This 1958 Studebaker Scotsman wagon has been parked since 1996 and is an estate car from the seller’s father’s estate. It can be found here on eBay in Musselshell, Montana with an unmet opening bid of $3,000. This is a really unique car, let’s check it out.
In 1957, Studebaker-Packard wasn’t exactly a rock-solid business, the merger hadn’t gone as smoothly as hoped. The Scotsman was new for 1957, and its sales were such that it outsold the President, Commander, and Champion lines combined in 1958. The two-door wagon body style is unique and dare I say, “cool”, even though that word dates me. As does my graying hair and cheesy graying mustache, not to mention my actual age which ages me.
The seller of this fairly solid Scotsman wagon says that this was their dad’s car and, unfortunately, he has left this world and they’re selling it from their dad’s estate. They say that the body is in fairly good condition but mice have lived inside for years so that’ll need some work – maybe a lot of work. I don’t know if I’ve seen a pink, teal, and yellow interior before, which part of this interior didn’t come from the factory like that? It does look pretty good inside, despite being in storage since 1996, and the speedometer is about as unique as it gets!
Not having run in 23 years, this 101-hp, 185.6 cubic-inch inline-six will need to be gone through to get it back on the road again. 101 hp doesn’t sound like a lot of power but it wasn’t about speed in the low-buck car market, it was about frugality and the Scotsman got 30 mpg which was really something in the 1950s. This car has been in the seller’s family since the 1970s and it’ll need a lot of work but you’ll most likely never seen another one parked next to you at any car show. Have any of you owned a Studebaker Scotsman?
Scotty, I think the car is cool too. But my uber-hip daughter might say it’s “Swag money!”, or “Swagadocious”.
Either way, it’s the bomb-diggety, jammin’, or (for you Tommy Roe fans), it’s “Jam Up and Jelly Tight.” Nap time.
Four hours to go and no bids. Very cool, but lots of work going through the fuel and brake systems and everything else. Biggest challenge might be finding a fuel tank if this one’s shot. I guess a prospective buyer had better have a sense of adventure! Perhaps relist it as a no-reserve auction?
I’d forget about an auction and just list it for sale at a fixed price. Auctions are fine for unusual items that are in demand, they tried it at what seems to be a fairly reasonable price and it didn’t work, this time. A no reserve auction, right now, seems like a bit of a desperation play. It’s not like he’s listed it half a dozen times with no takers, this was the first time he’s run it through an auction. If they have the time, playing the long game seems like a better option. Fall/Winter usually isn’t the best time of year to sell car, it’s a buyers market, there probably isn’t much of a downside even if they have to hold on to it until Spring.
Steve R
Really? Fall/Winter is not a good time to sell a convertible, true, but this enclosed Stude would make a GREAT cold weather project for a parent and child. Pull it into your shop in November and have it ready for the first Cars & Coffee in the Spring, patina and all. Too bad this wagon would consume almost all of those months with fumigation, soft parts replacement, and suspension rebuild.
I own a scotsman. 1957 two-door sedan with faded original paint. Runs and drives. Body original with minimal rust over head lights and behind rear wheels. I have nos grille, nos fenders (front) if ever needed, nos rear quarter panels if ever needed, nos rear taillight and backup lenses, nos parking light lenses, nos lower air deflectors, nos exhaust system and original interior in useable condition. Needs brake work. Been stored in two different barns for a total of 47 years.
I need a passenger side 1957 studebaker door or door skin.you have that??
What always gets me on this vintage of Studebaker wagon is the rear view showing the early 1950s wagon body flanked by extended fins, with a “shelf” ahead of the bumper worthy of the biggest battering rams of the 1970s.
Note the heater box under the dash. A fresh-air heating system was not offered on the Scotsman, you had to pony up for one of the more expensive models to get that.
The heater box looks like a little oven, was it just the heater core inside the cabin or what?
Basically that was it. Probably had a fan in the heater box also. No fresh air intake, no defrosters. (Note no air outlets in the dash.) Toasty!
This could be a cool car restored, but look at the floor it is sitting on. That muck causes rust! Mice have been living in it for years. Have you ever tried to f=get that stink out of a car? I bet the engine is also full of mice droppings. Been there, done that… buyer beware. But if you are up to the challenge, you will have a really cool and rare car when done.
A few `57s have been seen, but `58s? Nearly NON-EXISTENT. And being a 2dr. wagon only adds to its rarity. Sure, someone might want to drop a 302 in it, etc. but IMHO this deserves a full restoration. These had nearly NO chrome; painted headlamp rings, bumpers, etc. kept the price down, along with the inline 6. Just ask anyone that knows these in the Studebaker clubs, and they will tell you how uncommon they are. And yes–that blah darker teal shade IS factory, but seems to me the interior should be a basic, no-frills black/white vinyl combo. Heck; seats & paint were almost options on these!! I think I’ve only laid eyes on one other `58 Scotsman, a 2dr. sedan.
