1955 Studebaker Custom Coupe

1955 Studebaker Champion Custom Additional Info:

Let me explain myself before I get started on describing what I believe to be the nicest, most carefully planned and executed, most beautiful ’53 to ’55 Studebaker Coupe you will ever see. I’m not a dealer or someone who flips cars. I have sold three of my own cars on eBay over the years and I sold one for a friend several months ago. I am listing this car and two others for the widow of a friend who passed away recently. I don’t charge people. The only thing I get is a PayPal deposit and I pass the balance after selling expenses to the owner, the widow in this case. I do the listings because I enjoy helping friends.

I live about six miles from this car and I have been privileged to see it over time from pieces to a complete car. So, while I‘m not great on technical details, I know an incredible car when I see one. The owner/builder bought this car in the Southwest because he wanted a rust-free car. The car had approximately 42,000 miles on the odometer. He took it to a custom frame shop and had a frame built especially for this car, one that addressed all the modern improvements that he had in mind. Nothing is grafted on from salvage yard cars. It was built with rack and pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes, custom suspension and much more.

Yes, it is a ’55 Champion. The owner liked the ’53 and ’54 front style better so, the ’55 front sheet metal and grille were unbolted and a ’54 front went on. The ’55 dash went away too. A custom dash closely resembling the later Hawk dashes was fabricated so all the instruments like from a Golden Hawk could be used. It also allowed a fully integrated Vintage heat/AC to be installed with the outlets and the controls on the dash, not stuck under. Of course the car features power windows, power steering, non-power four-wheel disc brakes (doesn’t need power assist), and a nice stereo entertainment system. The interior is done in top-of-the-line faux leather. Notice any chop? These cars were already the sleekest things on the road. Why butcher them? This car had the one body adjustment and it does look great. That is a one-inch “gentleman’s chop” at the windshield. Notice the trunk picture. See how all the wiring came through conduits. No loose wiring and such on this car. Then notice the clever battery placement.

OK, now for the drive train. The engine is a 4.6 liter, DOHC 32-valve all aluminum Mustang Cobra power plant that appears to have come from a Panoz sports car. The transmission is a Tremec five-speed which puts the power to the road through a Ford nine-inch rear end. Unfortunately the owner only drove the finished car about 125 miles

I took most of these pictures last week. However, somehow I missed a good profile shot so I used one from when the car was finished. If anyone is really interested, I have a LOT of pictures from the build period. Just send me an eBay question.