Ever seen a roll bar in a Studebaker? Can’t say that I have, but this 1953 Studebaker Commander “Weekend Racer” project has one. The other surprise is what’s under the hood: an R2 Avanti Supercharged V8. Although the words Studebaker and racing aren’t usually used in the same sentence, the sleek, aerodynamic lines of the low-slung Commander would make it tempting once its factory 232-cubic-inch V8 engine was swapped out. This old school weekend racer from California was in storage for 34 years and has just been removed to see the light of day again. It’s another find from the Pacific Northwest that currently calls Bellingham, Washington home. It is listed for sale here on craigslist for $8,500 and another tip-of-the-hat goes to super spotter, Curvette, for spotting this one.
At first glance, the Studebaker has an authentic, rough-around-the-edges charm to it. There are several body “imperfections” as the photos show some gray primer and sheet metal repairs but it looks solid. The seller says the custom-built hood bulge clears the supercharger mount, but that he has an Avanti side mount he can swap if the buyer wants to install a stock hood. It’s possible that the old Commander is still wearing its original Chippewa Green and Ivory Mist factory paint, and there’s front and rear bumper “patina” visible. The seller says, “the front bumper has a crude welded tow bracket mount, so I have a better front bumper included.”
The interior has an unglamorous racing look and is currently without carpeting. There are two comfortable-looking bucket seats and the black ribbed vinyl upholstery appears to be in good shape. It’s sporting an old-school racing steering wheel on the original instrument cluster and a black roll bar complete’s the black-and-white cabin decor.
The seller states that the Commander is said to have had a big block Ford under the hood at one point, but a previous owner decided to swap it out to a Supercharged Studebaker Avanti engine. The seller shares, “The engine was rebuilt, but never hooked up, or ran. It will need to be disassembled after so many years to check everything before running it and hooking everything up.” The seller also says the car’s supercharger will need to be rebuilt, it has a 9′ Ford rear end, a 4-speed manual transmission, and that a pair of original R3 exhaust manifold headers are included but will need bead blasting. On the surface, this could be a fun project and I hope this old Studebaker can be made roadworthy once again. I’d try to keep it in its current condition, warts and all. How about you?
WOW! What a cool and unique old school American classic find! Knocked out of the park with this one Curvette and a terrific article choice Ron. If this were in my garage it’d have the drivetrain done and the interior finished a bit more aesthetically (though leave the roll bar!), then repaint to original scheme. Find any Studebaker dog dish hubcaps and drive it.
GLWTS
So awesome. It even has tow tabs on the front. Now this is worth the asking price. Hopefully someone will see how cool this is and get it back on the road.