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1953 studebaker champion
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- Опубліковано 24 жов 2022
- Today on what it’s like 1953 Studebaker champion four-door sedan Review lots of period ads, We talk about the history we give all of the specs do a complete tour both inside and out as well as - layout button switches and knobs
Enjoy this episode I did we love Studebaker’s here on this channel =)

One of the cool features that Studebakers had was a "Hill-Holder" clutch. Coming to a stop on a hill, with the brakes set and the clutch pedal pushed down, the brakes would remain applied, eventhough the brake pedal wasn't depressed, when ready to move again, as you started letting up the clutch pedal, the brakes would release(hopefully you were simultaneously speeding the engine up).
I am unaware of other makes of cars having the "Hill-Holder" function, but, in modern times, when Subaru's were becoming popular, they incorporated this feature.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing the hill holder feature
My Volkswagen cc has this feature on my 6 speed manual, but its electric.
A lot of cars w/OD were equipped a pullout handle to engage OD as these Studes were. My Aunt & Uncle had purchased a brand new Studebaker w/OD and drove from New York to Michigan for a visit. My Dad, then a brash teen ager asked them how they liked the OD. Uncle Myles replied that he didn’t think it worked as he never felt it engage. My Dad went out and looked at the car with him and saw that the lever was not in the engaged position. So he explained that they had to manually engage it when they needed it. They got a lot better performance out of that car after that.
I had a 55 Champion (2 dr sedan w/OD) and still have a 53 Champion (coupe) and two 55 President (hardtop K-5), The interior looks correct for 56 to 58, do not know its first year introduction. Mechanically, 54 got improved brakes, 55 got a stroked engine for more power in the Champion, and a bore change for the V-8's. Overdrives were part of the transmission in what was the tail shaft housing. My 55 Champion could do 110 mph if it had long enough space to get up to speed. Other than being passed by Volkswagens on the hills, they were great highway cars. Have fun
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing that information =)
Studebaker was ahead of it's time. If you compare this vehicle to the models from the Big Three you see how low slung and stylish it was. Most cars were still quite tall and boxy. I am a Studebaker devotee'. I own three, a '41 President, "50 Commander and "55 President. My compliments on the car and the video.
Are you close to the western Pennsylvania region by chance
Maryland, Suburban D.C.
I also have a '50 Commander, a 4 door.
Bullet noise =)
An overlooked car that was a economical alternative to the big three. I have a friend with a 58, and 59 Silver Hawks. Nice to see one from this vintage that's still intact and driving!
Love studebakers want to feature more on this channel as well as Hudson Nash edsel packard
It is an amazingly attractive, timeless, practical car.
My mom drove a used '62 Studebaker Lark until I was about 5 and I remember that car well ... always started, always ran ...was a dependable car and she loved it
Great story thank you so much for sharing that memory with us =)
Raymond Loewy also helped the design on the British car, Hillman in 1956. Very similar styling. Love Studebaker cars, very advanced features.
That was 'Audax' styling.
What memories this car brings back... for years my grandmother had a 4 door 53 base Champion and since my mother did not drive, my grandmother took us all over Miami in this car (one like it)... no air conditioning and as you noted, a 3 on the tree transmission. I keep thinking that my grandmother always said that the car had a mohair cloth interior.
The interior was replaced in this one. It might have been mohair
Sdudabaker really tried to compete and was successful in many ways. Unique and fun.
Yeah 57 golden hawk is one of the best designed cars of the last 100 years in my opinion
@@What.its.like.
I would agree, sir.
@@What.its.like. At least by then they had redesigned the cars so you could know which was the front and which was the back. 🌝
Love that flathead six!...My old 59 rambler had one, with 90hp...and Plymouth actually offered a flathead six, through 1959. Those engines were smooth as butter, but obviously were not powerful...My American got over 20mpg consistently..I miss the 3 on the tree!
