Never Restored: 1954 Studebaker Champion
It isn’t unusual to find an older classic car that managed to survive more than six decades unrestored. However, finding one in that state that has been part of the same family since Day One is far rarer. That is the story with this 1954 Studebaker Champion, which the owner claims to be completely original. All good things must end, with the owners deciding the time has come for this classic to have some adventures with someone new behind the wheel. Therefore, they have listed the Champion here on eBay in Roswell, Georgia. They set their auction to open at $17,000 in what appears to be a No Reserve listing, but there are currently no bids. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting this fantastic survivor.
When cars like this ’54 Champion land on my desk, I feel privileged to write about them. I acknowledge they aren’t the most desirable classics on the planet, but their condition and history help them stand out. I’ve written about some of the most coveted pony and muscle cars fresh from a meticulous restoration, but an original survivor with nearly seven decades under its belt is far less common. It presents well in a combination of Shoshone Red and Sandusky beige. The paint holds a beautiful depth of color and shine, and any flaws or defects are minor. If the listing is accurate and the paint is original, its condition is impressive. The seller indicates there are no rust problems, and I can’t spot issues in the supplied photos. The tinted glass is excellent, and the whitewall tires add a classy touch. It isn’t all good news because some trim pieces are becoming dull. It may be tempting to pack the offending items off to the platers for a refresh, but I would resist the impulse to protect the car’s original survivor status.
If any aspect of this Champion could be considered a genuine highlight, I think the interior would be a strong contender. I noticed the wheel is discolored and has some cracks, but it remains serviceable. Fitting a wrap would disguise most of the shortcomings, although several companies produce restoration kits, allowing meticulous owners to return their wheels to as-new condition. Otherwise, this interior needs nothing. The upholstered surfaces wear White vinyl that avoids the stains and yellowing common for material of this type and color. There are no rips or tears, the dash looks nice, and the rubber mats are spotless. Studebaker focused firmly on competitive pricing with the ’54 Champion range, meaning buyers didn’t face many choices for luxury appointments. This car features a factory AM radio, but I cannot confirm whether it is the entry-level or more powerful unit.
Like the old fable about ordering a Ford Model T in any color as long as its black, Champion buyers in 1954 could select any engine from the company’s range…as long as it was the 169.6ci flathead six-cylinder motor producing 85hp and 138 ft/lbs of torque. The power is fed to the back wheels via a three-speed manual transmission, and while it may have lagged behind the competition in outright performance, it still cruised effortlessly on the open road. For potential buyers, the news here is hugely positive. The seller recently treated the engine to a rebuild and has clocked a mere 5,000 miles since. This survivor runs and drives well, and the embedded video in the listing confirms the health of that wonderful flathead.
The 1954 Studebaker Champion is unlikely ever to be a mega-bucks classic, although good examples are attractive to hands-on enthusiasts due to their ease of maintenance. Like many cars from the era, rust has claimed a high percentage, while owners have treated others to extensive restoration work. The opening bid figure for this auction is heading toward the upper end of what you might expect to pay. Still, I feel the price is justified considering its originality and backstory. There are no signs of any action on the listing, suggesting it may be possible for someone to become the new owner with a single bid. If they did that, it would add another fascinating page to this Studebaker’s story. Are you tempted to become that person?
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Comments
I remember seeing an episode of Chasing Classic Cars and I believe Wayne found a very similar car. Maybe the same one?
I’m saw that quite while ago also, don’t believe this car is that car. This is a nice example, not convinced that’s it’s completely original, vinyl especially of this vintage doesn’t age well. Nevertheless nice looking car.
Cadmanls,
Yes, the interior has been replaced, 1954 Studebakers all came with cloth interiors except for a few export cars with leather.
That said, this is still a nice car, but probably a bit on the high financial side.
Bill – ’54 Coupes and Hardtops had combination vinyl and cloth interiors standard with all vinyl seats a no-cost option on at least the Regal trim level (and maybe any trim level). Leather was also available in two colors but very rare.
Wayne’s was a Commander (V8) and a hardtop, but it was the same year as this. Yes, the seats have been redone, but the rest of the interior looks pretty original except for some minor things. The paint appears to be a correct Sandusky Beige over Shoshone Red, but again, looks too good to be original. The manual transmission will help get the most out of that 6 cylinder. It probably came with 4.27:1 gears in it, so I hope it has OD. Neat find!
Not the same one his is a Commander Starliner.
Beautiful car, restored or not
I like this car! I know it is not fast, but it looks fast and it would be a great driver. My biggest concern would be the Porta-Walls. I remember using them as a teenager and the seemed to work OK. I tried to use some a few years ago and could never get them to seal. They just flopped around, this car is to nice for that.
I don’t see a OD solenoid, an OD kick down switch, or an under dash OD lockout cable, so unfortunately, I doubt if this car ever had overdrive. Next to my 1950 Starlight Coupe, the 53 and 54 Champions were the nicest body Studebaker built and Including the Avanti’s.
