FIRST THINGS FIRST:
My deepest thanks to Mike Lenyo, and the crew of guys involved with the Sand Car Rescue Project. After all of the research, and time spent getting permission, and finally access to remove the Sand Car, it was these True Hearted Studebaker fans and SDC members who were actually going to make the dream a reality and all the preperations come to fruition for me, the Museum, and the rest of us.
THE OLD HOPE:
I am glad to have lived my little dream this far. I got the chance to contribute my little bit of research, effort and desire to that of the host of SDCers who have attempted things like this in years past. All the stars seemed to be lining up. Bosch granted us access, and permission to remove the car, a pre look at the site and car seemed positive a few weeks prior, a Date was set in conjunction with the South Bend Meet when several key people would be in town, and even the weather was nice to us in the end. The rescue project I am told was a hot topic of discussion during the 09 south bend meet.
The foliage in the Proving Grounds Woods at the graveyard site was just coming out (a week or 2 later and it may have been to thick to work through with the car). The transport truck was standing ready a few miles away (THANKS KIWI TRANSPORT in Washington!!!). A fine morning to do something so noble as preserve perhaps the only Stude Sand Car left in the world (and certianly the only 51).
THE SAD FATE:
That is where the original Dream ends. Sadly, I was not onsite due to the economy making me attend to my day job, but if I was I am not sure I could have taken it in stride. I got a call fairly early Monay Morning (the 4th) letting me know that the Sand Car had collapsed in on itself [B)] when they were just starting to try and get it lifted to get it on the skids. Apparently it was not as solid as thought during the initial inspection a few weeks earlyer. The floorpan (and quite a bit more) which had been sturdy enough to tip the car up and make way for the Woody rescue 30 years ago had become nothing more than leaves and iron rich soil
There was apparently no structure left to keep it stable.
SO..... May 4th 2009 is the date that the only 1951 Commander Desert Explorer Sand Car known to exist died, along with the original dream to rescue it. I now have no choice but to agree with what many have said, there is nothing that can be saved in that proving grounds graveyard. The Sand Car was our best shot.
THE NEW HOPE:
The Rescue Group did retrieve the only "Sand Car" specific parts that were on that old 51 (the rear Flaired Fenders), and will be sending those here. I will still build a Desert Explorer, A Clone if that is all I can do, most likely a 51 as close as possible to what the prototype would have been, using the "Spirit" of the old original 51 embodied in the fenders. I am now also begining as through of a search for ANY existing production Example Desert Explorer sand car I can find, even if I have to import it back here from Suadi. Maybe I will even find the original 1949 prototype that was sent there for testing, or the beautiful Red Convertable they gave to King Abdul Aziz during the Aarmaco Consesions.
Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement during this whole process. The dream lives on, just in a new form.
Here is a photo of the car which looks as though it was taken as it was actually collapsing. I will post a photo of the remains once one is sent to me.
55 Commander
XA Bat (The Roadwarrior)
KARR (Knightrider)
Eleanor (ORIGINAL Gone in 60 Seconds)
"Hero Car Ranch"; Seattle, Wa.
My deepest thanks to Mike Lenyo, and the crew of guys involved with the Sand Car Rescue Project. After all of the research, and time spent getting permission, and finally access to remove the Sand Car, it was these True Hearted Studebaker fans and SDC members who were actually going to make the dream a reality and all the preperations come to fruition for me, the Museum, and the rest of us.
THE OLD HOPE:
I am glad to have lived my little dream this far. I got the chance to contribute my little bit of research, effort and desire to that of the host of SDCers who have attempted things like this in years past. All the stars seemed to be lining up. Bosch granted us access, and permission to remove the car, a pre look at the site and car seemed positive a few weeks prior, a Date was set in conjunction with the South Bend Meet when several key people would be in town, and even the weather was nice to us in the end. The rescue project I am told was a hot topic of discussion during the 09 south bend meet.
The foliage in the Proving Grounds Woods at the graveyard site was just coming out (a week or 2 later and it may have been to thick to work through with the car). The transport truck was standing ready a few miles away (THANKS KIWI TRANSPORT in Washington!!!). A fine morning to do something so noble as preserve perhaps the only Stude Sand Car left in the world (and certianly the only 51).
THE SAD FATE:
That is where the original Dream ends. Sadly, I was not onsite due to the economy making me attend to my day job, but if I was I am not sure I could have taken it in stride. I got a call fairly early Monay Morning (the 4th) letting me know that the Sand Car had collapsed in on itself [B)] when they were just starting to try and get it lifted to get it on the skids. Apparently it was not as solid as thought during the initial inspection a few weeks earlyer. The floorpan (and quite a bit more) which had been sturdy enough to tip the car up and make way for the Woody rescue 30 years ago had become nothing more than leaves and iron rich soil
There was apparently no structure left to keep it stable.
SO..... May 4th 2009 is the date that the only 1951 Commander Desert Explorer Sand Car known to exist died, along with the original dream to rescue it. I now have no choice but to agree with what many have said, there is nothing that can be saved in that proving grounds graveyard. The Sand Car was our best shot.
THE NEW HOPE:
The Rescue Group did retrieve the only "Sand Car" specific parts that were on that old 51 (the rear Flaired Fenders), and will be sending those here. I will still build a Desert Explorer, A Clone if that is all I can do, most likely a 51 as close as possible to what the prototype would have been, using the "Spirit" of the old original 51 embodied in the fenders. I am now also begining as through of a search for ANY existing production Example Desert Explorer sand car I can find, even if I have to import it back here from Suadi. Maybe I will even find the original 1949 prototype that was sent there for testing, or the beautiful Red Convertable they gave to King Abdul Aziz during the Aarmaco Consesions.
Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement during this whole process. The dream lives on, just in a new form.
Here is a photo of the car which looks as though it was taken as it was actually collapsing. I will post a photo of the remains once one is sent to me.
55 Commander
XA Bat (The Roadwarrior)
KARR (Knightrider)
Eleanor (ORIGINAL Gone in 60 Seconds)
"Hero Car Ranch"; Seattle, Wa.
Thanks for this posting, Dee, in a round-about sort of way. It illustrates and verifies the condition of those cars in the High-Speed Oval Graveyard....and I know from being there two days about 18 years ago, that the sand car was one of the best ones extant at the time, if not the best one! 
BP
Lark Parker
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