58 commander VS. Starlight

[289stude]

Hey Guys i posted in a previous post that I may be buying a 58 Commander HT V8, Auto, & Factory air










Anyway I first would like to read up on them so anybody that can post any factory literature it would be greatly appreciated. Also I was looking at a TW and it showed a 58 Starlight HT or maybe it said Starliner not sure now, and I could not tell a bit of difference, same trim, paint schemes everything appeared to be identical other that color. What was the difference?

[mbstude]

By '58, the Starliner name had been claimed by Ford and the "sedan hardtop" Studebaker was known as the Starlight.

Give me a call and I'll be more than happy to talk 58's. 912 253 three - oh - three - seven.

[studegary]

Nice car. Good luck. Someone has changed the 14" wheels for 15" and used 1964-1965 wheelcovers. 15" were a rare option on a 1958 Commander, but would not have used those later wheelcovers. A lot of people get confused on Starlight/Starliner for 1958 (the 1953-1954 hardtops are Starliners). Matt gave you the correct info. Factory air is rare in a 1958, especially in a Commander.

[289stude]

I am going to inspect it personally this week, the guy has a lot of cars and is very old. All I have is his description and those three photos. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that is actually a factory air car.

[5859]

What would factory air be? I am assuming it would just be an under the dash unit? What barand ac would it be?

[56H-Y6]

What would factory air be? I am assuming it would just be an under the dash unit? What barand ac would it be?

Hi 5859

According to Fred Fox's August 1991 1958 Sedans & Wagons TW article, page 12, the three air conditioning options were offered as follows:
Air Conditioning, Novi, trunk, AC-2920, $275.00, (V8 Sedans only)
Air Conditioning, Sutton, underdash, Champion, AC-2922, $325.00
Air Conditioning, Sutton, underdash, V8, AC-2923, $325.00

If you buy the car, getting the build order from the SNM would be a good idea. From the photos, looks like a very nice solid '58 Commander hardtop, the most desirable body style. If it does turn out to be a well preserved original, please consider just cleaning and buffing it out, keeping it factory-built original as long as possible as a document of how South Bend built cars that year. Concession to adding a little flash, replace those later wheelcovers with a nice set of the 15" spoke covers frequently seen on Hawks.

Steve