I really like the styling of Studebaker trucks, especially when they are a pleasant period two-tone like this 1962 Champ. I think the stylists did a great job of essentially grafting the front end of a Lark onto the rear end that Studebaker had been using since 1949. This attractive truck has, in the seller’s words, “a little rust in lower corners and by doors.” However, the body is “pretty straight,” and it’s in good running and driving condition. I admit that I would like to see the wheels painted the same shade of aqua as was used on upper surfaces of the truck, but that’s a nitpick. The ad states that these were the first pickups to have a sliding rear window; do any of our expert readers know if that’s true? And while you are at it, the seat doesn’t look like it’s original; can anyone tell me if it is or not, and if not, what did it come from? Find it here on eBay in Shelton, Washington with an opening bid of $2,400 and no reserve.
Cool truck!
The truck looks like it is ready for work, all serious and stuff!
My whole life my dad was in to studebakers when I was a senior in high school (1997) my car took a crap and my dad had a 63 just like this setting in the barn with a pretty solid body it had the same bed this one has which a lot of the 63’s I’ve seen have a much uglier fleet side bed ? Any how his had a straight six engine with a four on the floor and 4:11 rear gears it was a 3/4 ton since it was just setting he let me have it to drive that was one cool truck and my friends loved it to ! Great times thanks dad !
Now this is in a whole different class than, say, the Dodge earlier. This would fit right in, and you’d probably have fun giving those “right lane signal jumpers” a run for their money in their Lexus. Wiki claims, this was the 1st pickup with a sliding rear window. I like all the Car/truck vehicles, and I believe Studebaker was the 1st with the ’30’s coupe/express. These weren’t popular, and serious rusters, hence then rarity, but some claim, it did pave the way for all the other mid-size car/truck vehicles that came along after. ( remember, El Camino and Ranchero were full sized cars early on)
Yes, Studebaker did pioneer the sliding rear window with the Champ, either when the new model first came out in ’60 or soon after. I even have some advertising material bragging about it. These are really good trucks, basically the ’49 chassis with all the bugs well worked out, very heavy duty. But the bodies rust like what they came from — Larks. Great find.
another nice truck, and again i would make a driver out of it. add says it has been lower, i would return truck to stock ride height. nice find.
Hi jim, at first I thought that too, but these were pretty heavily sprung, as a truck, so maybe some softer/lower springs would be better.
Studebaker’s 259 and 289 V8s are darn near bulletproof, and the truck versions are even tougher than the passenger car engines, with all sorts of heavy duty parts inside. Can’t go wrong with a Studebaker V8. We had a ’60 Lark and when it was finally hauled off to a junkyard as a pile of rust, the 259 engine was as good as ever. I wish I’d been old enough to save it.
Nice truck – not sure where he got all that info….the window stuff is fine but the Champ is still on a truck chassis…..and what about those Cameo’s…..
I agree with stillrunners, where did the this guy get his “facts”? Hudson made the Terraplane truck back in the ’30s. Then they built the Hudson Big Boy that was a 3/4 ton truck until 1947. They were all built on a car chassis with front independent suspension, thus rode like a car. Both Ford and GM made mid sized trucks in the early ’80s.
I’m sorry but I just don’t like these at all. I like almost all studebakers. My uncle had about a dozen when he died. But these are just plain ugly to me and I can’t see me driving it. Now give me a fat fendered early fifties stude and I will show you a bad Ass pick up when I get done with it.
I like this truck. Much better with the original stude bed than the I’ll fitting dodge bed. Horrible! They did their best with existing components for many years. I like the lark front end. Bravo to studebaker!