructions to his nurse as he is about to depart for his morning house-call run.

Across all brands, the business coupe was offered as an economical vehicle as personal transportation for professional folks who found themselves frequently on the street as they went about their duties. Today, seems few of us can identify (or remember) the times that gave birth to the need for such a vehicle. Back in the day, doctors came to you. Small community grocery stores would deliver a bag of groceries to your door, etc. In fact, there were many neighborhoods where few families even owned a car. In my family, by 1947, we had become a family of eight. It was 1953 before we had a family car. When we lived in a small mill village on the outskirts of town, electric trolly, bus, or taxi was the main transportation. We moved to the country in 1950 and walked about a quarter mile to a bus stop or catch the local community train to town.

I recall several small community stores that delivered groceries by business coupes driven by teenage boys. Also, I remember one of our older club members telling me that he bought a Studebaker business coupe after WWII and use it to sell singer sewing machines door to door in the late 1940's. What may be remembered as "the good 'ol days" by many...were really some pretty hard times.

**Transtar56** · 11-04-2013, 09:22 AM

I had a 1947 Champion 3 passenger coupe that's owned by Lewis York in Parrsboro today. My Dad and I hauled it out of a junkyard and rebuilt it into a really nice driving car. It had a 3-speed OD tranny and that was about it for options,not even signal lights. I had lots of fun with that car.

**studegary** · 11-04-2013, 11:30 AM

There were 3764 three passenger coupes built for the 1951 model year.

**8E45E** · 11-04-2013, 11:35 AM

Lots of photos of them here: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...post-pics-here

Craig

**Corvanti** · 11-04-2013, 02:11 PM

in my "The New Studebaker For 1951" sales brochure, (the one with a yellow convertible on the front cover). the page that covers my '51 is called:

1951 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION DE LUXE
Business Coupe

Here's America's best buy for salesmen. The Champion's
low price is amazing to begin with -- and you keep on enjoy-
ing big savings in operating cost throughout the life of the
car. Traveling men particularly like the extra large rear
deck storage space -- big enough to take care of sizable sam-
ple cases. All Studebakers have no-glare "black light" dash
dial illumination -- introduced into cars by Studebaker.

the large pic shows a blue

one. the smaller pic shows the "salesman" looking behind the front seat at his suitcase plus apparently, some heavy (strapped) boxes in the rear.

soooo.... at least in 1951, Studebaker called 'em a Business Coupe.

**jclary** · 11-04-2013, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by Corvanti View Post

soooo.... at least in 1951, Studebaker called 'em a Business Coupe.

Well...I wonder if, by that time, Studebaker was "officially" admitting to what was, by then, become the accepted term for these type cars.

**Corvanti** · 11-04-2013, 02:38 PM

Originally posted by jclary View Post

Well...I wonder if, by that time, Studebaker was "officially" admitting to what was, by then, become the accepted term for these type cars.

probably so, Mr C.

**rockinhawk** · 11-04-2013, 03:11 PM

There is one here in our town,that has been here all it's life,in the same family. It was recently used in a wedding to transport a 5th generation Bride and Groom. One old Studebaker that has served 5 generations of the same family. That may be some kind of a record.