Birthday of the PBW

[R3 challenger]

Today, December 12th, is the 50th birthday of the Plain Brown Wrapper. It makes me pause and reflect on all the enjoyment our Studebakers have brought us for so many years. Just over one week after the Wrapper was made, the South Bend factory closed. Most of our Studebakers are now over 50 years old, some quite a bit older, and it's been a great ride (pun intended). I plan to celebrate by eating some (or most) of a birthday cake. It's a good excuse. <G> 'Think I'll top off the cake with candles that read "50".

Let's do this every 50 years, OK?

George

[Commander Eddie]

Sounds good to me. I have one Studebaker that is almost 64 and another that is almost 53. And I'm older than both of them. YIKES!

[DEEPNHOCK]

Too bad Pabich Motor's building in Roselle (IL) is gone now...
My Dad's Hawk came from there, too........

[R3 challenger]

Sorry to hear the Pabich Motors building is gone, Jeff. George Pabich ordered the PBW's R3 from Paxton Products for me in November of '64. The Pabich building was quite old back in the early '60s when I used to hang out there.

George

[DEEPNHOCK]

Sorry to hear the Pabich Motors building is gone, Jeff. George Pabich ordered the PBW's R3 from Paxton Products for me in November of '63. The Pabich building was quite old back in the early '60s when I used to hang out there.
George

Yessir! In 1920, it was a hoppin' place, what with the ice cream parlor next door (Pre-date's Shirl's by a few decades)

[Green 53]

Better have some ice cream with that cake George.

Denny L

[SN-60]

today, december 12th, is the 50th birthday of the plain brown wrapper. It makes me pause and reflect on all the enjoyment our studebakers have brought us for so many years. Just over one week after the wrapper was made, the south bend factory closed. Most of our studebakers are now over 50 years old, some quite a bit older, and it's been a great ride (pun intended). I plan to celebrate by eating some (or most) of a birthday cake. It's a good excuse. <g> 'think i'll top off the cake with candles that read "50".

Let's do this every 50 years, ok?

George

Happy Birthday PBW!!!

[R3 challenger]

Yessir! In 1920, it was a hoppin' place, what with the ice cream parlor next door (Pre-date's Shirl's by a few decades)

Wow, cool photo, Jeff. It looks pretty familiar except by the time I got there, the street (Irving Park Road) was paved.
Thanks,

George

PS Denny, the ice cream is ready...get here quick before it melts.

[Bill Pressler]

Pretty cool, George. I know that Fred Fox's GT turned 50 on Dec. 10, and my friend Ed Davies' '64 convertible turned 50 on Nov. 27--only five days after JFK was assassinated and one day before Thanksgiving. I kid him that all the workers were in a hurry to get home for the long weekend.

Our Ohio Region SDC chapter's newsletter, Larry Sherer, owns a '64 Hawk (I'm pretty sure, though not positive, that it's no. 64V-20170) that will turn 50 on Dec. 20--the last day the regular assembly lines operated in South Bend.

[Roscomacaw]

Happy Birthday PBW!!! George, you and Ted and that car have served as inspiration for many. Sure, let's celebrate again in 2063.

[R3 challenger]

Interesting, Bill. Anyone else have or know of a South Bend Studebaker made on December 20, 1963 (besides the museum '64 R1 Daytona HT, that is)? How about a birthday party on December 20th at the museum for that Daytona? Of course, production orders for all 1964 Avantis from R-5626 through the last one, R-5643, listed December 26th as the Final Assembly date. Immediately before that, 10 Avanti POs had the Final Assembly Date of 11/6. All that doesn't add up, but that's another story.

George

[Bill Pressler]

Interesting, Bill. Anyone else have or know of a South Bend Studebaker made on December 20, 1963 (besides the museum '64 R1 Daytona HT, that is)? How about a birthday party on December 20th at the museum for that Daytona? Of course, production orders for all 1964 Avantis from R-5626 through the last one, R-5643, listed December 26th as the Final Assembly date. Immediately before that, 10 Avanti POs had the Final Assembly Date of 11/6. All that doesn't add up, but that's another story.

George

I found out for Larry on a visit to the SNM Archives several years back, that his car was built on the last day. I knew the serial number was high and the paperwork documented it.

I've mentioned this here before, but maybe eight or nine years ago I was in a TGI Friday's restaurant with my older daughter Kelsey, and I was wearing a SNM sweatshirt. A handsome older gentleman approached me and said he was a Notre Dame grad and had worked at the NBC affiliate in South Bend when Studebaker shut down, and in fact had snuck into the plant and got 'spy film' of the last car coming down the line. I had read that someone had done that, but I'd never seen the person identified. This fellow was not a Stude buff by any chance but did say he got back to the occasional Notre Dame football game. He said the Chicago affiliate sent the South Bend NBC station a tiny camera. He said that on the day before the final day, he offered an employee ten bucks for his employee badge and had gone a couple days without shaving. He did get a photo of the last car down the line and the film was sent by courier to Chicago; from there it was used on the Huntley-Brinkley news that night. He seemed surprised that I knew anything about that story. I later asked him to speak at an Ohio Region SDC meet, which he graciously did. I'll have to send him an email on the 50th anniversary to remind him--hopefully he still has the same email address.

[hawk58man]

Happy 50th birthday PBR, and may you have 50 more....

[Warren Webb]

I've mentioned this here before, but maybe eight or nine years ago I was in a TGI Friday's restaurant with my older daughter Kelsey, and I was wearing a SNM sweatshirt. A handsome older gentleman approached me and said he was a Notre Dame grad and had worked at the NBC affiliate in South Bend when Studebaker shut down, and in fact had snuck into the plant and got 'spy film' of the last car coming down the line. I had read that someone had done that, but I'd never seen the person identified. This fellow was not a Stude buff by any chance but did say he got back to the occasion Notre Dame football game. He said the Chicago affiliate sent the South Bend NBC station a tiny camera. He said that on the day before the final day, he offered an employee ten bucks for his employee badge and had gone a couple days without shaving. He did get a photo of the last car down the line and the film was sent by courier to Chicago; from there it was used on the Huntley-Brinkley news that night. He seemed surprised that I knew anything about that story. I later asked him to speak at an Ohio Region SDC meet, which he graciously did. I'll have to send him an email on the 50th anniversary to remind him--hopefully he still has the same email address.

It would be nice to have a copy of that film sent to the museum. They could copy it & offer it for sale along with other items. I for one would like to see it. I remember a segment on the Today show about the last Packard built. Of course it was black & white tv at the time but the car appeared to be black. Anyone know of what happened to it?

[Bill Pressler]

It would be nice to have a copy of that film sent to the museum. They could copy it & offer it for sale along with other items. I for one would like to see it. I remember a segment on the Today show about the last Packard built. Of course it was black & white tv at the time but the car appeared to be black. Anyone know of what happened to it?

I had asked Andy Beckman about it in passing several years ago. He said he thought he had seen it...it was grainy and not the best quality if I remember correctly. I'd love to see it. Somewhere I did see a photo of the last Daytona HT that's in the SNM now, being loaded onto a transport truck before Studebaker decided to keep it. I haven't been able to find that footage lately.