Wow! Sweet 54 Hard Top!

[Dick Steinkamp]

quote:Originally posted by warrlaw1

Sort of legitimizes the $ I'm spending on my 55 Commander K. Mine's not a speedster, but the black on red seems to be most attractive. I feel better now about keeping it all stock. Hope thy get their $ for the '54.

Keep in mind that there is a big difference between ASKING and actually SELLING.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[goodkarmech]

It always amazes me how knowledgeable the folks are on this forum. If I were to buy another Stude, I'd post pics here first to get some input. Well Done folks!
I'll bet the sellers don't want to promote the idea this is a 6 cylinder car and that is why no engine pics. Seems very odd to me. A buyer considering spending that sum of money for ANY car would want to see engine pics and chassis pics. Makes you wonder what they are hiding. I've seen a few EBAY sourced cars that looked good on top and were a mess underneath. This car sure looks good on the surface. Black is tough to make look good, and the color combo is tops!

Al Reed
North Bay Area, CA
1961 Lark Regal Skytop
1953 Commander Starlight

[warrlaw1]

I know I'll never get the $ back out of my car, Dick, but I love the car and will keep it stock. One side benefit is that I have a houseful of left over parts and if I do find another 53/55 coupe that will never be perfect, I can build a Frankenstien to drive and my conscience won't be calling me bad names

[Chucks Stude]

Is it my imagination, or do these type of places never show the engine? I don't ever recall seeing one that shows the engine.

[JGK 940]

I see they've fixed the year model and number of cylinders in the listing. I wrote yesterday to ask for pix of the engine bay and an explanation of why the engine had been changed and to what and got this back:



If the under-hood shots look as good as the rest of the car I won't have anything left to carp about except cockeyed backup lights [xx(] and I'll have to call their credit department to ask if they'll take my firstborn male child in trade...


Keoni Dibelka / HiloFoto
In Hawai'i; on Hawai'i; on the Windward Side
If da salt air never chew 'em up bumbye da lava will...

[Jeff_H]

Got to see all the pix now, including the interior....

The turn signal knob is wrong and the armrests are on the wrong sides both front and rear. For some reason I see this a lot on these cars.

The seat inserts could be original cloth but I think not, I have seen several '54s with the striped cloth from the '53s used as inserts with vinyl like this. If its not original, its a good reproduction!

Jeff in ND

'53 Champion Hardtop

[studegary]

It is a nice car. I think that if it was a Commander, the price would be realistic.

1953 tail lights were only carried over on 1954 Champion Starlights. Before the serial number of this Starliner, all 1954s used 1954 tail lights.

Is this another C/K with sedan back up lights or was this same car discussed here recently?

It is odd that they refer to it as "All Black" when it obviously as a white top/roof.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[buddymander]

They're just salesmen. They have no real knowledge of ANY car. It's all hype. The photographer messed up..and the dog ate my homework. Talk is cheap, but "As is" can get expensive fast.

[sals54]

Under hood shots are up. I don't know if they were added late or perhaps as a result of this thread... but they do show the flat 6. Engine bay is clean enough to eat off of.

sals54

[StudeRich]

An Automatic 6 for over over $20,000.00? NOT going to happen! [xx(]

StudeRich

[rockne10]

[rockne10]

[Dick Steinkamp]

quote:Originally posted by rockne10

Not a single bid!

As I said earlier...there is a big difference between asking and selling. With a low opening bid and a reserve, the seller would know what the car was worth...but so would everybody else [:0].

I followed a very nice 409 powered '65 Impala through several listings with a $39,000 BIN. Finally the seller listed it with a low opening bid and a reserve. It bid to $15k.

http://tinyurl.com/ybr7soe

Nice car and nice presentation...but in today's market, worth $15k, not $39k (not $39k even when the market was good).

I would think the same with this Champion Starliner. Not $26.9 even in the best market. Maybe $15 in today's market, but the seller would rather potential buyers NOT know that which they would if he started with a low opening bid.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[buddymander]

I see what you mean. Not too important at the beginning of an auction, but close to the end, yes. And then it becomes much more important if you relist it and people go back and see how high (or low) it went before.

[autocrat]

Since this is a Dealers car, and not a SDC members, let me give my two cents.

The 53-4 Starliners are, correctly, honored as a timeless design. One important aspect of that honor was the clean, simplicity of line. Thank you, Mr. Bob Bourke.

Why do people insist on cluttering up this purity with accessories- both factory and aftermarket- that spoil the presentation?

If this were my car I'd take off the front bumper guards, silly exhaust chrome, remove the back-up lights, replace the 53 taillights with 54's and paint the top black.

If one wants to accessorize a Stude, buy a 55 hardtop. The factory already gave them a chrome-laden good start.