6 Stylish Studebakers up for Grabs
Dr. Karl E. Peace, a biostatistician, author, and philanthropist who has worked in public health for decades, has donated his 32-car collection to benefit Georgia Southern University. One of Dr. Peace’s previous contributions, an endowment in honor of his late wife, Dr. Jiann-Ping Hsu, allowed the university to establish a college of public health in her name.
Hagerty Marketplace is hosting the auction of The Dr. Karl Peace & Georgia Southern University Collection, the majority of which are Studebakers.
We can’t remember the last time we saw so many of South Bend’s finest under one roof. While there are a couple of post-Studebaker Avantis, a Chevy, a Buick, a Mercury, and a couple of Fords among the collection up for sale, let’s take a look at some of our favorite Studebakers that we’ll be paying particularly close attention to as the auctions come to a close starting on June 11.
1953 Studebaker Champion Regal Starliner
The 1953 model year marked the first year of the low, sleek Starliner coupes, penned by Robert Bourke at Studebaker’s design studio, which was headed by the legendary Raymond Loewy. Studebaker coupes of this era are a favorite among land speed racers because they perform much better than their peers, and it’s easy to see why: Their streamlined shapes were unlike anything else on the road. Later Studebaker Hawk variations expanded on the theme with fins and extra trim—we’ll be highlighting some of those as well—but the original Starliner is one of the best iterations and proves that sometimes less is more.
1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk
Studebaker’s most powerful and prestigious model at the time, the Golden Hawk debuted in 1956 with 352 cubic inches of Packard V-8 power, showing the fruits of the brand’s merger with Packard two years prior. For 1957, a Studebaker 289 replaced the larger Packard mill, but the output was the same 275 horsepower as before thanks to a centrifugal supercharger. These luxurious winged coupes are a rare treat, and because a 1956 model participated in the famed Mille Miglia, this one in particular could also be eligible for entry, adding another reason why a collector might see this Golden Hawk as the prize of Dr. Peace’s collection.
1960 Studebaker Champ Pickup
Studebaker didn’t have the deep pockets of its Big Three rivals, so it had to get creative in the late ‘50s when the brand needed to replace its aging pickup truck line that had been in service since 1949. Using the same chassis and stepside bed as its previous light-duty pickup, Studebaker cobbled a truck cab together by shortening a Lark sedan. We’ve gotta say, for something built on a shoestring budget, the styling works pretty well. 1960 marked the final year of a 170 inline-six as a flathead; it got an overhead-valve cylinder head in 1961. These pickups are a rare sight and would likely gather quite a crowd at any car show. Combine that with its fantastic gold paint and this one was an easy pick for our list.
1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
The Gran Gurismo Hawk represented the final evolution of the sleek Starliner coupe into a more formal and stately touring car. The prominent grille might be a bit brash, but the new greenhouse gave the Gran Tursimo Hawk an all-new profile that matched its more upscale ambition. Inside, a plush interior kept up the theme. This one is powered by a 289 V-8 and a three-speed manual. Membership to the Brown Car Appreciation Society is complimentary.
1964 Studebaker Avanti
Plenty of Studebaker’s designs were vastly different from anything else on the market, yet we can’t help but think that the Avanti was perhaps the most ambitious effort the brand ever made. Its sleek fiberglass body is unmistakable. Studebaker-produced Avanti models were powered by 289-cubic-inch Studebaker V-8s, some with optional Paxton superchargers like the Golden Hawk. This one is naturally aspirated and backed by a four-speed manual transmission. Finished in blue over a blue and white interior, this example looks fantastic in photos, although a few mechanical and cosmetic issues need sorting out. It’s still a well-preserved example of a sporty personal luxury car bursting with style.
1964 Studebaker Daytona Convertible
Like the Champ pickup we mentioned previously, the Daytona used a lot of the mechanical underpinnings of its predecessor. In this case, that was the compact Lark, the same car that served as the basis of the Champ. Renowned designer Brooks Stevens was responsible for completely redesigning the Daytona to compete with rivals like the Dodge Dart, Chevy Nova, and Ford Falcon. We’d say he succeeded, as the lines look clean and sharp, even today. Just 416 Daytona convertibles were built in South Bend before production moved to Ontario, so this represents one of the last U.S.-built Studebakers in the company’s history.
There are plenty of other Studebakers in the Dr. Karl Peace & Georgia Southern University collection—plus the odd Chevy, Ford, and Buick. If you’ve got room in your collection for a bit of American car history outside of the Big Three, then you might consider one of South Bend’s stylish alternatives and help Georgia Southern University in the process.
***
Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.
The ‘53 Starliner coupe is without a doubt the most timeless car ever designed- its overall proportions and also many of its design details have been and still are replicated in countless other cars. End of discussion!
