“Hey, Mac… pull up a chair for a moment and I’ll tell you my story.”
“Sure, I may not look like much to you right now, but let me tell ya’, I’ve been from one end of this country to the other and I’ve seen things other cars can only dream about. Betcha never would have guessed I’ve got well over 200,000 miles on my ‘clock,’ would ya’? Well, that’s the gospel truth—as sure as an exhaust stroke follows a power stroke!
“My current owner’s uncle bought me new, in 1949–just up the road a piece, in little Toulon, Illinois. His best friend also bought a new ’49 Stude, and we covered a lot of those cross-country miles together.
“You see, my first owner was something of a rock hound—in fact, his first car was a Ford Model T that he drove all over when he had a mind to do some geological hunting—even as far out West as the Badlands.
“If you can believe it, he had that same Model T right up until he bought me—he was a fellow who believed in keeping up his automobile and other equipment, and that’s a big reason I’m still in decent shape today—well, decent for being a tetch over 60 years old, that is!
“By the time he wore out that ‘T,’ this great country had seen the end of a global war, and folks were mighty optimistic about the future. Roads were getting better, and my owner was ready to see where they led. He kept right along with his rock collecting, even though some folks poked fun at him for driving weeks on end just to bring back a trunk full of ‘gravel.’
“We did a good bit of galavanting around local parts, too. We made frequent trips downstate to see what was ‘playing in Peoria’, and occasionally went all the way up to Chicago. I always did my best to give my owner good service, and he showed his appreciation by taking really good care of me.
“Why, I remember two occasions when he got together with his Studebaker-owning buddy up in Toulon, and together they spent a couple of weeks rebuilding my and the other Stude’s engines—that’s right, my original 80-hp six is still ticking!
“Well, my original owner eventually got the urge for something a little more modern (and maybe a little more peppy). In 1975, he bought his third (and last) new car, and I was tucked away in the back of the machine shed— I guess we’d shared too many memories for him to part with me.
“Sadly, he passed away a few years later. His sons weren’t interested in keeping me around, and I ended up getting passed along to a nephew who happened to run a garage in nearby Princeville, Illinois.
“It’s worked out great, as my new owner intends to turn me into a ‘driver,’ as he calls it—none of that ‘parade queen’ business for me, bub!
“I’m not quite ready to hit the roads again, but whenever business is a little slow at the garage, I get hauled into one of the bays for a little more work. So far, I’ve had most of my running gear gone through and now I’m just waiting on a little cosmetic work–just give me a fresh interior and touch up my paint, and I’ll be rarin’ to go again, I tell ya’!
“So that there’s my story—thanks for lettin’ an old coot bend your ear a little. Now if you’re any kind of a decent automobile owner yourself, go home and maybe do something nice for your own car, okay?
“So see ya’ on the highways, bub—so long for now!”
This story is (loosely) based on the true history of this 1949 Studebaker Champion, as related to me by the current owner.
Every car has a story allright, and occasionally it will tell it by itself. A nice treatment for a nice little car. Although I am more of a Commander/Land Cruiser kind of guy, I certainly have a soft spot for the little Champion.
These were really pretty small, lightweight cars with a dinky little flathead 6 (169 cid/2.8 L IIRC). When equipped with OD, these were supposed to be good for an honest 30 mpg. I believe that the Champion was the outright winner of the 1950 Mobilgas Economy Run with an overall average of over 26 mpg (according to a folder that Studebaker put out that year).
I continue to believe that this car was as instrumental as anything else for the failure of the compacts of the early 1950s, as well as some of the European imports of that time. If you wanted an economical car, the Champion’s combination of size, power, economy, price and durability were hard (if not impossible) to beat in these years. This car’s owner is a lucky guy to have one so well cared for.
Love stories about folks who bond with their cars for the long haul. Which makes me wonder: do folks who tend to have long relationships/marriages also tend to keep their cars longer?
Frequent trader here (of cars). One wife, going on 34 years.
Maybe it’s the other way around? 🙂
Well over fifty cars over the years…one wife, fifty years.
Interesting thought. We traded cars more frequently early in our marriage, but now tend to keep them a long time (135k on the wife’s current van, the previous van is now our sons with over 250k, and there’s 215k on my New Beetle currently). 25th anniversary is next year…
Very good story, Ed. For some reason I can see this Stude lumbering around the western U.S., with the driver looking at the rock formations on the western side.
Sweet story, beautifully told. Thanks!
Great story 🙂 Love the exterior door handle design too.
“Well, my original owner eventually got the urge for something a little more modern (and maybe a little more peppy). In 1975, he bought his third (and last) new car, and I was tucked away in the back of the machine shed— I guess we’d shared too many memories for him to part with me.”
Does the Stude’s current owner know/remember what kind of car replaced it in 1975?
I’m sure he did, but I couldn’t remember what it was by the time I got around to writing this up… Will have to ask him again next time I stop by.
Once you have replaced a Studebaker with something else, it really ceases to matter. 🙂
I love the styling on those post-war, pre-bullet nose Studes. Very glad to see that beautiful old car is in the right hands.
I’ve had an old Studebaker Ad hanging on my wall for years:
Do you have a higher resolution picture of that ad? I love it.