Studes in Roadside Americana photos

[tstoj38]

..............

[JRoberts]

Quote: I wonder when that dealer started his Studebaker franchise.

Possibly in the same location, McAuley Motors is still selling cars in Merced, Ca. Currently a Ford/Lincoln dealer. Also has dealerships in a couple other towns in the Central Valley. Still family owned. Don't know the Studebaker history. The sign on the left might be a Mercury sign.

I was trying to find the picture again to see if there were some details, but could not find it. That said I think you are correct about it being in Merced, CA and having been an Edsel dealer later became a Ford and/or Lincoln dealership.

[JRoberts]

[JRoberts]

[Greenstude]

8958 --- The Studebaker has a Netherlands license plate.

8959 --- The 2 Studebakers are probably the newest and 2nd or 3rd newest in the photo. Four of the trucks appear to be early to mid-1930s, possibly even a bit older. Chelmsford liked to keep its equipment in service a long time.

[Noxnabaker]

Yep Greenstude, Dutch plate beside a Belgium one... my Dutch pals asks me from time to time "what's it with swedes & American cars?" & I reply "what's it with Dutch & bad memory? look at old photos ye hippies!"
Kinda...
& the funny thing is that look'n at this thread there's quite some Dutch pix but not many swedish...

[r1lark]

I guess he never raced Ted Harbit then!!

[BobPalma]

I guess he never raced Ted Harbit then!!

Check the year cited in the ad, Paul: 1959. Ted Harbit and his Studebaker (a 1951 Commander Convertible; "Teacher's Pet") weren't yet in national competition. Teacher's Pet was runner-up at the 1961 National Drags. That inspired Ted to get a lighter '51 that would still "make" that class, for the 1962 National Drags.

That lighter car, a Starlight Coupe, was christened The Chicken Hawk. Together, they won their class at the 1962 NHRA National Drags and "the legend" was underway.

I'm not sure where that Sanders-Flanigan team was then, but I think I've heard Ted mention them. BP

[Studedude]

[JRoberts]

[HOXXOH]

Check the year cited in the ad, Paul: 1959. Ted Harbit and his Studebaker (a 1951 Commander Convertible; "Teacher's Pet") weren't yet in national competition. Teacher's Pet was runner-up at the 1961 National Drags. That inspired Ted to get a lighter '51 that would still "make" that class, for the 1962 National Drags.

That lighter car, a Starlight Coupe, was christened The Chicken Hawk. Together, they won their class at the 1962 NHRA National Drags and "the legend" was underway.

I'm not sure where that Sanders-Flanigan team was then, but I think I've heard Ted mention them. BP

I saw Bill Ersham (Sylvania, OH), who bought Sanders car, often at the Toledo Glass City Dragway in the early to mid 60's. I later saw Ted's car at the '65 Nationals, but it was Bill's car that had earlier swayed me toward building a Studebaker to race. At the end of the 1965 racing season, I decided to quit running my fairly successful GTO, since it was my DD. I started the '66 season with a '52 2-door, which unfortunately had a collision late that Fall that left the car badly damaged. That's when I bought a '52 Starlight and made it a dedicated race car. I don't know if Ted ever raced Bill, but it was Bill that gave me my only NHRA loss, but it was strange that we all lived fairly close to each other and locally dominated the class for years. Near the end of the '68 season, we (me and my then partner in the car) started playing around in the AHRA, because there were more AHRA tracks closer to us than NHRA tracks. We made the switch in '69 and held National records in 2 classes. I don't remember the last time I ever saw Bill's car, so I assume he sold the car and it was not a local sale.

[Studedude]

[Studedude]

[garyash]

More on the Chelmsford Fire Dept. pickup in #8959 (http://www.chelmsfordgov.com/CHCwebs...t1950-1959.htm):
Info from Town Meeting report, Oct., 1951.

"During 1951 we also inaugurated an emergency service, utilizing a three-quarter ton pickup truck for which money was voted at the annual town meeting. This truck is equipped with radio, with firefighting and with emergency equipment and already has proven its value on many occasions. It gives the department an all-round emergency outfit which can be used at highway accidents, drownings or other non-fire emergencies without cutting down the fire-protection service in any of the five districts."



The end came in 1964:
"Annual Town Meeting March 9, 1964
UNDER ARTICLE 18:
Mr. Ernest Byam moves that the Town vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Three thousand four hundred ninety nine dollars ($3,499.00) for the purpose of purchasing a 3/4 ton pick-up truck, for the Fire Department; said purchase to be made under the supervision of the Board of Selectmen. It was so voted.
UNDER ARTICLE 19:
Mr. Ernest Byam moves that the Town vote to authorize the Selectmen to sell, by good and sufficient bill of sale, the 1951 Studebaker pickup now being used by the Fire Department. It was so voted."

I did find a reference to M series truck in the #8959 post. It was a 500 gal/min pumper bought in 1947 and was still in service in 1966.

As it happens, I lived in Chelmsford, MA in 1980-81.

[52-fan]

#8967 is obviously not a period picture. For some reason the younger crowd that tries to duplicate the old pinup shots just can't get it right.....even if you can't see the tattoos.