Studebaker was on its way out when it released the Daytona Sports Sedan in 1965. They continued building cars, but in an attempt to stay afloat, they had to look elsewhere for their engines. After testing a few, they ended up going with Chevrolet. They wanted to stick with their tried and true Borg-Warner transmission though so they had to turn to Checker (the maker of the once famous New York taxi cabs) for an adapter plate. So, this Daytona may not be pure Studebaker, but it was still a decent car in its day. This one is special too because it’s a top of line Daytona model with a vinyl roof and a V8. This car was supposedly parked in 1972 on a farm in New Mexico. It’s now in rough shape, but I bet that it could be a little hot rod with some work. Find it here on eBay where the seller is asking $1,550.
some very interesting car in the background of the photos. this car looks like a lot of work but $1550 does not buy much these days. interesting finds.
The car OR truck in the background is either a ’46 or ’47 Hudson. The picture is from when I brought my ’46 Hudson pickup home after finding it in an old service station in NC. The truck had been sitting for over 40 years.
thanks. great find. do you have more photos and maybe a story to post on the site.
The car in the background is a ’47 Hudson Commodore. It’s probably not a truck as trucks didn’t come in Commodore trim. I’ve seen them with Commodore trim, but they didn’t come from the factory that way. Looks like your truck needs an engine.
It could be a nice hot rod for not a lot of money,
Kinda cool looking. What do you think an equivalent year/condition V8 Nova would go for!
same color combo…
Hubcaps almost look like the ones chevrolet used on the 61 corvair
International DID use them later on the Travelall
Same top here, white vinyl, but the car for sale is actually a different red, a lighter coral red which Studebaker offered in ’65 but not in ’64 or ’66. A car like the one for sale in the light coral red/white combo was Studebaker’s turntable display vehicle at the ’65 New York International Automobile Show. People had really given up on Studebaker at this time, following the closing of South Bend, and I recall the pretty young woman on the stand giving her spiel to almost no one at all. People just walked by. At one point she leaned over to her manager and said something to the effect of “I’m trying”, and they both seemed to realize it was hopeless. But she was a pro and kept going. As someone who was waiting a couple more years to learn to drive on our ’60 Studebaker, that was a sad moment for me to witness.
This is something I’ve got on my short list.
They (not this one) were built in my home town and were successful in the first couple of Shell 4000 rallies in Canada.
I’d like to build one up in vintage rally gear as an event car.
If it was local it would be a great candidate!
Love to have this with a small block mopar. My favorite stude body style.
I must say you would be the only one at the car cruise with this vehicle. I have never seen one ( a Daytona Sport ) that is.
Whoa! Never seen one of these. There couldn’t have been many built. I’d keep it stock!
There were only 19,435 Stude’s of all types built in 1965. So, no not many Daytona Sports
Such a shame this car never really took off. It had everything (and more) than the big 3, yet still failed. I heard the name “Studebaker” had something to do with their demise, it just sounded old.This would be an ambitious restoration, but, I’m sure there are people today, who don’t know what a Studebaker is or was. This one is definitely worth saving. Anybody else see the Gremlin next to the Hudson?
The Ford vs Chevy price war of ’53-’54 crippled or killed all the independents. Hudson and Studebaker would have died in ’54 if not for mergers. Long term, none of them recovered completely. Many people were afraid to buy from the independents, fearing they would not be around for parts and trade in value would plummet.
-Studebaker had been in business since 1852, when Henry and Clem sold wheelbarrows and wagons to Gold-rush era entrepreneurs, so it took about 114 years for the name to finish them off. Strikes and rising labor costs, visited upon all, were especially hard on a smaller automaker and might have had something to do with it too. I was a member of the SDC for twenty or so years, and their publication, Turning Wheels, is one of the nicest monthlies. Their parts network is pretty extensive, as the club started the year production quit. The last Stude dad had in the driveway was the 64 Champion that had the Studebaker V8 in it. It’s still tooling around as far as I know.
By chance did studebaker have any stake in the STP additive business. Someone once told me they did?
Studebaker started to diversify in the late 1950’s. They owned quite a few companies: STP, Onan Generators, Gravely Tractors, Paxton Automotive (superchargers) to name a few.
rare car to a/c, probably worth trying to bring back to it’s former glory.
Cool car.
nice color combo…..also check Bonnieville for the records the little Stude made 62-63-64 and held I believe until the late 80’s or early 90’s….think the new gen Chevy motor knock them off…..it’s rare with the 3sp OD…..most came with the top and powerglide….hopefully here’s mine…a little rare 4 speed car….last of the 1964’s which were hardtops like the 62-63 Daytona’s…also built in Canada and sold new in Alton, Ill…1964 production as 2414 Daytona’s hardtop’s….
Very nice example of a ’64 Daytona hardtop! Keep it running.
Technically it’s NOT a Chevy engine, it’s a McKinnon industrial engine made in Canada. Basically a Chevy motor but with a lot of heavy duty parts to make it almost as tough as a Stude V8.
That is true! It was one extra-tough 283. I still prefer the Studebaker 259 or 289. They were heavy but unbelievably tough, great performers with a trademark recognizable sound.
I own one keep it stock it’s worth more down the road!
Now THAT’S a nice car!