By Jim Brennan
The Studebaker Motorcar Company of South Bend, Indiana used to produce a great many cars and trucks throughout it’s lifespan as a vibrant company of the mid 20th century. However, things became just a bit more complicated after the conclusion of both the World War II and Korean conflicts, what with ever stronger competitors from GM, Ford and Chrysler, and the growing popularity of the smaller European Imports, the once great midwest car company was being squeezed out of the market (along with other independent car companies). This leaves us with glimpses of the once proud Studebaker vehicles, like this Champ Pickup that was produced close to the end of Studebaker Production here in the states. So, is it as desirable as I think it is?
According to the California Craigslist Listing:
Meticulously restored Studebaker Pickup. Factory V8 4 speed truck with overdrive. Runs perfect and looks amazing. No disappointments on this high quality show truck. Contact through CL email for an appointment to view. Clear California Title.
The V8 should be either the Studebaker 259 or the 289 that was found in the Lark vehicles, with two or four BBL Carburetor. The wide side bed was actually cobbled together by purchasing the tooling from Dodge. This bed was introduced for the 1961 model year, but never really help with sales. The seller of this truck is asking $18,000 for it, which sounds about right for such a rare beast. See the listing here, and tell me what you think about this Studebaker Truck…
Jeff Glucker
I've always thought this truck looks like someone's backyard project. It would be impossible for the cab and bed to match more poorly.
At least the bed was outsourced. Ford had nobody but themselves to blame for their "wrong bed" trucks.
<img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a498/allcoils/IMG_1933_zps64bcee39.jpg" width=500>
And if I had to choose between the bed being wider than the cab or the other way around, I'd go for more cargo capacity.
It strikes me as pricey, but I tend to shop much further towards the unrestored/inoperable/hopeless end of the automotive spectrum. Still, isn't the Chief Blooger looking for a pickup truck?
I suspect that the ask doesn't match the condition. The seller hasn't washed the mud off the floors. A decent V8 4sp early 60s truck is low teens, not high.
My fellow Americans…
What do you think is a fair price for a 1974 Aussie Falcon GT, not rusty and straight but needing paint and hasn't run in about six years, if one were to come available down the street from you?
Question is relevant to my interests. The last thing I need is another car but … FALCON XB GT!
Don't forget to convert your currency from $AUS to $USD.
http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/results.aspx?…
I have no idea what the conversion rate is, but great googily moo! That seems expensive.
Where's it located? Got to be rare as hen's teeth if it's here in the States.
I'm a cheapskate (see above) and know essentially nothing about the US market for Aussie vehicles, but if I had to make up some numbers based on general grey-market experience and a pessimistic interpretation of that description, perhaps $3500 for the sedan and $4500 for the hardtop. Maybe more if the interior and other fiddly bits are nice.
I think the good doctor is probably pretty close in his estimations, going with my gut. If it wasn't for Eric Bana you could probably get a better deal. Unless of course your down the street neighbors don't know alot about such things.
Either way, offer $1000. After all, it doesn't run! And that's about the most I can ever pay…
Depends on whether it is a coupe or a sedan. Sedans are relatively inexpensive (but still not cheap) but coupes are ridiculously expensive, and be aware that fakery abounds (there were a lot of lower-spec cars 'upgraded' with GT bits in the 1980's and 1990's – lots of the cosmetic upgrade parts are available through the aftermarket). Check out ebay.com.au , justauto.com.au , drive.com.au and carsales.com.au to get an idea of local prices (prepare to be shocked), then factor in exchange rates (currently about 80 US cents to 1 Aussie dollar) and shipping costs (I'd guess around $US4-5000 total, maybe a bit more if you're not near a major port) to figure out a USA price.
If you don't pull the trigger on this, don't bother showing up at Popeye's.
Is that really what the rear bumper did? It looks good. Good enough that there might be a barrel of body filler in there. It deserves to live, but older Stude pickemups are closer to my heart.
That looks like an aftermarket heavy-duty bumper for towing. Someone later decided to bypass it by adding a receiver hitch.
There was most likely no rear bumper originally. Until the late '80s rear bumpers were optional on most pickup trucks.
I'm completely non-plussed. It's not a truck I would want. Pushing $20K seems egregious. Is the Studebaker market that wealthy anymore? And is the truck sector of that rarefied class even interested in awkward Champion derived trucks with even more awkward Dodge beds? File this under rare-but-not-sought-after.
The ad could be a bit more illuminating. Engine rebuild? What size engine? Original parts or pot luck? Before & after pics?
Meticulously restored? Looks more like a quick paint job, and some cleaning of the interior, if you ask me. If you restore a car and leave the interior in tha shape, including hanging wires,I would not call it meticulously, to be honest. Great truck, rare, and maybe 8000 top.
An interesting bit of trivia about the Champ: Studebaker, always frugal and, then, extremely strapped for cash, used leftover Champion badges with the '-ion' cut off for their new, cobbled together truck.