I stopped someone with a 50 champion (bullet noise, before the channel) and he said he got 32 miles to the gallon hwy I’ve heard owners say the flathead design gets better gas mileage than ohv they should bring back the flathead and turbocharge it
Hey Jay, I have always liked Studebakers, when I was a kid my dad had a friend that had 2 Studebakers, a Golden Hawk & a station wagon that had the back part of the roof that rolled forward, sort of like a convertible!!! I thought that was so cool. Thanks for sharing another fun video!!!
The song is Farting against the wind!!! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
That wagon was called the wagonair I don't think it spelled that way.
@@jeffreybrianring6392 that's right, thanks for refreshing my memory!! 👍
The body style still looks attractive. The other ‘53 cars are nice, big, tall, wide but not as sleek as the Studebaker and as you mentioned it seems to have plenty of room. I would like to thank the owner for allowing us to see his car.
This car was sold, she told me it was leaving the next day so if I wanted to do it for the channel I’d better go before it’s gone.
If your in the commoner section thank you so much for letting us feature your car =)
It's a nice change to see you actually driving the car in the open instead of in a museum. I wish you will keep this presentation.
To be 100% fair I didn’t drive that car but I would really like to go back to that someday it’s hard because of insurance.. and I don’t wanna be the guy that messed up anybody’s car.. but with that said I like to sit behind the person driving so it’s like you’re driving it gives you the perspective that it’s you behind the wheel and I would love to do more of that.. I figured more opportunities would present themselves once the base got bigger.
These cars in the hands of restomod specialists can be fantastic hot rods! Of course they look great as stock restorations as well! 👌
I had a 53 2dr champion hardtop. Low and fast. I had a V8 with a down draft carb! Beautiful and fast for that year! Beautiful ride!
That sounds like a sweet car =)
That car has great styling! Much better than the 1956 models.
Enjoyed this post! That was definitely a strange place to mount the rear ash trays. We've noticed at classic car shows, if you bring a 50's Studebaker, Rambler, Edsel, Packard, Kaiser, Willys or Hudson, those makes get most of the attention in a field of mostly Chevys, Cadillacs, Fords and Plymouths.
So true because everyone has those these are the cool cars now
I would love to buy a 1950's to 1960's Studebaker in excellent condition.
Me too =)
3:40 In addition to the standard three-speed manual column shift transmission, Studebaker also offered the Champion with optional Borg-Warner overdrive on all models, and the air-cooled three-speed _Automatic Drive_ with its lock-up torque converter was also on offer, as it was on the Commander and Commander Land Cruiser models.
Song…Against the wind by Bob Seeger. Great Studebaker video!
Just missed it glad you liked this one I long the orphan cars I’ve been looking for Hudson and Nash they are rare here some edsels coming, soon cough cough cough.
Studebakers were good cars, and they were definitely ahead of their time. Too bad we lost them to the big three.
Totally agree
Ah memories,
My first car was a 1953 2 door deluxe. $50.00 count um 50 whole dollars all in.
I would love to have that car now.
Well wishes don’t fly and I just hope that that car never ended up in a junk yard…
Time was different back in those long ago days and I really didn’t appreciate that old car as much then as I do now.
$50.00 won’t even buy you the trim on a 53. Back then it was a complete running and driving vehicle. Breaks were week but otherwise not a dent. Chrome was pitted on the grill but otherwise it was fine. Even had that 3 point star on the nose. Mercedes put an end to that one pretty quickly.
Those were the daze my friends, we thought they’d never end… life changes though.
Great story thank you so much for sharing =)
Thanks for featuring Studebaker this time. Not to nitpick but the pillared coupe was the Starlight. The hardtop coupe was called Starliner. Always enjoy your videos
Thank you so much for the correction =)
Now you see what roomy cars Studebaker's were. They were also stylish. Nice job on the video.
Thank you glad you liked this one i’m gonna make it my mission to do or at least try to do all of the cars from 1935 to 1962 in every variation going to hit all the cars outside of those parameters as well it’s just I wanna hit four door sedan four door hardtop Show the differences between all of the body styles maybe one day when I get to all of the body styles make a video and link them all together so you could see the differences between everything
My uncle had one of the few 53 champion pillared coupes in our little town when they came out new. I almost bought a 55 champion sedan in the late 1980s ,but the underside was completely gone thanks to our new england winters, and years of it sitting on a gravel driveway. I later had a 65 cruiser sedan with the chevy 6. Id love in my retirement years to have a plain jane 53-55 champion someday, but with the current economy, its doubtful.
