Younger Boomers?

[DougHolverson]

Are there any younger Boomers, ie: born after Sputnik, here? I was born in '60, and I sometimes felt like I was the only one my age that liked or even cared about them.

I'm not sure Studes were popular with the older Boom either. They seemed to be cars that associated the Korea War and older generations. I mean folks like Frank Zappa and Warren Zevon even made backhanded mention of Studes in their songs. If Studebakers were more popular with Boomers, they might be more likely to still be making them.

[2R5]

Boomers started out being people who were born just after WWII , then someone stretched it for another bunch of years

[DougHolverson]

I've been told the Baby Boom was from '45-6 to '64. Much like the Postwar Studebaker run in South Bend. Although there's a big difference in being a child of the '60s (the older Boom) and a child of the '70s (the later Boom, like me).

[swvalcon]

Doug When at one of our club meetings I happened to be discussing this very same thing with a fellow club member. I told him if you mention Studebaker to any one under 50 they look at you funny and go what's a Studebaker. His answer was well look around. Most everyone in the room was well over 50.

[StudeNewby]

Doug, I'm a "late Boomer" (a '63 model). I remember my dad owning them when I was a kid, and I caught the bug from him. He owned his last one when I was a teenager. Last year, I spotted its near-twin, a Champ, the first one I had seen since my Dad's. It's now my daily driver.
My students, most of them age 18-35, have never heard of a Stude, much less seen one. Nevertheless, I'm doing my part to spread the word of Studedom to as many as possible!
Oh, btw, I saw you mention Googie style in a previous post...another infatuation of mine. Color me eclectic.

[56H-Y6]

Hi

Here's a bit of perspective of those days. By the time late 'Boomers' came along, Studebaker was regarded by most earlier 'Boomers' as an undesirable, soon-to-be-orphan car. Other than the short-lived excitement in the Avanti, GT Hawks were also-rans compared to Thunderbirds and Rivieras. No cool, self-respecting young buck wanted to show up in a Lark in the high school parking lot, being on par with Ramblers. If you saw someone younger driving a Lark, it was because that was all they could afford. They found those, many still in nice shape, on the dealer's backlot row priced cheap. The way they beat and abused them, its a wonder any are left!

Steve

[Commander Eddie]

I was born in 1949 and my parents owned Studebakers almost exclusively. My first car was a 1955 Commander Coupe that my dad had set up for street racing. It had a beautiful paint job and cool wheels. It also could outrun just about anything in my school parking lot. It was voted "Cavalier Coach" by the school newspaper in my senior year. But alas, it was one of only a couple of Studebakers in the school parking lot. That spoke volumes.

[r1lark]

I was born in '57, so I guess I'm right on the edge of the group Doug is asking about.

One thing that is very noticeable - to me at least - is the change in comments and questions from the general public about Studebakers. When I got my first one in the mid-'80s, most of the people that would come up to talk knew exactly what it was and had stories to tell about Studebakers they themselves or an immediate family member (father, brother, etc) owned. Back then, the questions were more in the range of "where did you find that Studebaker", or "where do you find parts". Nowdays, most don't know what it is, so the questions mainly center around "what kind of car is that?".

[doublepaddle]

Frank Zappa and Warren Zevon

I mean folks like Frank Zappa and Warren Zevon even made backhanded mention of Studes in their songs. If Studebakers were more popular with Boomers, they might be more likely to still be making them.[/QUOTE]


Frank is my favorite artist and at one time I had all his stuff.(about 45 albums) He's the man!!! Love Zevon also. Good stuff!!! Growing up I had never heard of a Studebaker and no one around had one (late 60's and early 70's). Spent a lot of time in and out of the local junk yards then . Lived at the base of Cape Cod.

[BILT4ME]

I was born in 65 and we had a 1960 Studebaker Lark VI 2DSDN that my folks bought used from a landlord because it was CHEAP (it only had 27000 miles on it). We were farmers in Iowa and didn't have much. I remember riding to church in the back seat of that car when I was about 5. After that, my only memory of it was a "junk car" that sat next to the barn and someone hit the front fender with a cultivator and put a big gash in it and some kids that came to the property beat all the gauges out of it. I do not know why it was considered a "junk car" because my folks fixed everything and we never threw anything away.

Fast forward to age 14 and I asked Dad if I could have it , fix it , and drive it. He said yes, so I drug it home and started cleaning it up and worked to get it running. It ran OK, but it was the 170 CID with 3 speed (no OD, radio, or any other thing that might be considered "luxury") and it didn't have much power. Just before I turned 16, we found another Lark, a 1959 Lark VIII 2DHTP (29K miles) on an auction that we originally intended to buy for parts. It turned out to be in better shape, so that became my first car in 1981. I got the 59 running and licensed before I turned 16.

I still have the 59, and it sat in the barn/.garage for the last 31 years, as I didn't drive it in college, so it sat next to the barn, only to have the top 8 ft of a tree fall on it. I have since resurrected it (still has the tree damage) but our son and I got it running again in August this year and drove it for the first time to the International Meet in St. Louis. It will now be his car, and he drives it to school most days, except winter time. He has a great time telling everyone what kind of car it is and telling the stories, both his and mine. He says it is a "chick magnet."

From what I see, the Studebaker (particularly the Lark) was "The working man's car" and that translated to "cheap" (reference the self-inflicted CASO here....). So, those that were "affluent" wouldn't be caught dead in a Studebaker. Yes, I drove one because they were cheap and it was a means to get my first car. I also built my own 4x4 pickup because I wanted a truck and we couldn't afford to buy one. So I bought many carcasses and a 4x4 frame for $25 to $250 each and combined all of them to have a great truck (not a Stude).

I recall a particular moment in my life when I was 16 that I went to the Clay County Fair about 1981 or 1982. I had a ball cap made that said "Move Over World, I Own a Studebaker!" An older fella (a lot older to me then!) commented "You Wish!", to which I replied...."I do! It's out in the parking lot. Want to go see it?" He was surprised that someone as young as I was drove a Stude. Later that same day, I saw at a car show, a customized Chevy pickup (I think it was a 67-72 era) that had a front grille surround and headlights of a 59 Lark grafted into it. When I asked the owner if it was a 59 Lark front end, he was shocked that I knew what it was and then told me the story of how he grafted the two together.

I know we are doing all we can to educate the new generation on Studes. Everywhere we go, lots of people ask what it is or what year it is. When I tell them about it being my first car, they all are very surprised. Even though it is rough around the edges, it's still very unique to drive and to show off. I wish it was all pristine, but then I wouldn't drive it as much.

[studerodder]

I am a 1956 model, so I guess that makes me a "middle boomer" I have two studies now, but I was into big block mopars when I was younger. Gramps was a Stude guy and the first car I worked on was his 58 hawk. He was a mechanic and so am I. Guess I'm back where I started.