We’re going to start with the newest offering and work our way back. So, to kick things off, here’s a 1954 Studebaker Champion in blue.
Mechanically, these cars are pretty straight forward and not all that impressive. They featured a 170 cu in flathead straight 6 cylinder engines that puffed out 85 HP and 138 lb ft of torque, and that was the only option available for power. They did come with a choice of a 3 speed manual, a 3 speed manual with overdrive, and a 2 speed automatic that kind of sort of functioned like it had overdrive without actually having overdrive (shoot for the 3 speed manual with overdrive).
In 1954, one of these cars would have set you back by $1,950-2,250 depending on options. Today, they range anywhere from around $4,000 up to mid twenties and even one really custom Champ I spotted online for just a hair under $60,000. The Champs you’ll see demanding upwards of $15,000 typically are no longer stock. They often have a transplanted (and much improved) drive train and performance modifications to optimize handling. I’ve got no problem with this because like I said, these cars aren’t particularly awe-inspiring on the mechanical front. They win over their owners based on looks alone.
We’re keeping it pretty simple today because these cars weren’t all that complicated. The reason I’m featuring them is that they’re just all around nice looking cars. There’s not a single angle you can view a Studebaker Champion from where there isn’t a nice line or interesting form to behold. This holds doubly true for the generation of Champions prior to ‘53-54.
Moving back in time now to 1951, we’ve got a distinctly different looking Champion.
For ‘51, a Champion Coupe would cost from just over $1,500 to just under $1,700 depending on trim and options. Nowadays, these cars span price ranges from around $3,000 for an example in need of lots of restoration work, up to the high teens and beyond for custom hot rod versions. Same power train options as discussed previously, so again with the piddley 85 HP.
Matte black isn’t exactly the best way to show off the splashy, futuristic styling of this car, but you can still see its fantastic lines including a dramatically forward jutting airplane type schnozz decked out with chrome accents.
This Starlight Coupe Champion is available for sale at a classic car lot in Mankato, MN for $11,900.
Better yet to behold the stylistic drama on the 1950 model here, with the front bumper deleted to make that front fascia even more striking.
The ‘50 and 51 Champions didn’t bother to get wrapped up with smoothing down and streamlining. They were about drama and the suggestion of speed, power and performance -of flying by the seat of your pants with your hair bowing in the breeze. With 85 HP, they couldn’t really deliver on that, but there aren’t too many car designs that make you feel like the vehicle is streaking through the air even when it’s standing still.
A Studebaker Champion is yet another good one for people looking to get into classic cars. They’re cheaper and easier to get than the higher end Studebakers like the Avanti, the President, the Hawk, or the Dictator. They look fantastic, and a stock version isn't too hard to work on. Resto-mod work like upgrading can be handled with money and some help from friends or a good custom shop. Best of all, reproduction parts are easy to come by. That’s a good thing too, because the bad news about old Studebaker Champions is that they are prone to rust problems.. So, maybe not so much a car for in the Midwest, where we salt, sand, and spray chemical melting agents around on our roadways in winter to keep the thoroughfares from becoming ice skating rinks, but if it’s a summer driver, and especially if you’re not in the rust belt, why not?
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