Speed Week 2011 is quickly approaching! And you know what that means…Salt Fever! It’s reminded me that I still have many Speed Seeking Studebakers to add to the series I started after last year’s Speed Week. In fact, there’s 11 more racing Studebakers I have to bring ya. Rounding out a total of 14 Studebaker racers on the Salt Flats I caught last year (and I’m sure I missed a few!)
If you missed #1-4, begin here - Speed Seeking Studebaker’s.
Studebaker folks are unfailingly interesting. So when I met John Saltsman at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show this past January standing by his amazing Atomitron, a highly customized 1949 Studebaker pickup, I wasn’t too surprised to hear that he had other Studebaker stories to share. However, when he produced the few pictures in existence of the 1953 Studebaker Coupe he modified as a teenager, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Click here to see the full story…you’ve gotta hear what John did to this Coupe!
It’s not very often you see a customized Studebaker Coupe! So when I was browsing through the web during vacation in Montana and came across the “Yellow Pearl” on Kustomrama, I knew it needed to be shared on GreaseGirl. Both because its so swell and because I’ve been sadly absent from posting this past month – with SEMA follow-up going on, car shows, and Gasoline Girl projects. But I promise – as soon as I’m back from Montana, I’ll be back to writing about all my hot rod adventures and learning opportunities!
So cruise on over to Kustomrama, and find out more about this custom 1955 Studebaker. Its gone through a number of transformations since Long Beach’s Cut Outs car club member Dick Gonzalez sent the Speedster to Art’s Custom Shop in 1956 (an earlier version shown above.) The Yellow Pearl version was painted by Larry Watson and appeared on the cover of Rod & Custom in December of 1959.
Eventually the car was destroyed during a fire in 1973. Good news is, Dick Gonzalez is at it again. He’s at work to recreate the Yellow Pearl and hopes to have it completed in 2012. Good luck to him – and I can’t wait to see this car out on the road!
Heading up the line of this year’s Speed Seeking Studes, is #4594. It may not be the prettiest out there, but what it’s got going for it is a Studebaker engine and multiple record-holdings! Greg Meyer and his Salt2Salt Racing’s Crew brought out their 1953 Studebaker Coupe all the way from Minnesota. Powered by a 182cid V8 Studebaker engine, putting it in the F/CGALT class. I think it was the only non-Avanti to have Stude power rolling it down the line! Click on by to read the whole story!
If you’ve been following me for awhile than perhaps you know–I found my 1955 Studebaker Coupe largely by accident. Truth be told, I had something more similar to a Ford Falcon in my head when I went a-lookin’ for my classic car. Thankfully however, I ended up on a different road. My Dad is in fact the one with the credit for finding her, forwarding on the ad he’d found in the local paper. I had no idea at the time what a Loewy/Bourke designed Studebaker Coupe was. I have though always been familiar with Studebakers. Growing up, an airplane-nosed relic hung in my dad’s office, this being a token of his teenage-years car project.
When I first saw “Stude” it was clearly love at first sight. As she’s become part of me, of course I’ve done my fair share of Studebaker research. None of it clued me into the depth of the Studebaker Coupe’s history on the salt. Last year, during my first trip to Bonneville for Speed Week, I was completely blown away by how many Studebakers I found on the salt! I knew Studebaker coupes were long-loved in land speed racing for their aerodynamic bodies—but it seemed like everywhere I turned I saw another Studebaker!
As I’m finding out, Studebaker coupes have a longer history with land speed racing than I would have guessed. Click here to keep reading! Learn some cool Studebaker and Land Speed Racing History…
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