There is A LOT of history behind this car. It was a 5 window, two door coupe originally. The guy that owned it, LeeRoy Winters, wanted a pickup to haul his Triumph motorcycle around in, but his dad wouldn't let him have one. So, he did the next best thing.....he cut up his Studebaker Commander.
Well, actually, Doug Thompson cut it up.
So, they cut it up, whacking 3-3 1/2" out of the top, and made a Ranchero-style pickup out of it. It was black, with a silver roof the first time, and it stayed that way until somewhere around '62, when they changed some things up and started showing the car. It had '57 Studebaker Hawk fins added, and was painted yellow. In '64, they blew the engine up, and put it in a barn. The poor thing sat there, from '64 til '95. In '95, David Guymon bought the car at a swap meet, and began tearing it apart. He had the bumpers, grilles, and some other "brightwork" rechromed. They pulled the blown engine out, and put in a 259 ci Stude' engine from a '58 President. That car had 43,xxx original miles on it, so the heads have never even been off. They put everything back together, and repainted it yellow in ELEVEN days, to take the car to the Darryl Starbird's museum. It sat in Starbird's for around a year and a half. It was then sold a couple of times, neither of the owners putting any miles on it.
wouldn't let him have one. So, he did the next best thing.....he cut up his Studebaker Commander.
Well, actually, Doug Thompson cut it up.
So, they cut it up, whacking 3-3 1/2" out of the top, and made a Ranchero-style pickup out of it. It was black, with a silver roof the first time, and it stayed that way until somewhere around '62, when they changed some things up and started showing the car. It had '57 Studebaker Hawk fins added, and was painted yellow. In '64, they blew the engine up, and put it in a barn. The poor thing sat there, from '64 til '95. In '95, David Guymon bought the car at a swap meet, and began tearing it apart. He had the bumpers, grilles, and some other "brightwork" rechromed. They pulled the blown engine out, and put in a 259 ci Stude' engine from a '58 President. That car had 43,xxx original miles on it, so the heads have never even been off. They put everything back together, and repainted it yellow in ELEVEN days, to take the car to the Darryl Starbird's museum. It sat in Starbird's for around a year and a half. It was then sold a couple of times, neither of the owners putting any miles on it.