Not a lot of people remember Studebaker these days, but the American brand still has fans out there. And thanks to them, the Studebaker legacy lives on, mostly with the help of classic cars that are stored away from our eyes, either in good condition or sometimes locked in barns where they fight for survival against the typical aging and rust.
This is the case of the Studebaker President that we have here and which somehow survived through all these years to maintain a condition that would otherwise allow someone who still loves the brand to restore the car and make it a truly awesome classic driver.
The fourth-generation President was brought back to life in 1955 after the company previously abandoned the series after model year 1942. The President Speedster was the flagship of the entire lineup, which w as available in several configurations, including 2-door sedan, coupe, hardtop, and station wagon, as well as 4-door sedan and station wagon.
The Speedster you can see in the photo gallery still comes with a running engine, but the owner explains that given it was abandoned for so long, major fixes are needed under the hood and elsewhere, including a thorough cleaning of the fuel line and the tank.
The interior obviously needs to be taken care of too, but the good news is that it looks like it could be fixed as part of a proper restoration project.
Sure, it could be pretty expensive to bring this President back to mint condition, but if you want to see the glass half full, then it’s worth mentioning that it comes with what the owner describes as immaculate chrome parts and the original dash. As for the paint, the President originally came with a Coral finish, but it was changed to brown at some point during its lifecycle.
