1951 studebaker starlite coupe

[JustDave]

hell everyone

late last year my father passed away at 85 years old,since the mid seventies hes been living in montana,in the late sixties he bought a 1951 studebaker starlite coupe,he rebuilt the engine and trans brakes tires etc while he lived in so calif,when he moved to montana he put the stude on stands in his workshop and i dont believe its been started or touched since,i remember it was a very straight and rust free car,the car has been passed down to me now,what im trying to find out is are these cars worth restoring, not financially where they quality cars or just a p.o.s.,has some sentimental value but dont want to restore something ill never enjoy,im mainly into late 20s early 30s cars so this is not really anything i know about, as i remember the car was a light green with gray interior,will have to go to montana to trailer it back to southern calif,as always thanks to everyone for there help dave

[Rusty_OToole]

Studebaker was selling in the low to lower medium price brackets then. Their lowest priced model, the Champion six, competed with the lowest priced cars like Ford, Chev, Plymouth and Rambler.The Commander V8 was more expensive and sold in the lower medium price bracket with Dodge, Pontiac, and Mercury.

In fact the 1951 Starlight coupe was something of a sensation for its avante garde styling and new V8 motor. Studebaker was the first low priced OHV V8 and the first OHV V8 from an independent. Road tester Tom McCahill described it as a rip roaring, hell for leather performer. Maybe it was compared to the flathead sixes Studey made previously, and the ones still being made by their competitors.

The engine was tough, rugged, economical and long lived. The rest of the car was good honest quality, keeping in mind its price point. In other words in 1951 it was a high style car, one to show off in and be proud of, but everyone knew it was no Cadillac.

I don't know what you mean by restoring the car. It sounds like your dad took care of that.

If it was mine I would go over it carefully and check brakes, engine, etc and whatever it needed to go back on the road but I would not restore it and I would not change anything. This is a delicate matter on a car that old and it takes experience to do it right.

On the other hand if you are just going to sell it, the best thing to do would be to wash it and clean it up nice then sell it without doing anything else. Any money you spend on repairs you probably will not get back when you sell it. Save your money and sell it at a lower price, you and the buyer will both be better off.

[Rusty_OToole]

Incidentally when you go to pick up the car look around the garage for spare parts and put them in the trunk. There may be repair books, owners manual, ownership and spare keys in the house as well.

You will be glad you did this when you come to put it on the road. Or if you sell it, give the buyer a lucky break.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

The bullet-nosed models were a hit for Studebaker in their day and were it not for them it's doubtful they would have lasted to 66. Unfortunately, what was a sensation in styling in '50-51 due to the returning veterans' fondness for the P-38 inspired styling quickly fell out of favor and they languished on back rows of used car lots or were scrapped when values were next to nothing. As is the case with a lot of offbeat cars, the movies came to the rescue. After Kermit drove one in the Muppet Movies peoplre were clamoring for them and prices went through the roof. You'd be a fool not to go up there right away and get the car. I think in average condition it's worth $10,000 plusand #1 condition upwards of $25,000.

[DavidAU]

This will give you a rough idea.

CarsOnline.com: Studebaker For Sale

[RPrice]

Dave,

The Studebaker StarLight coupes were and are very desirable body types among Studebaker fans. If you lived near me, I'd love to buy it from you.

As someone has already suggested, clean it up and even wax it if you're going to put it up for sale. If you plan on driving it, make sure the brakes are good and give it a tune-up and change all fluids and lube the chassis.

Rog

[JustDave]

hello everyone

the stude is a 6 cylinder champion with 3 speed and overdrive,has radio and heater but not any other options,i guess ill go pick it up this summer,,when i asked about the car i wasnt meaning value but if it where a quality built car,

i know it was in the low price field,but some low price cars are less troublesome

than the high end vehicles,i think ill get it home clean it up and paint it,just enjoy it and try and have some good memories,how are these cars to get parts for,

thankd to everyone, dave

[Dave Mellor NJ]

There's a pretty large following for Studeys both local and national. I don't think you'll have much trouble finding parts or advice.

[Dandy Dave]

Anyone interested in a parts car??? There is a Stude, Starlight not far from me in an old junk yard sitting on its side. Dandy Dave!

[john2dameron]

A little more info. There were 5 Studebaker Starlight coupes in 1951. Champions had base prices that started @ $1,566 for the Custom, $1,644 for the Deluxe, and $1,723 for the Regal. All of these came with a 6-cylinder of 169.6 cubic inches that was rated at 85 hp. The Commander line offered 2 Starlight coupes; the Regal @ $1,833 and the State @ $1,933. The most expensive Studebakers in 1951 were the Land Cruiser 4-door sedan @ $2,071 and the Commander State convertible @ $2,244. The Commander V-8 was 232.6 cubic inch engine rated @ 120 brake hp. That doesn't seem like much power for an overhead valve V8 but by 1957 Studebaker offered a 289 cubic inch V8 rated at up to 225 hp with a 4-barrel carburetor in sedans.

[Rusty_OToole]

"The Commander V-8 was 232.6 cubic inch engine rated @ 120 brake hp. That doesn't seem like much power for an overhead valve V8"

Not now but you have to put it in terms of 1951. At that time the hottest performing car in the low priced field was the Ford flathead V8, recently increased to 110 HP. Other cars with similar HP were much larger and heavier such as, DeSoto Chrysler or Pontiac.

The 120HP Studebaker was low in cost, light in weight and was a sensational performer compared to such cars. There were more powerful cars like the 135HP Olds Rocket, 160HP Cadillac or 180HP Chrysler OHV V8s but they were all much more expensive, and heavier cars.

The Studebaker would outperform the Ford, which was the class leader in performance and give many more expensive cars a run for their money.

As an aside, the Stude V8 was easy to hop up and responded well to the hot rod treatment. Gober Sosebee made 117 MPH on Daytona Beach in his then new Commander sedan. This was significantly faster than any stock car that year but of course, did not count for an official record as it was not a stock car.

[john2dameron]

I used to see a lot of road racing here from the late '40's on up into the '60's and then drag racing pretty well took over. The cars that got the credit for being fast were a '50 Oldsmobile, a '48 Pontiac coupe, a '50 Pontiac, and a bunch of flathead Fords. My neighbor was a Studebaker salesman and drove a '51 V-8. My cousin ran a 85 hp '35 Ford sedan. They both worked in Covington and often raced to Covington. The Studebaker driver became well acquainted with the back end of that '35 Ford as he spent a lot of time trying to get close enough to pass it. I also recall a '56 Studebaker President 4-door with a 289 burning a lot of V-8 Chevies drag racing. The 283 finally enabled the Chevys to hold their own.