1955 Studebaker Champion

DeLuxe Sedan Coupe

6 - Cyl.

Manual

G1351465

Gasoline

A Preservation Class Dream! 1955 Studebaker Champion DeLuxe Sedan / Series 16G6 6-Cylinder with 3-Speed Overdrive 34,715 ORIGINAL MILES Here is a walk back in time: Only two owners from new. Recently awakened from a thirty-year slumber! The present owner bought the car back in the 1970s and drove it carefully during high school and college. After winning his class at a Milestone Car Society concours in 1978, he realized he had something very special. Shortly after this, he put the car into a careful indoor slumber that lasted decades. All chrome was covered in cosmoline, the coolant was drained, engine oil was changed every few years, and the engine was turned to keep it from getting stuck. Sleeping Beauty was awakened just this summer, and she looks surprisingly gorgeous. She starts and runs, but it will take a couple of somebody's weekends to get this car roadworthy for cruising. We popped in some new Champion plugs (as original!), drained the tank, added fresh fuel and a new battery, and voila: After blowing out the cobwebs for a couple of minutes, she settled into a smooth idle! A coolant petcock for the engine block must be found and installed before we run it for too long, as it it drains straight out. And the brakes need rebuilding before it’ll go down the road safely. We confess: In the name of honest appraising, we drove it on a quiet road up through three gears using the handbrake to stop...It drives very well! The next owner will enjoy tinkering with this simple, straightforward machine. OUTSIDE: An attractive color combo of white over windsor blue really sets off the excellent chrome. The owner maintains that this is the original paint; we found areas of overspray on portions that suggest some cosmetic touch-ups at some point, but they are not prominent and our informed opinion is that the paint job is substantially original as it left South Bend in 1955. As such, it is outstanding, with a few scratches reflecting normal use. We resisted the urge to "cut" the paint with a compound to make it shiny; we only applied a quality paste wax without any abrasives (by hand -- no buffers here!), and it looks fantastic. The chrome is all original, and is not perfect in every spot, but is much too nice to re-do. There are some small pits on the die-cast grille ends, but not enough to rankle anybody but a perfectionist. The bumpers are straight and nearly unmarked. The stainless steel fender and window trim is all uniformly excellent and undamaged. The hood jet looks almost like it just came from the chroming shop! The simple and classic Loewy hubcaps are perfect in shape and original finish except for the brass-toned center on one cap. There is a matched set of five Firestone “Gum-Dipped” wide-whitewall tires (surely the originals?) The tires are not roadworthy, but hold air and are great for display at shows. Glass is excellent all around, with very good weather stripping and seals, considering the age. The windshield is clear and excellent: No cracks, no pitting to speak of, and no hazing between laminates that would betray its age. It’s all extremely impressive for an unrestored car! INSIDE: The original interior detailing on this car is in amazing condition. There are clean, bright gauges set in a shiny, unmarked dashboard with beautiful chrome and excellent control knobs. The original cloth seat upholstery has no tears, and (incredibly) the vinyl piping along the seams is in excellent shape. We didn't attempt to clean the upholstery, only vacuuming it. There are typical small stains, and the seats should be carefully treated and cleaned to look their best again. The original vinyl floormats are in place; the front one has become brittle and is beginning to break up, while the back one is entirely intact. The headliner is just as nice, with no tears or repairs necessary. The inside of the trunk is a treat: Clean and neat, with a perfect original rubber mat, and the fifth “Gum-Dipped” Firestone (see the pictures!) UNDER: The engine room is in clean, orderly original condition. The “Victory Six” has its original plug wires, and pretty much everything else, too. The blue paint on the firewall is amazingly pretty when it’s cleaned up: We resisted the urge to scrub too hard, as there are original assembly line inspection marking in grease pen! (This is the sort of history that gets lost forever in a restoration). The battery box is solid and what very little corrosion there is to be found under the hood is only minor surface rust, mostly on the fan shroud. The story is similar under the car: No holes, no rust concerns. The car was undercoated when new, and wads of this are peeling off in sheets in certain places...The good news is that the metal underneath is clean, not rusted, and still has it’s original paint finish. There is surface rust on the frame, but no structural rust on the sills, floors