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Help Me answer a question I am asked...."How many Studebakers are still on the Road?"

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  • Help Me answer a question I am asked...."How many Studebakers are still on the Road?"

    It's probably a question many hear, at car shows or at the grocery store parking lot. What's a good answer? I guess you can't count the "waiting restoration" or back lot relics. Just the cars that start with a key and legally travel the roadways. And reasonable estimates??????

  • #2
    Perhaps citing the SDC membership would one way to answer it. We are nearly 12,000 strong around the world, would be reasonable to assume that most members have at least one driving car, with some having more than one to make up for the ones that don't. Then we know there are other owners that are not SDC members.
    Pat Dilling
    Olivehurst, CA
    Custom '53 Starlight aka STU COOL


    LS1 Engine Swap Journal: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/jour...ournalid=33611

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    • #3
      My estimate is 25K.
      Gary L.
      Wappinger, NY

      SDC member since 1968
      Studebaker enthusiast much longer

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      • #4
        I thought someone a few years ago had done a search of DMV records in the U.S. (and possible worldwide) to see how many were registered. I can't seem to find that information now. Anyone remember this?
        Ed Sallia
        Dundee, OR

        Sol Lucet Omnibus

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        • #5
          As I remember, Bob Palma in a Cooperator column years ago figured an estimate of the fact that most SDC members have more than one car and with an extrapolation based on registration figures thought there were around 55,000 Studebaker cars around. He also stated that was a huge restoration project(s).

          Since that time, we have had some members leave but new one join to keep the flame glowing so I would say, and I like, that the 55,000 figure would be a good representation. Any one that asked I would follow up with "Would you like to have a Studebaker? SDC is a good source to find one"

          Bob Miles
          Tucson AZ
          Home of 6 Volt Paradise

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          • #6
            At first glance I thought that Gary's estimate was pretty close, then noted "start with a key and legally travel the roadways." Twenty five thousand seems far too high an estimate. That would be an average of about five hundred running driving cars per state, and even taking into consideration overseas cars it is still high. The twenty five thousand seems to be more in line with all survivors when taken in mass. That would include those waiting for restoration and parts cars that could be retrieved from their ordained fate of just parts. I think that just taking running, driving cars is far too narrow a sample to be vary useful. It fails to consider cars that could be made to run with a weekends work.

            I remember the figures that Eddie mentioned, but I couldn't find them either. As I remember they seemed to be from shortly after WWII. Even if the figures were from a later period, it would have been when the cars were still being used as transportation and not very indicative of today's runners. I might be wrong, but I think that Bob Palma found the figures.

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            • #7
              On second thought maybe all of the twelve thousand SDC members do have at least two running driving cars.

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              • #8
                A quick glance at the Roster will probably confirm that if not more.

                Bob Miles
                Tucson AZ
                Home of 6 Volt Paradise

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                • #9
                  Definitely a variable, dependent on terminology. If, "still on the road" includes any Stude seen moving under its own power, within 25 miles of an SDC meet, maybe 10,000, counting TQs. Add, "must be driven over 1000 miles per year", then the number drops to maybe 2000. If you mean honest to goodness turn key, daily drivers, logging at least 10,000 miles per year, maybe 500, worldwide.

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                  • #10
                    I own 2 Studebakers and drive them both regularly. Am I not indicative of many (not all) Studebaker owners today?
                    Ed Sallia
                    Dundee, OR

                    Sol Lucet Omnibus

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                    • #11
                      I wouldn't be surprised if in the U.S. there weren't at least 1000 still being used as daily drivers. It's probably 5-10 times that in Cuba.
                      "Madness...is the exception in individuals, but the rule in groups" - Nietzsche.

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                      • #12
                        I would venture there are more now than there were twenty years ago.
                        Brad Johnson,
                        SDC since 1975, ASC since 1990
                        Pine Grove Mills, Pa.
                        '33 Rockne 10, '51 Commander Starlight. '53 Commander Starlight
                        '56 Sky Hawk in process

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                        • #13
                          My Stude is a daily driver unless it is the one that is down. I have 4 vehicles and 3 drivers. If one is in need of repair, it is down for a while and the other 3 are driven until the repaired one is ready. I WISH I had more Studebakers.......
                          Dis-Use on a Car is Worse Than Mis-Use...
                          1959 Studebaker Lark VIII 2DHTP

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by 64V19816 View Post
                            It's probably a question many hear, at car shows or at the grocery store parking lot. What's a good answer? I guess you can't count the "waiting restoration" or back lot relics. Just the cars that start with a key and legally travel the roadways. And reasonable estimates??????
                            Ray, jump on over to the SDC's International Drive Your Studebaker Day (IDYSD) forum. Posts about that one official SDC drive day a year span the past 6 IDYSDs. You can get some idea of the number of Studebakers on the road internationally that special Studebaker day and go from there.
                            Last edited by 56Golden; 06-28-2016, 01:09 PM.

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                            • #15
                              To look at it another way. I drive for a living. On the road all day. I see a Studebaker driving down the interstate once every other year. During the St Louis International I saw no Studes driving to the meet.

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