1950 Studebaker

commander Coupe

Big 6

Standard w overdrive

4423648

Clear

1950 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe Commander Big 6 Engine, Overdrive, Heater, Radio When you think of 1950 Studebaker you think of designers like Raymond Lowey, Virgil Exner and Bob Bourke. Bob Bourke’s all new “bullet-nose” design was brought to the Commander in 1950. If you look at a P38 Aircraft and then look at a 1950 Studebaker, you can see how the P38 influenced the design of the 1950 Studebaker. If you look at the rear of the car you can see the resemblence to an airplace cockpit. These cars were often referenced as not knowing which way it is going as the rear design could almost be the front of the car. In 1950, an all-new independent coil front suspension replaced the prior transverse leaf spring front independent set-up used by Studebaker. . The 1950 Studebaker Commander is powered by a six-cylinder L-head engine that produced just over 100 horsepower. It sat on a 120 inch wheelbase which provided ample interior space for the 5 passengers. In 1950 Studebaker had two models, the Champion and the Commander. The Commander was the top of the line and had a longer sleaker stream lined front end which not only added a nicer look to the "bullet nose" but also provided a better ride for the passengers. The 1950 Commander Starlight is one of the most sought after post-war cars Studebaker made. There were 72,560 1950 Commanders built as compared to 270,604 1950 Champion models. The Commander Starlight weighs 3220 pounds while the Champion Starlight weighs 2715 pounds, This additional weight helped inprove the ride. Additionally the Commander had 100 horsepower in its engine and the champion only had 85 HP. There were only 7375 Regal DeLuxe Starlight Commanders in 1950 thus there are not a lot of them still around today. . Hello, my previous owner bought be in 1964 when he saw me sitting on the back of a used car lot. At that point in time I was a 14 year old teenager. He had bought a black version of me new, saw me, and thought of all the happy times a 50 Commander Starlight provided to him, so he bought me. My sister, his original Black 50, had also been repurchased by him after it ran into the rear of a big truck. I think he originally bought me as a parts car but I soon convinced him I was too nice a car to become a parts supplier. He parked me in the back corner of his garage next to his 36 Pierce Arrow. I was really sitting in style now. I set in this same dry spot untouched until a couple years ago. He passed me on to my current owner so that I could once again be brought back to my drivable life. . Thus you could almost refer to be as a barn find!. I was really in great shape for my age when my current owner brought me home. You will hear more about this later. Let me show you a picture of what I look like now to end the suspence. PICTURE 1 I bet I now have your interest! I am very fortunate in that other than a minor face lift with my body, I am still a pretty original car that has not had any modifications. I still sport my original body color, AQUA GREEN. My heart, or as some refer to it, my engine, is still in good shape with no apparent repairs. As I only have 60,xxx original miles, it still has a lot of life in it. Some told the new owner that my heart would be clogged up or stuck, this was definitely not the case. After my almost 50 year rest, I was ready to come to life again with his assistance. As with most Studebakers, I often let a couple drops of oil on the floor of the garage where I am parked. The first thing my current owner did was to replace all the parts on my heart that need renewing after such a long rest. He replaced my fuel pump, water pump, spark plugs and wires, hoses, tune up type items, and rebuilt my carburetor. He replaced all my fluids. He then tried to re-start my heart. It would not happen. He found that my floor board starter switch had died so a new one was installed. I now started and purred like a little kitten once again. So now I was purring but doing so kind of loudly as my exhaust had failed me. He replaced my complete exhaust system so that I could once again sound like a Studebaker should. Before he tried to take me for a test drive, he thought my braking system may need some attention. He then replaced almost all my braking components with new ones and upgraded to silicone or DOT 5 brake fluid so that my braking system would not clot due to inactivity. I have to admit, my original brake hoses were a bit scary looking. He then tried to move me and discovered why I was sitting on the rear of that car lot. While the previous owner drove me 20 miles from the lot to his house, he thought my clutch was needing some attention. My current owner went to start me one day and found I had a bad tooth on my flywheel gear. Previous owners were driving me with this issue. As a result I now have a new flywheel gear, a new clutch disc and pressure place along with a new throw out bearing. So my clutch is now good to go for another 60000 miles When he did this surgery on me, he discovered the reason for this when he found a bunch of starter teeth at the bottom of the bell housing. Apparently a starter gear had imploded at some time in the early 60's and took out a tooth on my flywheel. I guess I need to thank 3 owners back for not fixing these issues back in 1964 as I