Great story thank you so much for sharing that memory with us =)
Loved the five examples of Pontiacs in your intro, tonight! I love that car make!
What’s your favorite era of Pontiac mine is the silver streak era with the straight eights.
@@What.its.like.. Mostly 1958 through 1970
Against the wind by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band(title track from the album,1980 Capitol Records.
I was baby sat at a farm in Cloverdale, CA in the late 40's and early 1950's which had a Studebaker and sons buggy in the barn
They are very unique and cool looking cars! 😎 Has a sleek sculpted look. I'm sure they were really nice all optioned out too!
Very nice video. A simple straightforward car. Nothing fancy, but very nice and very reliable for basic transportation.
Yep but it’s good to show those this is the only four door studebaker I saw all year
@@What.its.like. They are somewhat rare.
1:46 That's Starliner hardtop, not Starlight, and the Starliner shown is a Commander.
3:41 The Champion Custom was also available with Borg-Warner overdrive, as you noted at 5:05. Also on offer in the Champion was Studebaker's three-speed Automatic Drive, the first fully automatic transmission with a locking clutch in the torque converter first offered as a mid-year addition in 1950 (Packard's 1950 Ultramatic had the locking torque converter, but low gear start required a hand shift to low.).
Thank you so much for sharing all of that information =)
Thank you, thank you for taaking me on a ride in you great car!
Aainst The Wind, Bob Segar & The Silver Bullet Band.
Still running ( against the wind )
Nice Stude, it would look better with the dog dish hubcaps instead of the Cragar SS rims.
I agree but I totally understand why they did it I think they couldn’t find steel rims for whatever reason they would accept radial tires might’ve just had a Crager SS is sit around that were the same bolt pattern and took radial tires
Since my first car was a 1950 Plymouth coupe I really wanted a Studebaker hardtop but nobody would give one up
The story goes, a lot of the designers at the Big Three studios chose Starlights and Starliners as their personal cars through the mid-fifties.
“Against The Wind” by Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band released in April of 1980!
You got it someone beat you to to it
@@What.its.like. Dang it XD
Excellent to find you!
Lots of cool content on this channel I’m glad you found us too =)
The Car was always ahead of the crowd.
Yeah it was
The styling of the 2dr. is much more attractive. The little flat-head six, at only 85 hp is way low compared to other makes, but with overdrive, would be miserly on fuel.
I agree the two door is one of the best looking cars of all time but there’s nothing really wrong with the four door there’s lots of space in its low
And not boxy like all of the other competition at this point in time
The first car I 'drove' (actually just steered) on a public road was a ’53 Stude Champion - in Australia, circa 1958.
Awesome story =)
Great video 😊
Thank you =)
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against The Wind
Thanks! Just recently discovered your channel and have been spending WAY too much time watching. LOL! Love these classic cars! You are living the dream being able to be up close and personal with so many beautiful rolling works of art. Just finished watching the '54 Corvette video... kind of a tight squeeze there, huh? Haven't heard you mention in other videos so far so I'll have to ask... how tall are you? I am 6 ft. myself so I'm sure I'd have the same issue. Thanks for what you do and keep up the good work!! Now, on to the 1961 AMC Rambler video...
Against the Wind by Bob Seger. I used to here it all the time at work
Studebaker was running against the wind
Night moves, Bob Segar
Against the wind but you got Bob Seger
Bob Seger - Against The Wind
Great job you got it =) , just remember not to fart against the wind LOL =D
Against the Wind - Bob Seger
Eight tube radio!
Against the Wind Bob Seger and Silver Bullet Band
You got it someone beat you to it
Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band.
Yep =) against the wind
Torch heat and a punch. Get them really hot but don’t melt the axle.
So, what did it drive like?