The Scotsman was resurrected as a Chevette Scooter. Let’s de content to the absolute minimum. I remember painted poverty wheel covers on Scotsmen which rusted out in 1 year of NE Ohio salt. These were a tough sale; the hair shirt of 1950’s motoring.
A passenger side visor and arm rests were extra cost options!
Love this one. If I had the room. I believe wiring harness, floor mats etc , etc are available through the Studebaker parts people and club members. See LJT above.
My dad bought a 60 Lark 4 door w/ V8 auto. He got a couple of options. Passenger side visor, radio and I believe bumperettes.
Did the Scotsman inspire Checker or was it the other way around. I see so much of the Checker wagon in this that I wonder if either cribbed the other or if that was just the design you found under “station wagon” in a copy of Merriam-Webster.
Granted the rear looks like someone put a stretch to it. As if on a lark a design underling made a clay mock up with a continental kit just to scare their boss. The kit was removed but there was neither time nor money to redo the rear correctly so this is the way it went into production! Otherwise, Why?
The body dates back to 1954. The sedans had a shorter wheelbase than the 2dr coupes and they used the 2dr fenders which extended the back.
It’s possible the dash was white and the doorcards as well and these have discolored over the years
A delightful little car! I have never seen on e of these! Great find! I hope a Studie enthusiast save her and returns her to her strip-o glory.
My father was frugal, our 1950 Studebaker was a smoke machine, rusty. And the midnight blue paint was irredesent, I was 15 and terrified he would buy a Scotsman, he asked what I thought. I said Chevrolet. Bel Aire with V8. 4 door hardtop. So he compromised on a 210 regular 4 door, 6 which I finally sold for $50 in 1968 after 150 ,000 miles of reliable service.
Gone…I’m sure some Studie lover jumped on this rare wagon. Hope to be restored!
Would love to have this car. It’s still petainant today. In a sea of cookie cutter
cars, this would be a unique daily driver
and you still get 30+ MPG to boot. The
omly thing about Studebakers was that
they were the most rust prone cars that
were ever built–even worse than Chrysler
products of the same era. I think I was
10 the last time I saw one of these. (1964) My elderly neighbor traded a perfectly good ’46 Plymouth P-15 sedan
for one of these used. By ’65, that car
was so rusty the fenders were falling off
it! Sadly, he and the car died at the same
time. He was a great old guy too. But the car, not so much.
@Racingpro56, gone, but no bids so we shall see this one again perhaps! Mouse excrement on the floors inside, livestock excrement on the dirt floor underneath. I can almost smell this car through my PC monitor. Shame this little gem had to sit so long, I think the interior may have faded to different colors due to different paint fade and upholstery coverings. After all, wouldn’t be a Scotsman without the cheapest materials known to man.
Front wheels turned to the left, steering wheel turned way to the right. Things must be pretty ugly in the front suspension/steering area. I believe these cars used kingpins and trunnions instead of ball joints.
I always thought the 58 Edsel was the only car with a rotating speedo
Lots of mice talk. But seats are not chewed and I see no evidence of rodents.
Very unique car.
Excellent rod material. Crying for a Chevy 400 small block
There was one st the Studebaker meet in Ohio in Sept.
Weren’t quad headlight mandated for ’58? So maybe this isn’t a ’58? Just askin’.
Quad headlights were never mandated. By 1958 they were permitted in all 48 states. (A few manufacturers offered quad lights in ’57 but they could not be sold every state.) There were plenty of dual-headlight cars right up through the time when sealed beams were phased out.
Studebaker did have quad lights on some of their more expensive models. Since there was not enough money to retool the front fenders, clumsy add-on pods were used.
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Bidding ended. $3,000.00. Must not have had any action. Too bad for the seller. I had a ’57 Studebaker Champion that Mom and Dad bought me to drive back and forth to Jr. Col. from 9/61 to 1/63. Got a job and a different car until I enlisted in USAF in 6/63. Had the same exact speedometer, which I have mentioned before. It was a good car….until it got in an accident. Neighbors friend forgot to set the emergency brake on his ’57 Chevy, rolled backwards across the street and hit the left side behind the door. New car. Oh, well.
This another unique find. The Scotsman, whose name certainly wouldn’t fly today, was the cheapest, no frill car offered. Named the Scotsman for their frugalness, Studebaker tried to cash in on a fading market, like the Henry J’s. However, people wanted more in their cars in the late 50’s, when everything else was going gonzo. This is actually a well optioned one, as many pointed out, you could get a pretty bare bones Scotsman. Heater, oil filter, possibly O/D ( most Studebakers had O/D) and maybe hill holder clutch, visors, radio, all extra. I believe the “cyclops” speedo turned many off, and with 0 bids, clearly, nobody wants it. If it was in nice shape, this thing would be gone in a day, because it’s so unusual, but nobody going take the time to fix it, sadly.
Somebody might want this, but probably for a lot less than $3000.