I agree. Especially the early Mustang and all “Pony car” iterations.
1953 Starlite Coupe.Pickup, Daytona …
1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk,,,my all-time favorite car from the 50’s.
I had a ’62 Gran Turismo Hawk during my student days. 289 w/ AT. Bought it for next to nothing from a teacher who was moving out of state and needed to unload the car. Not a bad car but sourcing parts was an issue. Moved on to an MGB.
A few points from a former Avanti owner and Studebaker club member…
Yes, fine cars, they did push the styling envelope…and made great looking cars on a budget.
But….
The pickup was handicapped by ill matching beds. In the photo above, I don’t think the step side bed goes well with the Lark-esque frobt. The style side was even worse…it was a Dodge bed, so too wide with not quite matching body lines. Really low rent.
The interiors of the ’60s Parks and Daytona look okay in photos, but in reality aren’t that substantial. Add 70 years of age and the door pages and dash pads look pretty weak. In comparisin, as a kid my family bought a new ’63 Rambler Classic. Great, substantial dash with built in AC vents.
Finally the Avanti.
Beautiful car. But built on a ’50s chassis. Yes, it has disc brakes and a enhanced 289, but it drove like a ’50s car.
If I had Jay Leno money (and more importantly, connections), I’d try to merge an Avanti with my Mercedes coupe.
That would be a car.
But for the money, Studebakers are great fun with great parts support from a large outfit in South Bend.
Also, A great club with helpful people.
So, by all means, add to your driving experience by getting one.
Thanks for the article. I grew up with a Studebaker dealership down the street from where I lived. brought back some fond memories. There’s two I would love to own today. an Advani and a R4 Lark. you could get the R4 in a four door/four speed.
My dad owned several Studebakers. My first car I bought in 1961 was a 1953 Starlite coupe commander v8 with a three on the tree. I drove it from Idaho to Lousiana and back. I traded it in on a 1957 Silver Hawk. Loved the cars. I think many of the early mustang styling features were taken from these cars. The sculpted line through the door on the studebaker is similar to the sculped line through to the rear quarter of the mustang.
The one car missing is the 1955 Speedster, a one year only model with few produced many in stunning 3 tone paint jobs,
I’ve never seen one of those Daytona ragtops, so that would absolutely be my choice. Sharp looking car! Thanks for the article.
Hope Hagerty recognizes the value of a Studebaker after this article. I insure 5 cars here but couldn’t get a $10k value on a 58 Studebaker in #2 condition. Shameful
What model? Options? How long ago did that conversation take place?
Take a look at Hagerty’s valuation tool. Seems like you are being vague intentionally, but I’m more likely to believe Hagerty has the value more accurate than you do. Your car might legitimately not be worth $10k to replace, and that is the point of an insurance policy–to make whole, not rich.
Glad you responded old jar,
Hagerty nearly doubled the insured value of my car today; internal insurance error.
ALL good choices. Buy them all and create a fleet. Even the bullet nose ’50 would be a good addition. The wagon (Wagonaire) with the slide back roof would be cool to have as well. They all had some good style and were pretty well built. Too bad they couldn’t keep up with the Big Three. My uncle sold Studebakers in the 50’s.
I second the motion for the Wagonaire! Didn’t Chevrolet try it decades later and give up?
A friend was a service manager at a GM dealer, he has lots of stories about the sliding roofs….none of them good.
GM couldn’t make it work reliably and they couldn’t seem to repair them either.
As usual, they used retail buyers as beta testers.
Probably as a collector car that I could enjoy I would pick the Daytona Convertible, but the Avanti would be a really close second choice. My dad loved his Lark VI convertible and the very last of it’s type Canada built Commander which he wished he had kept many years after he sold it. It is sad that Studebaker-Worthington had no interest in continuing the Canada built cars with GM powertrains as I believe they were profitable. Knowing the future of government safety and emissions regulations I concede they made the best business decision.
The Avanti would be a fairly close second, but hands down I’d pick the Champ Pickup. That is one cool pickup. And I’m a big fan of – not one of five at the cars and coffee. They both fit that bill.
My Nanna had a ’59 Lark when I was little in the late ’60s. Shamefully I didn’t appreciate it then but they look so radical to me now. Two things I remember most clearly are the machined dashboard and that the entire grille was part of the hood.
I had a 50 Starlight coupe with the rear wrap-around cockpit window and bullet nose and recessed intake grilles. Now there was an amalgam of design! It had very wide armrests in the rear because of the wrap-around body and they had been modified by the previous owner, a bootlegger, to hold ice and cold beer etc. Wondered who I kept getting pulled over by the police at night until one of them told me.