would probably not be here if he had. Lets look at some pictures of the outside of me.......... PICTURE 2 PICTURE 3 PICTURE 4 PICTURE 5 PICTURE 6 PICTURE 7 PICTURE 8 PICTURE 9 PICTURE 10 Now I want to show you what the floor boards and inside the trunk are like. SOLID SOLID SOLID. My front passenger door post had a couple inches of cancer at the very bottom. And you ask why?? Well someone had filled this door post with Sand, yes SAND. This apparently retained the moisture and caused the issue. On the outside new metal was installed via welds and glue. On the inside the damage was less and a small patch was installed. Why someone filled my door post with sand will remain a mystery for ever. PICTURE 11 Drivers front PICTURE 12 Drivers rear PICTURE 13 Passenger front PICTURE 13 Passenger rear As you can see I am now very presentable. While my paint and chrome are not show quality, they are good driver quality in my opinion. Lets take a look at some of the chrome. PICTURE 14 Trunk handle PICTURE 15 Tail Light PICTURE 16 Rear bumper bad chrome PICTURE 17 Hubcaps PICTURE 18 Hood ornament PICTURE 19 Right headlight PICTURE 20 Grills PICTURE 21 Fender ornaments PICTURE 22 Bullet NOSE So what do you think? Do you like how that hard to find plastic insert on my hood ornament is nice? And also notice the plastic on the fender ornaments. And what about the chrome?? I am proud of it except for the one spot on the rear bumper which really does not show that much . On 50 commanders they either had painted grills and chrome headlight rims or chrome grills and painted headlight rims. I have no idea why they did this. My current owner took off the painted rims and installed nice chrome ones. The front surface of the grills is suppose to be chrome and the rear painted body color, most of this paint has fallen off and now they are mostly chrome. (And do not ask me why they painted on chrome, duh, why would they expect that to hold up. Also notice how nice my gravel guards are on either fender. These are another 1950 item that are extremely hard to find and are costly. They seemed to get dinged a lot. These have been repaired by one of those stainless repair guys. My green Dupont Centari paint shines There is some orange peel in my paint in places but if you want to make me a show car the paint is thick enough that it could be sanded out. Overall the paint is good driver quality paint, but it is not show quality and we do not want any surprises for the buyer. So you have seen my outside and it gets pretty darn nice if I do say so myself but a picky person will fine flaws here and there. As I have the regal delux trim, I have the fancy steering wheel. I want you to take a look at how nice that is. These are not often in such nice shape. PICTURE 25 I have four new tires and tubes installed on my wheels. While my original tires held air after almost 40 years, they were well used and a couple were actually smooth where the tread should be. Here are some shots of the inside of my rust free trunk: PICTURE 26 PICTURE 27 PICTURE 28 My engine is the Commander BIG 6. Here are some shots under the hood. As you can see I am clean and original under the hood. PICTURE 29 PICTURE 30 PICTURE 31 I want to point out that my glass is good and I am not aware of any cracks. The felt cat wiskers and window runs on my doors are new as my original ones were pretty sad. My windshield as you can see below is a one piece. PICTURE 32 Nothing is complete without showing what my underside is like. My frame is solid without any rust out etc. PICTURE 33 Okay, now lets take a look at my new interior from Lebaron Bonney. Lets start with the new headliner. PICTURE 34 Now lets look at my interior starting with the front carpet and then rear carpet PICTURE 35 PICTURE 36 Here are my door panels. PICTURE 37 . PICTURE 38 Now, lets look at my seats PICTURE 39 PICTURE 40 Here is my dash. You will see that I have turn signals!. This was an option in 1950 and thank goodness my first owner ordered me with them. While my radio does not work you will notice how nice its knobs are so once it is fixed we are good to go. PICTURE 41 PICTURE 42 The brake system has DOT 5 Silicone fluid in it This means that if my new owner lets me sit for periods of time my brake system will remain ready to use and will not become contaminated like DOT 3 systems do. I would not be afraid to be driven across the country as I have lots of pep and get up and go. I have tried to indicate my flaws that I am aware of. According to NADA, average retail for me is between $15,840 up to $26,620. The current owner will gladly try to answer any and all questions. The new owner or winner of this auction is responsible for any shipment and must arrange such shipping themselves. The present owner will work with them as possible. Remember I am a rare car and my value should do nothing but go up. . You are buying this car as is. I have described it to the best of my ability. A $500 non-refundable deposit is due within 24 hours (Paypal or cash) and full payment is due within 5 days or as agreed to with the seller. Car must be picked up within 10 days unless prior arrangements are made. The existing owner must have cleared payment before he will release me. This car is for sale locally and I reserve the right to remove it from this auction at any time. Car is being sold as is, with no warranty expressed or implied.