Any knowledge about the '53 convert prototype?

[StudeDave57]

The tooling cost of the two door sedan F-body was probably equal to what it would have cost to tool a convertible version of the K body. Steve

I'm sorta confused by this statement. The '53-'55 W and F bodies were the same shell. The only real differance was in the doors. The Fs had a longer front door, and a plug were the rear door would be. I think doing this was a BUNCH cheaper then doing a 'vert. I also think it'd be safe to say so because Stude would've done it the other way around if that was the case~ provided they could keep up with C/K orders, that is!!! Remember- in 1953 they were expecting the sedans to out-number the C/Ks, and were not prepared for what actually happened when C/K orders started to pour in...

There was a red one on Dennis Gage's show.

That would be Steve's (SD2Steve) . Check his post above- it's in his sigline...

[Sdude]

They should have built that car. It would have sold like HOTCAKES!

[paintim613]

The car on My Classic Car with Dennis Gage was Steve Hudson's beauty in Oregon. Dennis called it the best looking Stude he had ever seen and he is a Stude guy.

[Chucks Stude]

And he ain't lying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My wife even liked it, and she's not a car person.

[mr moto]

Here you go. These were taken many years after it was owned by Studebaker, and I'm not sure it was red originally. Basically, just imagine a factory hardtop with every single geegaw and accessory offered during '53-54, then add a Chevy-esque soft top.

Steve,
If you've personally seen the car, do you know if the interior is actually white (as it appears in the photos) or some other light color?

[S2DSteve]

I haven't seen the car in person. It appears to me the top and upholstery were white in this picture, but again this may not be original. I believe it was blue when sold by Studebaker in '54 trim, but I'm not sure what it was originally. Regardless, it would have been a color combination offered by Studebaker at the time.

[studegary]

I am not much for remembering colors, but I DO NOT believe that the interior was white. It was probably Scarlet Red, or possibly, Golden Tan.

[mr moto]

What were the available factory interior colors for 1953 and '54? It's easy to find paint colors on the web but info about interior colors is scarce.

[studegary]

What were the available factory interior colors for 1953 and '54? It's easy to find paint colors on the web but info about interior colors is scarce.

For 1953 Starliners with vinyl or leather seats: Scarlet Red or Golden Tan. In the Spring, Flax was added, but only for Bombay Red or Bombay Red/Salem White cars.

Right off, I do not remember if the 1954 model year varied from this. The convertible was built as a 1953 model and received exterior trim and color change, but I do not believe that the seats were changed from the 1953 Starliner seats that it was built with.

If you mean interior metal parts, in 1953 they were all Loma Gray, except for the Spring Special model.

[clonelark]

Can you imagine what the value of an original 53-55 convertible would be on the market today, had they made them. Maybe we wouldn't be in the cellar in value of colector cars had they actually made them.

[DieselJim]

Back in the 70's, the car sat behind a gas station, under trees, rotting top, on the East side of South Bend. The last time I saw it in the 90's, it had been repainted with a new top and interior. They also added a 64 hood ornament. The car was sold and if memory is right, it went to California and that owner was doing a complete restoration. Jim

[8E45E]

What were the available factory interior colors for 1953 and '54? It's easy to find paint colors on the web but info about interior colors is scarce.

I would highly recommend the book, Studebake's Finest By John Bridges. Its a complete authenticity guide on 1953 & 1954 C and K models.

Craig

[mr moto]

The Nov. '76 TW from Ebay arrived yesterday and the article on the '53 convertible is very good. I couldn't get a good scan of it last night but when I do I'll post it here. It's not extensive but there are a few pictures taken over the years and I think I can see how to approach the project and what I'll do. I'm thinking to convert the available '53 kit to a '54 and do it with light tan paint (Sandusky Beige ?), scarlet red 1953 interior (wasn't changed when the exterior was updated), white top, backup lights on the trunk lid (visible in one of the photos), and steel wheel covers. It looks like it may have had wire wheels as a '53 but the photo of it as a '54 in light tan paint shows it wearing standard wheel covers. Hope to get a good scan soon!
The article also mentions it's appearance as "The Crescent City Comet" What I haven't mentioned so far is that, as best I can figure, this is the car that started my interest in Studebakers. As a young boy I lived in New Orleans and saw "The Crescent City Comet" on TV news. I remember asking my mother what kind of car that was but she didn't know.

[Michael]

About the time the convertible went to New Orleans it had the standard wheel covers changed to the wire wheel covers. When sold to Dale Bratcher on March 16th
1964 it still carrried the wire wheel covers. I wonder if there are any photos from when the car was in New Orleans?

Michael Bostedt
Sweden

[56H-Y6]

I'm sorta confused by this statement. The '53-'55 W and F bodies were the same shell. The only real differance was in the doors. The Fs had a longer front door, and a plug were the rear door would be. I think doing this was a BUNCH cheaper then doing a 'vert. I also think it'd be safe to say so because Stude would've done it the other way around if that was the case~ provided they could keep up with C/K orders, that is!!! Remember- in 1953 they were expecting the sedans to out-number the C/Ks, and were not prepared for what actually happened when C/K orders started to pour in...


That would be Steve's (SD2Steve) . Check his post above- it's in his sigline...

Hi Studedude57

While I think the '56 and later two door F-bodies were useful to enlarge the sedan based cars, initially the body was functionally redundant as the C-body coupe is essentially the same car, the minor difference in passenger capacity notwithstanding.
Of the body types that would have produced more sales, tooling money for a four door wagon would have been better spent. Station wagon sales were, simply put, explosive as the suburbs came into being, doubling from 1950 through 1954, then doubling again by 1957.

I'm alway prejudgiced toward upmarket models including convertibles. Studebaker would have benefitted more than just by the sales numbers from having a K-body derived convertible, in a highly desirable, high image model. The level of wider spread affluence from postwar prosperity was resulting in increased sales volume for just such models, which Studebaker was not getting it's share.

Better use of their limited tooling resources would have been to defer the sedan-based two door body until 1956, at which time a two door hardtop and converible should have been added to the model mix first. A sedan-based two door sedan could have been derived from the hardtop basics. But, given the interest in hardtops, those same tooling dollars would have been better directed to development of a four door hardtop.

Steve