Customs 1953 Studebaker Starliner: Ahead of it's time?

By 1953, Detroit was already beginning to make European-influenced car designs; Smaller, lighter and more aggressive. The new Corvette, The Cunningham C-3, the Muntz Jet and other 'sport jobs' lead the way. It was also the year that an American perso... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.

 

All Stude's were ahead of their time.

 

It really is a magnificent design that holds up well today.

 

Timeless.

 

The '53 coupes and Starliners were ahead of their time in styling for sure. I always loved them and drove a '53 coupe for quite awhile. Had a 327 sbc, and was fast in it's day.
But other than styling, they were not so great. The 232 cid engine had major problems, as it had a bad problem with camshaft and lifter wear from the beginning that gave them a bad reputation from the start. The little flathead 6cyl. in the Champion was a good engine, but of an obsolete design and grossly underpowered.
Brakes were not really up to getting you stopped quickly, especially on the Champion, just too small.
Body integrity on the Starlight 2 door hardtop was miserable and the coupes weren't much better. Door hinges too weak for the long, heavy doors, water leaks, and other nuisance problems.
But Geez, they were the sleekest, most streamlined design you could find for many years, and I would still like to have my old coupe.

 

They look good breaking 200 mph on the salt too.

 

yep the original design plus, a roof chop made them great for Bonneville too. there has been one For Sale a long time in Nor Cal - pic

 

Blows all the other cars of the time (even the Vette, I think) out of the water, in terms of styling. Advanced, tasteful, and practical. You rarely get all three of those at the same time. a home run for sure. Good topic, JB. I always enjoy what you drag in.

 

They were ahead by more than a decade,but like most car companies that were starting to fail,they didn't put the money into the mechanical end.Raymond Loewy was probably the designer on the body,but I don't think anybody wants to take credit for the mechanical aspects of the car.

 

Glad to see a Studebaker article. They are a very unique car.

 

I"ll add here-here to all the above.Had one in HS in mid 60"s 283 bored to 301,went off to Arizona to elect school and Dad sold it.Sure wish I had another.

 

The body and frame weren't the strongest, but the styling was among the best ever.

That basic V8 engine was in production eleven years, from 224ci. to 304ci., in everything from Larks to medium-duty trucks. It was far from the worst attribute of the Loewy coupe.

I'm thinking a fair example might make a good driver. Most repair parts are available. I wonder if front clips are reproed?

 

Raymond Loewy owned the design studio but employee Bob Bourke sketched out the timeless design.
And a Chrysler Hemi will fit in the engine compartment like it came in it.

 

Very European in style and size, but all the European cars which look similar came out years later so I think it was the first to use many late fifties styling cues. And despite being the first it's totally perfect. An amazing achievement.

 

It would seem a shame in a thread of this car to not mention this stunning creation.
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/collector-cars/50s-cars/car_of_the_week_1953_studebaker_convertible

 

Certainly more modern styling for it's day but better looking than many of it's contemporaries from the "Big Three", I think not.

 

Stylewise they can't be beat. The original 53-54 was prone to a lot of problems that were worked out by the 55 model year, including functional brakes, however the nose was over chromed, and it lost a lot of its simplicity. mine is a 55,with a 53/4 front clip, and it took many years to find all of the front end sheetmetal components. It definitely turns heads everywhere it goes, and is a fun car to drive.

 

Yes, Bob Bourke really should get the styling credit. They went up a gauge in chassis material for the 54's.

They are on my wanted list.

 

A truly beautiful car. Thanks for posting.

 

They truely were a head of their time. Someday I'll get a '55.

 

very Cool for cruising the street, or chopping for Bonneville. one has been For Sale for a long time in San Joaquin County, CA area (not mine) .

 

My Dad had a 53 Starliner when I was 8 or 9. I looked for years to find a nice clone of his car. Found one last year! Even the same colors. Nice two owner (Father then Son) car that looks stock, but with a 63 Hawk engine, 55 Borg Warner auto trans and 62 brakes. Happy Happy! Sorry no pictures.

 

I have had 1 for about 20 years, and keep getting sidetracked whenever I get back on it. I think I am afraid to finish it, I may want to sell it if I do.

 

Here is my recently completed 55 Speedster. 63 289 w/ 700r4

 

Yeah I really like the direction they went in '53 .... my first passion was for a Lowboy but I ended up building a '50 Tudor Champion instead.

 

'55 body with a '54 front clip ?

 

Not to worry .. taken me 16 years and I'm still not finished my '50.

 

yes. I guess I forgot to mention that part.

 

I was three in '53 when my father bought a new Champion coupe with the little swing out rear quarter windows' my first real memory of the family car. I do remember mostly the "fixed" armrest in rear and trying to sleep over it when we went to the drive-in- no TV in our house then. It was a beautiful bright red with a white roof and red interior, 6 cyl. stick with o/d, I remember later my father saying he got somewhere in the mid twenties mileage wise, as he put a lot of miles on as a travelling salesman at the time, his territory being all of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. We had it until late in '57 when a new Mercury Montery replaced it.
Dave