If you wanted the fanciest car Studebaker built in 1957, you ordered a President. If you took a wrong turn and ended up at a Packard dealer, you would have found the same car sold as the Clipper. Only 8,400 Presidents were produced in 1957, and 93% of them were 4-door sedans like this one. It’s a one-family car that hasn’t been driven in three years, but it was the hit of local parades before then. Located in a driveway in Dallas, Texas, this possible estate sale is available here on Facebook Marketplace for the tidy sum of $10,000. Hail to the Chief (Zappenduster) for another neat tip!
Studebaker dusted off the President nameplate in 1955, after it had been absent since World War II. The cars gained tailfins in 1956, but they didn’t quite rise to the same level as those used by most of Detroit in the late 1950s. Studebaker shifted its focus to economy cars with the introduction of the Lark in 1959, so the President nameplate was finally retired for good after the 1958 run, when it gained awkward-looking quad headlights.
The seller’s 1957 President has been in the same family for nearly 70 years. A 289 cubic inch V8 engine resides under the hood, the top power choice for Studebaker buyers in those days. It’s faired with an automatic transmission and even has factory air conditioning, something rare in a Stude in those days. The odometer reads 90,000 miles, and that sounds legit. The seller describes this as a “fixer-upper” since it’s been idle for a few turns of the calendar. So perhaps a clean and new fuel supply will help bring it back to life.
This President wears two-tone red and white paint, which looks mostly good. There’s either some rust on the ample rear clip or a pile of leaves has settled there. The interior looks solid, so if your goal is to keep it as original as possible without investing in a restoration, maybe it would work. Would you take a chance on making this Studebaker “presidential” again?
Mr. Prrrrrresident, they were great cars. There was no shame sharing #4 US automakers with Studebaker. I read, Studebaker did not offer A/C from the factory, but a dealer could add it on for a whopping $600 BUCKS! Considering this car cost about $2200 new, it was a considerably expensive option. The automatic was over $200 bucks too.This looks like a Ford a/c unit, and a big plus for todays driving. This is such a nice car, so much going for it, I hope someone saves it.
frikken fb…….