or suspension mounts. The gas tank still sports a decent factory black paint finish on it. The fenders are solid steel and there no rust concerns in the pockets where mud and road salt collects. OVERALL: So that’s the story: A great old Studie that has been preserved for the ages. Now it is an artifact of history. We basically only washed it up and got it running, and the new owner will hopefully be a willing, capable and careful custodian in continuing its storybook run. The Champion is a fun car to drive, show and be seen in, and maintenance and repairs are all quite simple and straightforward. This sort of car has become highly appreciated by collectors, as evidenced by the ascent of the “Preservation Class” at car shows. Restorations can be done on virtually any car for which there is a supporting wallet, but the rarity of cars that can truly be said to have the ORIGINAL equipment and detailing of a factory assembled car is only getting more sought after; both as collector pieces and as the standard bearers for what constitutes a “correct” example of any particular car. This would also make a perfect "Hollywood car", for period street scenes in movies...It's a typical and normal American family car from the era; not a showboat or hotrod, but a car that your family would have taken to get to work, buy groceries, or hit the DQ on saturday night. Real Americana. We expect that this lovely old Stude will find it’s market value here, and so we are letting the bidding rip with a very low opening price and NO RESERVE. High bid buys this car next week! Good luck. Please ask any questions. We will answer quickly and honestly. We have many more photos (including ones of the car before it was removed from storage) if you would like to see something in particular. Personal inspections are welcome and encouraged! Thanks for looking. The Fine Print: GOOD LUCK! Please bid to the value this car may hold for you. Please feel free to ask questions or add comments. Please ask questions BEFORE you bid. We will respond quickly and honestly. This car is located in Independence, Minnesota 55357, about thirty-five minutes west of downtown Minneapolis. Inspections are invited and encouraged! CONDITIONS: Winning this auction constitutes a legal and binding agreement between the Buyer, the Owner and the Selling Agents. Please bid sincerely and sensibly. Zero-feedback bidders must contact us first before bidding to establish some level of seriousness-of-intent; It's nothing personal, just business: We, and many others, have been stung on eBay Motors by too many dead-beat auction winners. Vehicle is sold "As-Is and Where-Is". If the Buyer comes to pick up this car and is in any way dissatisfied, he or she will have the Option of walking away from the Deal with Full Refund of the Deposit and any Payments made to the Owner. Otherwise, no warranty is expressed, implied or offered. Neither the Owner nor the Selling Agents can or will take any responsibility for this car after it leaves the premises. PAYMENT: Buyer must make a $500 DEPOSIT by PayPal within 24 hours of the Auction Close. The Deposit will secure the Deal for all Parties involved. Failure to make Deposit within 24 hours will risk Cancellation of the Sale at Discretion of the Owner and Sellers. BALANCE MUST BE PAID within 7 BUSINESS DAYS of sale by SECURE PAYMENT or CASH at PICK-UP. TRANSPORT: Buyer is responsible for all transportation arrangements and costs. Car is garaged in Independence, Minnesota 55357 (about thirty-five minutes from downtown Minneapolis, forty minutes from Twin Cities International Airport). We do not offer quotes on shipping. There are many vendors to choose from offering vehicle transport; eBay's "preferred" shipper, DAS, and FedEx/Passport are two great places to start getting bids. STORAGE: While the Auction Winner sorts out pick-up or transport arrangements, Owner can offer, free of charge, dry indoor storage for up to 30 days after auction termination. Longer periods can be arranged at cost if necessary. Seller cannot accept any liability during this storage period. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank You for Looking! We are fluent in classic European cars. We are hobbyists, first and foremost, and happy to hear from you on the subject of cars or bikes. In addition to AUTOMOBILIA and PARTS, WE HAVE SOLD DOZENS OF VEHICLES ON eBAY...EACH DEAL A HAPPY ONE FOR ALL INVOLVED! We also sell non-automotive items on eBay under the names 'kowalski0001'. We invite everybody to review our auctions and feedback under both seller names. >>MM1000auto>> was created to auction the THINGS WE LOVE MOST: CARS, PARTS, and AUTOMOBILIA! On Aug-05-11 at 08:06:53 PDT, seller added the following information:DEAR BIDDERS AND WATCHERS; We have added a nice old STUDEBAKER DEALER SERVICE porcelain sign on another auction. It's a genuine article, full-size 43" diameter, 2-sided sign with steel mounting ring. PLEASE HAVE A LOOK!