I didn’t drive it.. but it rode really nice it didn’t seem to have a whole lot of extra power.. flat roads wasn’t a problem going down hill was what this car was made for lol, got up the hill but does so slowly (but it wasn’t terrible it’s probably on par with a vw karman Ghia power to weight ratio should be pretty close)
Handled light, even with the non-power steering, rode smooth, quieter than you might imagine.
Steering was pretty slow, could be a handful in tricky situations. I don't recall when the variable-ratio steering came online, but it was faster on-center for highway use and slower/lighter when you got more off-center like when parking.
The '55 Champion had a longer stroke engine, 3.05 liters (185.6 cubic inches, 101 horsepower, not sure what the torque was), but remember, a pre-war Ford V8 was only 85 horsepower, too.
An interesting feature (optional on base models but standard on Champion Regals and Commanders) was the "No-Rol" hill-holder, an electric gizmo that held the hydraulic pressure on the brakes, allowing the driver to release the brake pedal to operate the throttle. A switch would release the brakes when the clutch was up to the friction point. Automatic Drive cars had a similar system as an anti-creep device, again allowing the driver to take feet off the brake at stop lights and releasing the brake when the driver nudged the throttle.
1:45 The hardtop was called the _Starliner_ , not the Starlight.
Thank you for that correction
Against the wind by Bob Seager
Yep =)
The 53 sedan was the basic body when Studebaker went big in ‘56, and small in ‘59. You’ll see it in the sides of a Lark thru ‘63. Studebaker didn’t have the $$ to change body styles like the Big Three.
Gem!!
Gas was easy to siphon out!
These were good, reliable cars, but even in the 1950s they had sort of a geek image. All I can think of while watching this is our somewhat oddball neighbors in that era always drove Studebakers. Even with the Overdrive add-on to the manual transmission, I kind of doubt this vehicle (even when new) would have been able to hit 90 mph.
Down Everest might be possible
But did it have coat hooks? How about cup holders? Does it have detailed information on how to crank up the windows? You might need that today. 🤷♂️🌝. At least the horn works. 😊
Does anyone know how to fix those side vents? Mine won't open.
The picture of the two door sedan looks to have door cuts for the rear doors, but no door handles. Was it made in place but not operational? I’m curious.
I saw that door Line as well and very intrigued as well
Yes, the 2 door sedans had sealed non functional rear doors that didnt open. Kaiser frasier did it similarly with a blank rear door. It was probably how these smaller independent auto companies saved some money.
FYI, the hardtops were called Starliners, not Starlights.
Thank you for that correction
There is a chance that my late paternal grandfather hung the doors on this car. He worked there from 1943 to 1956 retirement. He drove 1950 champ from new to 1973. It was the last daily driver around in So. Bend. Unfortunately, it became too rusty, to pass state inspection.It only had 43,000 miles on it. It had an engine overhaul at 35,000 miles in 1970. This was very common on these old 6 cyl. Stude's. I would say that the big 3 6's were longer lasting than the Studebakers.
Great story thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory
You are most welcome. You would not believe how many Stude's I have seen on the road. Was born in 1949 in So.Bend. Probably 1/3 cars were Stude's until early 60's. They were famous for their wagons. Many of the ones used on wagon trains to the West were Studebakers!
I own a real 1951 Studebaker Champion. I also own an advertisement book with a chapter in it by Ramond Lowey.
then i own some models of the 1953 Starliner...did a review video here : ua-cam.com/video/VMw3a6mRc4c/v-deo.html
...... I'm a member of Studebaker Drivers Club ... This year, wanting to trim down the fleet ... I sold my 1962 Lark ... And sold my 1953 Champion Deluxe ... 😥 ...
... But maintained my 1965 Cruiser ... 😁 ...
... I know I'll never own another '53 Champion, and I do miss it ... But having three Studebakers was a bit too much ..... 😵💫 .....
I hope to one day drive the golden hawk.. I had a thought the other day how cool would it be to do a this vs that 57 baker vs 57 rebel two of the fastest cars in the 50s head to head that would be great but I haven’t found anyone with a rambler rebel yet