Visitor Contributed Studebaker Photos and Information

    From time to time visitors to my Studebaker site send pictures of their Studebakers. Feel free to send me a couple of your best pics and a descriptive email! I prefer '55's but won't deny any Stude lover their little corner of cyberspace! I will attempt to post those pictures here as time permits!
    Sincerely,
    Larry Morphew, Webmaster

    Michael Brown
    studebaker@ispchannel.com
    writes:
    I was surfing the net, and found your site. You did a great job on your page as well as your car!!

    I belong to the North Puget Sound Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club, and currently the Historian of the club.

    Our 55 is a 16G8F2, translated is a Commander Custom Ultra VistaView 2dr sedan.All the numbers match. She has the 259, 3spd column with overdrive, with only 112,000 on it. It came with a radio, climatizer, and directional signals. She was built in Vernon, California( Aug of 55) 1 of only 170 built, 1,212 were built in Southbend, 28 in Canada, and 3 were exports. 3 are left in this state with 28 across the rest of the U.S. That's only 1,413 total. ( Turning Wheels- Feb '94)

    It was delivered to Portland, where the 1954 trim was installed, guess they wanted to Jazz it up since the custom models had no side trim, and the headlight and taillight housings were body color, these were also changed. I had talked to the 2nd owner several years ago at the Can-Am zone meet in Mt.Vernon, Wa, where he had confirmed this.

    Since then I have tried to get as much history on it as possible, and a few pictures before all the work was done on her.I looked through the club roster, and found only 23 listed.

    She has taken Numerous awards, at orphan shows, not to mention 1st in my class at the last 2 Can-Am zone meets. These pictures were taken in Mukilteo, Washington a few days before last years Zone Meet.

    Mike wrote again:
    Thanks again for posting my pics! As requested, here are the only 2 before pics I could find right now.

    I am the historian of the North Puget Sound Chapter,and have other pics of joint club events when it had belonged to Bob Carney,in the Seattle chapter. I can send those to you if you wish.

    Just to let everyone know, Keith Janssen,of Snohomish Washington did 90% of the work, and then we finished off the last 10%

    It is nice to find people that are so talented!

    Happy Studebaking everyone!!

    Mike

    Sam Roberts
    sroberts@citznet.com
    writes:

    Here R a few of my '55 which came off the assembly line in South Bend on 6-6-55. It is a 259, rebuilt by Ted Harbit, bored .040 over, automatic, restored to 95% original, and fun to drive. I have owned it 7 years now, it originally went to Virginia, but I bought it out of Missouri.

    Dennis R Bergey
    drbergey@fast.net
    writes on 5-2-99:

    Hello Larry: Attached are the photo's you requested. Dover Air Force Base is the setting for one of the photo's of the 55 and Lenape Park in Perkasie, Pa is the setting for additional photo's of our 50 and 55. We hope you enjoy them.

    We love taking the Studebaker's to shows, cruise nights and out to dinner on the weekends.

    The 50 is going to West Virginia this summer for the celebration of the "Bullet Nose".

    Our best regards to you and Sue
    Marjorie and Dennis Bergey

    I received this email from Marla Mengle (mengle@adelphia.net) on Nov. 2, 2000. Perhaps they'll send us a couple more shots once it's painted. Interesting and difficult project to say the least!

    Hi and thanks for letting us send this info. to you. This is a "Dream In Progress" we have here a 1946 M-5 series pick-up truck attached to a 1950 Champion car, with a 1998 Dodge duelly bed. He has added 24in. of sheet metal to front end and used the original rear fenders to blend rear end. It has a 454-turbo 400 engine, a 1972 Chevelle rear-end. A grand total of 35 ft long. Almost ready to get painted Shawn works on it every night , and I'll be glad to see it painted. Thanks again for adding this to your sight , we'll look for the update Shawn and Marla Stuarts Draft VA.

    I received this email from J. L. Jacobson ( JLJac@aol.com ) on Feb. 22, 2001. J. L. has a beautiful '55 coupe and I'm pleased to be able to park it right here with all of these other beautiful Studebakers! Thanks, J. L. (l.d.m.)

    Hello,

    I enjoyed your 1955 Studebaker Website and believe that model year to be one of the finest ever. I have owned two 1960 Larks, a 1963 Avanti and a 1964 Wagonaire, but kept the '55 Commander. My Grandmother and Grandfather met at the Studebaker factory in 1921 and he retired in 1963. I continued to own and drive only Studebakers until December 1996 and have been in the Drivers Club since July 1968. The only thing I did not like about the Website is that a "Baker" was a separate vehicle manufacturer who made electric cars until the 1920s and I have never heard a "Stude" called a "Baker" before. That is like calling a "Rolls" a "Royce" or a "Harley" a "Davidson" That isn't done in polite company and I hope it doesn't catch on.

    I have attached a couple photos for you and would like to see them at your Web site, if possible. The first is of the Commander on the Santa Monica Pier at dawn. It is my favorite and I won a contest for the photo. The second is of me and the Commander at the place where James Dean crashed on September 30, 1955. (I changed the wheel covers since then, although they were on the car when I got it) Whenever September 30 falls on a Friday, I make the trip along the same route. The third is of my Grandfather's 5-year pins for working at Studebaker for 40+ years. The blue and red hexagon pins are mine for being in the Drivers Club for 20 (red) and 30 (Blue) years.

    The factory pins are copper (5 years), bronze (10 years), silver (15), gold (20), red with 1 pearl (25), red with 1 ruby (30) red with two pearls (25) and red with 2 rubies (40). Read left to right then top to bottom. I also have a short video clip of me driving the car that sounds great but will not send unless I hear that you are interested.

    If you ever want to start a "Chrome Snout 55 Studebaker Club" count me in. Some of my friends could not believe it when I sold the Avanti and kept the Commander, but I am happy with that choice.

    Avanti,

    J. L. Jacobson

    Webmaster


    "Happy Studebakering!"