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We've got to quit saying, "How stupid can you be?" Too many people are taking it as a challenge. 
G. K. Chesterton: This triangle of truisms, of father, mother, and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it. -
Thanks Bob for sharing! I still haven't gotten my copy yet!
I love sharing the Studebaker story with others and helping teach about their role in history and how they've impacted so many cars to this day.
I've always said that the car hobby isn't really about rhe cars it's all about the people you meet and friends you make and experiences you share. And I'm simply amazed that Ed sold me S2D in the first place. Its truly amazing to me. I can't express how much that meant to me. And then Dick... was one of the biggest helpers in getting my yellow car on the road along with Tim C. and a few others.
2020 and parts of 2021 were rough as we went through the pandemic. And paying for S2D and taking delivery was impacted as COVID was in its infancy and the initial panic was hitting hard and there was so much uncertainty. We worried banks may fail and I was especially worried I was making a risky move as the world was shutting down and that the economy may collapse. It was probably one of the scariest things I've done...
but the opposite happened, the two cars helped make the pandemic not only tolerable but gave me experiences I will never forget. The magazine and MCACN are just icing on the cake. I still can't believe the number of people in the DC area who recognize S2D and aren't Studebaker owners just classic car fans. It's truly been an incredible journey. I just wish Paul was still alive to share it all with.
I've met so many wonderful people the past 2 years and can't wait to share S2D in Chicago and then come full circle and bring S2D to the international swap meet in south bend next year. Where I saw it and fell hard 15 years ago. Still mind boggling to me. -
Kudos Justin! Beautiful cars and great story.
Mark
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Great story Justin. We all have our path to our Studebakers. I'm glad yours wound up with two. How cool is that?Ed Sallia
Dundee, OR
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Thanks!! Commander Eddie It's pretty dang cool!! I honestly thought I was going to sell the yellow one after S2D arrived. But it ended up needing way more work than what I thought after I got it and a couple small jobs turned into a ton of work. A TON of work. While working on it, I made it undrivable and it would have been too hard to sell with the work it needed. I think I ended up spending 15K making it drivable. I really didn't think I'd need two 54's. But now that both are drivable, I can't fathom selling the yellow one. S2D is the hot rod, the sports car. The show car. And I've turned the yellow one into the "daily driver" when the weather is nice. It still needs a couple minor things and I need to have the gauges rebuilt and an alignment done, but its the perfect car to putt around town in. The are so different enough, it's almost like having 2 totally different cars :-)
I'm already looking forward to finding a third Stude
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It may seem a bit trivial but a minor pushback regarding whether the hobby is more about the people you meet or the cars that draw us together which makes the hobby what it is. Of course it's about the people who save, restore and drive the cars, but without the cars it would never happen in the first place (kind of a chicken or the egg thing). Important cars take on a life of their own. Ownership is transitory, fleeting and unpredictable, but an important car carries with it a message that can be transformative for many people who could care less about the owner. I'm in no way trying to erode pride of ownership, but an owner can only touch so many people. An important car should, and in most cases will, outlive all of us.Originally posted by J_Cole View Post
My own thirty five year partnership with such a car has taught me so much about what a car can mean to the education of so many. For me it's all about the car and what it can mean to the hobby. It's all about the car. Speaking for myself I know what it's like to own a car in whose presence I am humbled. I take pride in owning a car that so many people around the world know, most of whom don't know me, or could care less about who I am.
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My two 1954 Studebaker Commanders are a dream come true - Hagerty Media
Hagerty posted a link of the article to their website. It's been a surreal few weeks between this and MCACN and S2D winning an award at MCACN.Comment
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Way to go Justin! It was great to meet and talk to you at MC&CN. Yes it is about the people, the stories and the cars.
Rob in PA.Comment
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Justin Cole in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine
Justin posted elsewhere that his write-up would be in the November 2021 
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