I've always been fascinated by the '53 Studes that ran on Bonneville, but one question has always lingered in my mind. Which was the better choise, the pillarless hardtop coupe, or the post coupe? I've seen both, but always wondered if one had any advantage over the other. Thanks.
I had a hard top with out the post and it rattled like a tin can. I'd never have another one. I bought it as a driver with a 327 SBC and a 4 spd. I wanted it for the street and not the race course so rattling windows in my ears were not pleasant. I know this sounds trivial as hell but I did not want a frame off restoration so I sold it and moved on I'd like to have a rust free coupe but I won't live that long.
The hard top cars are a little heavier and the roof line is different. They say ( whomever they are) that a heavier car fairs better on the salt, but I would think that the post car would hold up better as the salt is a bumpy ride.
People who build light Bonneville cars either have their own theory about what works best or are doing what they have always seen done on race cars. Sometimes I see things that would be great on a road racer but add drag to a land speed car. For instance my roadster had Hildabrant spot brakes on it. Great for a sprint car. I replaced them with '56 Olds rear drum brakes. Less drag. Don't have much use for brakes on the salt anyway. Current rules requiring Lexan windows makes a post car much better for mounting the window and having it stay in place.
for going fast, the lower roofline would be the way to go. Less frontal area = less drag. Weight is helpful at bonneville, because if you have enough power, the limiting factor is always aerodynamic drag vs. traction.
I think the roofline is the same. The differance is in rigidity. The original 53 was very flexible, and you throw the hardtop in the mix, and lose a lot of structural rigidity. There was an extra crossmember added in 55 to support the body, which was a huge improvement, and by 57 there were further frame modifications, including different mounting points, and thicker guage steel. Of course all these improvements were overshadowed by the progressively "Unique" styling. Cant say ugly, as i like them all, but i sure liked the 53 best.
I have a yellow 54 Studebaker coupe #352 that I run at the Dry Lakes and Bonneville. It is on an extended cab S10 Chevy frame. I have 800 pounds of led attached to the belly pan located between the cowl and the rear fender opening. The car ran 208 mph this year with a 327 Chevy engine out of an old circle track car. Coupes are structually more sound, it's harder to chop the top, and easier to attach Lexan windows to the pillers. The car goes like stink, and acts as if it's on rails. The salt is not bumpy on the coarse. The officials drag it smooth. Bonneville is like an 8 lane freeway, and running on it is like the first time you had sex. Oh My, let's do that again. 7500 RPM for 5 miles, what a thrill.
Records have been set, and held for years, with either body, so the aero difference is minimal. The reality is, what a builder finds for sale best dictates what they build. I casually looked for over 10 years before finding my Starlight coupe.
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