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1953 Studebaker Commander Regal Starlight Coupe- Complete & Unrestored


Guest Horsepower67

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Guest Horsepower67

This early '53 Stude C/K actually is fresh out of a barn in northern California. It’s been off the road for quite some time, but is in remarkably good condition. This is an unrestored and 98% complete car with original paint and all original panels, other than the trunk lid which is from a ’55. Not sure why it was replaced, there is no damage to the car and it has never been wrecked. The original windshield is cracked, but it does come with a usable windshield.

There are a couple small and easily patched spots of rust in the sheetmetal (little in bottom of the doors, little in the front fenders, small spot on the tip of the hood) but the floors, frame, etc are nice and rot free. There are some minor dings, but overall the body is fairly straight.

The 232ci V8 and automatic transmission are complete as well, though a later 4-barrel intake has been swapped onto the engine. Who knows, it might fire up with a little TLC.

I've been told that this is an early '53 because it has the tri-star on the nose, which was later removed due to protest of copyright infringment from Mercedes-Benz.

This is a heck of a find and something that’s hard to come across in this condition nowadays- especially one this solid and original.

This one is way too complete and nice to turn into a Bonneville racer, so I'm hoping to pass it onto a fellow hot rodder or restorer that will treat it well and put it back on the road in style.

I know I'll rue the day I sold this car, but sometime you have to pick between projects.

The car is available for inspection.

Price: $3500, or best offer.

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Guest faberglas

Hello

This is not a starlight coupe. This is a Commander two door sedan. The difference is the pillar. The info on the star is correct. It'll be a great project.

faberglas

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Guest Horsepower67

Hi,

Actually you've got your C and K models confused. The 'C' model coupe with a pillar and window frames is designated Starlight, while the pillarless and window frameless hardtop 'K' is designated Starliner.

And it is certainly not a sedan, that is a different cab style altogether.

Please refer to the ads below scanned from the 1954 Studebaker brochure for verification. I do not have a 1953 version, but there is very little difference between the two years.

As shown in the below ad, this is a 5-passenger Commander Regal Starlight Coupe.

54Brochurepg5.jpg

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My first car was a 53 Champion. In 1965. $10. plus another $5.00 to transfer the title. Put ten thousand miles on it when the clutch failed and it got impounded. Last I saw it was in a wrecking yard.

You never forget your first love.

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Guest Horsepower67

Are you guys making a comment on the price? It's quite hard to find one of these cars in nearly complete condition with little rust. It took me a year to find this one.

Feel free to make reasonable offers if you're sincerely interested, or schedule a time to come see it.

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Guest Gary Hearn
Are you guys making a comment on the price? It's quite hard to find one of these cars in nearly complete condition with little rust. It took me a year to find this one.

Feel free to make reasonable offers if you're sincerely interested, or schedule a time to come see it.

No I wasn't, but buying cars to flip can be a risky proposition. Given the amount of work and money this car needs, one would be money ahead to find one already done.

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Guest Horsepower67

You make a lot of assumptions.

I'm not flipping the car; I bought it to keep, but need to sell it now because I was laid off work and could use the money.

If you're interested, ask questions and make an offer. If you're not, then your comments aren't necessary.

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Guest Gary Hearn

I have no interest in the car (and am on the east coast anyway) and was simply making observations based on the information presented. I am sorry you took offense, but this car does need a ton of work and it won't be cheap if done correctly. The best way to determine what it is worth is to list it on e-Bay and see what someone will pay.

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Horsepower67,

Welcome to the AACA Discussion Forum. You will find that a lot of good people on this site know who are more than willing to discuss old cars and who know a lot about them. You do need to understand that a newbie coming on here with a car to sell without a lot of background information will not always immediately get treated quite the way they might wish. Getting upset with replys will not help you sell the car, especially replies that were not meant to be upsetting but were simply waxing nostalgic about similar cars from the past.

I also am not interested in the car. In my experience, if there is someone on here that is interested in the car, they will contact you, normally in the first few days. Unfortunately, you posted this during Hershey Week, and a lot of the regulars have been at the Hershey Fall Meet all week. Things will be back to normal here in a few days.

If nobody on the AACA Discussion Forum is interested in the car, I would suggest that you Google for the Studebaker Driver's Club. Someone on that site might be interested. Other than there, the best way to get top dollar for about any antique car is always Ebay due to the worldwide exposure that you get and the opportunity for auction fever to get someone to offer more than they would if they were thinking straight.

Good luck with your car sale. If you are seriously interested in old cars, stick around, read around the forum, and become a regular. You will enjoy it.

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