Factory Hot Rod: Supercharged R2 1963 Studebaker Lark Custom

In the early 1960s, almost every American manufacturer realized that they were going to have to get serious about performance if they wanted to sell cars to young people. Little Studebaker, being that their V8 engine was just about maxed-out at 289 cubic inches, decided to create a series of Paxton supercharged “R-Series” cars that are still popular pieces on the Pure Stock Muscle Car drag racing trail today. This 1963 Lark Custom is a factory-documented R2 car that has been completely restored by Myer’s Studebaker in Duncan Falls, Ohio, which is where you can find this car for sale here on eBay with an asking price of $34,000 or best offer. The seller is based in Los Angeles, but the car is in Duncan Falls where the proprietors of Myer’s are available to answer questions about it. Thanks to Barn Finder Curvette for sending us this piece of South Bend performance history.

Here’s the original documentation for the Lark from the Studebaker National Museum, which tells us that it was set up as a serious performer from the factory. According to the seller, this freshly-painted “Maui Blue” Custom was produced just before the “Super Lark” package was announced, but it does have most of the gear that you’d find in those cars. It has heavy duty suspension, power disc brakes, Twin Traction differential, and a 3.73:1 gear out back. The only thing that one might question is the “Flight O Matic” transmission, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Although the Lark is a factory R2 car, which was said to produce 289 horsepower, this car has been souped up even more. It’s been “punched out” to 304 cubic inches, which is what the Granatelli Brothers did to the super-rare R3 and R4 cars. The engine has been rebuilt with R3 intake valves, Harland Sharp roller rockers, port-matched heads, R3 headers, and an R3 camshaft. The supercharger has also been rebuilt (and I’ve always thought that they looked awesome sitting right out front in the engine compartment). By the way, the dual-circuit master cylinder was factory-standard on Larks; Rambler and Cadillac were the only other manufacturers to offer that standard feature in 1963.

In addition to the driveline and paint, the interior is also fully-restored, with Studebaker Daytona bucket seats and console replacing the Custom’s bench. Notice that instead of an automatic gear selector, there’s a floor shifter and a third pedal, which operate a “custom-built” T5 five-speed manual with a performance clutch. The rear end is a rebuilt Dana 44 with factory 3.73:1 gears and an Eaton limited-slip differential. I suggest looking over all the paperwork listed on the eBay ad to see the extent of what’s been done to the car; it’s truly rebuilt from top to bottom.

This is one of those cars where the purchase price seems like a lot until you realize that it’s just not: Given the amount of work that’s been done and the car’s rarity, thirty-four grand seems like a steal. Of course, the market for performance Studebakers is narrow, but if you’re in it, how could you not be intrigued by this little sleeper?