1954 Studebaker coupe

[t walgamuth]

I have put a deposit on a very clean 54 Stude coupe. I have not picked it up yet. When I do I will begin telling its story. It got a full restoration about 12 years ago. It has the v8 and a stick with overdrive.

[P.C.]

Beautiful style!

[Autoputzer]

Nice.

I'd call that a "two-door sedan," since it has a B Pillar and framed door windows. Here's a '53 Stude coupe...

"Obviously the definition of "coupe" changes with time. Similarly, my mom had a '72 Plymouth Fury III "four-door hardtop," with no B Pillar and free standing door glass... and a torsional rigidity of about one pound-ft/degree.

BMW now makes what they call "gran coupes:" four-door cars with lower stances and free standing door window glass. They have B Pillars, though. They're more expensive than the corresponding "sedans" and have less headroom, but they sell a lot of them.

[t walgamuth]

The Studebaker world refers to my car as a Coupe. The pillarless one is generally called a hardtop. In actual Studebaker language the hardtop is called a starliner and the coupe is a starlight coupe. The coupe has much better chassis rigidity so is preferred to run at Bonneville.

The upright sedan comes as two or four door. So that is called a two door sedan.

Back when it was a late model used car Dad had a starliner. If you jacked it up by a corner the doors would not latch.

[Autoputzer]

I can see where that nose would make those cars great for Bonneville... compared to other 1950's cars.

In the late-1960's GM made long-wheelbase, 4-door "hardtops" with a B Pillar but with free-standing door windows, and called them "pillared hardtops." It got hard to keep all those terms straight.

I've only owned one car with free-standing door windows, a BMW. I had to train all my passengers not to use the glass to slam the door shut. WTF do people do that?

[P.C.]

Here is an article on a '53 pillarless hardtop, also in blue:

https://journal.classiccars.com/2020/11/04/pick-of-the-day-1953-studebaker-coupe/

[t walgamuth]

That is a really pretty car. I like the red/orange interior very much!

[barry12345]

Always liked them myself. I suspected you had been looking for one.

I did see a model in that series called the Californian? Scoops on the quarter panels? Or the speedster? Probably a 1955.

American up here in eastern Canada touring with one. A very long way from home.

[t walgamuth]

I wasn't actually looking for one, but was looking in general at any car worth owning that i like.

It popped up in the Studebaker Forum for sale column. The fellow posted a bad phone number so had no interest (he thought). I tried the number six or ten times and decided it was not a good one. I then asked around for other ways to contact him.

I think it was underpriced.

[t walgamuth]

I don't know of any Californian..... I believe the 113 sl had a model called that....it has a small sideways back seat and a hardtop but no soft top.

Looks like I might be able to pick it up tomorrow...?

[Air&Road]

That’s the only Studebaker that ever really cocked my pistol. The overdrive was pretty common in those. A friend of mine had one at Fort Bliss when I was in the Army. I was really smitten.

[t walgamuth]

It may be the best looking grand touring car ever,.... imho. When I look at the back seat it reminds me of my old 84 500 SEC.

[barry12345]

I was thinking. Was the design influence carried over to other cars? Other than Studabaker. I think not but cannot remember. Looking back it could have gone more mainstream.

[t walgamuth]

A lot of European cars have very similar details....front end of some Alfas look very similar, back and front sunbeam tiger.....some odd brands of english cars with noses or tails or side views very similar.

The best might be the sunbeam alpine and tiger..

[P.C.]

Originally Posted by barry12345

I was thinking. Was the design influence carried over to other cars? Other than Studabaker. I think not but cannot remember. Looking back it could have gone more mainstream.

As 1953 was near the beginning of the longer, lower, wider phase of chrome-encrusted Jet-Age barges from the Big Three, I'm darned if I can come up with one American car that plagiarized the design. Even Studebaker couldn't leave it alone...