I swapped out a tired 169cid engine with a 185cid engine from my donor car (a 55 4dr Champion) and installed it into my Starlight which is sporting a 3spd with OD. I replaced the factory ratio 4.56 rear axle with a Ford 9” 4.11. The combination of the 185 engine and the 4.11 gearing make this car a “spirited” performer as compared to comparable vehicles of this era. I replaced the front brakes with the front brakes from the same donor increasing the brakes from 9” single leading shoe to 10” double leading shoe (self energizing brakes) and 5 bolt wheels. Prior, the brakes were scary bad, but now operate great.
Bought one for $25 in ’69. It had no
drivetrain and I was 14 at the time.
Spent the Summer swapping in a 375
HP 327 hooked to a powerglide tranny. A custom made driveshaft and some like made headers, I had it
on the road by that Fall and promptly
got myself into trouble when an older
friend of mine was driving it and did
115 in a 35 MPH zone. That was a
real embarrassment to my father,
who was a police officer in our home
town back then. Needless to say, my
car got sold and I thought I’d be grounded til I was dead. But things
have a way of working themselves out and Dad let me buy a ’62 Olds
Starfire 2 door HT which I flipped for
a profit. That winter, I bought a Volvo
PV 544 for $25 and redid it, making
$850 in the Spring of 1970. Dad and
I started selling cars to the kids I went to school with. It wasn’t too long before they’d stop me in the hall
way and ask me if I had any cars to
sell. We were the go-to guys for any
Sophomore with a learner’s permit
that wanted a car. But as the yearn
to make music took over, I bumped
it down to a hobby, helping Dad when
I could til we shut it down in ’73 and
I went out on the road full time. Seeing this car brought all those
Memories back again. Life was great
back then.
Your car had an L-84 327 in it?
This car should be a contender for the “best original” award at most car shows – unless Poppy is right and it’s a repaint. The judges will be able to tell.
If it looks too good to be true… you know…
Good looking car except for the “B” pillar. Stands out like a pimple on a home-coming queen.
On most cars with exceptions of course, I prefer having the “B” pillar (fewer rattles). Especially true on any of the tri-fives.
I was 12 years old when this car came out. I helped put newspapers in news racks and inside stores when the owner drove his car to deliver those papers. He drove, I did the running, but I thought I was one of the coolest kids when I got to ride in this everyday, including Sunday. I was poor, but felt rich when I was in this one.
As dramatically good looking as these were in ’53 they suffered from flex, particularly the “hardtop” without the B pillar. The ’54’s were stiffer, with the B pillar better yet. But that 6 was slow, this one has an oil filter, extra cost option, but well worth the cost. My mother hated our ’50, not much of a second gear, and the hillholder kept you in place at an uphill stop while the car in front of you rolled back into you. The almost ubiquitous automatic transmissons after 1955 or so made the hillholder unnecessary, but my new Audi, an automatic, has one. Luckily the car in front usually has an automatic and the people who can’t slip the clutch to start on a hill don’t drive stick shifts any more.
Try finding parts for one of those hill holders. I had to use parts from three different used ones to get mine functioning.
Very misworded ad, 5,000 miles with an odometer showing over 70k, and a brand new interior.
It’s amazing how far ahead styling wise this car is compared to the Chevy’s and Fords of the same era.
word!
I can see a couple issues. No battery or box where it should be. Seat upholstery not factory. Outside rearview mirror not correct. Radio antenna on wrong side,radio not original. Great looking studebaker. BTW I have a 1953 with less than 30,000 miles.
The starting bid of $17k is called a reserve !
So this is NOT a no reserve auction
I feel its overpriced but i feel a lot of cars are overpriced…
Still a nice car
My Mom had one of these ,back in the day, Dad used to brag how it had a under seat heater and how good it was , car was a 6cyl 3 speeds w/ OD , not fast but pretty !
Under hood paint should be body color. Not black
Engine is wrong color of green.
Yes Mark it did. I found a crashed ’63
Stingray at our local wrecking yard and bought the motor and tranny out of it. Then with some from Dad and
Rod & Custom Magazine, we swapped the motor and tranny into it.
We did the driveshaft and headers
the way Tex Smith described in a
Bench Session article I’d seen in R&C
Seemed there was another guy out
there doing the same thing we were.
So we followed Tex’s directions and it
worked great. And if you think that’s
something, ask me about my hemi
powered ’61 Valiant.
It had an L-48 because I swapped it in. I’d found a crashed Stingray split
window in our local wrecking yard and bought the motor and the tranny out of it before anyone else could get their hands on it. With some help from Dad and Rod & Custom Magazine, we got the engine and
tranny into my car with no trouble at
all. And a little help from Tex Smith
didn’t hurt either. Seems like there
was another guy out there working
on the same setup as mine and Tex
told him how to do the headers and
driveshaft through a response he
wrote in the Bench Session column
in R&C that Summer. We followed
Tex’s directions to the letter and
everything fit like a glove. Not too
long after that, the aforementioned
incident I told of happened and I
thought my happy time was over.
One of these days, I’ll tell you about
my hemi powered ’61 Valiant.
Wheels should be painted lower body color, too.
I like this car. A lot. Styling, long lost but this one is super. It may not be all original but it exudes coolness.