for sale 1955 Studebaker Commander *SOLD*

[Matt Harwood]

 

SOLD! For those of you worried that affordable, unusual, restored, and competent was an unachievable goal, let me introduce you to this lovely 1955 Studebaker Commander. It's an older restoration, but it was formerly owned by one of the best-known names in the Studebaker hobby and he built it to be a fantastic road car, ready to tour. The color is Saginaw Green with a Shasta White top, and if you're going to have a '50s cruiser, you may as well go with the pastels, right? It is extremely straight, the doors close with authority, and even underneath, I can find no evidence that this car was ever rusty. It's not perfect, as it has been driven and enjoyed as intended, and I suspect that the right front fender has been repainted since it's just a tiny shade different from the rest, but it's more visible in our studio than to the naked eye, so I wouldn't worry about it. Chrome is excellent, including the giant front bumper. Accessories include working fog lights and fender skirts.

 

The interior was fully restored as well, including beautiful blue/gray seat covers that seem to replicate the originals pretty well. Correct door panels, some plush carpets, and a dash painted to match the bodywork all make it look right. The gauges are all operational, although it appears that the clock and radio are not--the radio powers up but I can't tune anything on it, but that might just be because our showroom is a giant Faraday cage and it's tough to get signals in there. Anyway, the important stuff works: heater, gauges, and even the factory overdrive, which is a familiar Borg-Warner unit. It also has a Hill Holder, but I don't really know how it works or if it's operational, so if someone has some expertise there, I'll test it out. The headliner appears to be original, seat belts were added, and the trunk is extremely clean and includes a full-sized spare and jack assembly.

 

The original engine was probably a 259 cubic inch V8, but this one apparently carries a 289 cubic inch version out of a Hawk, called the Passmaster. With 185 horsepower on tap thanks to a Carter 4-barrel carburetor, performance in the lightweight Commander is entertaining to say the least! It's quite neatly detailed under the hood with correct finishes on all the vital parts, a newer wiring harness, and even an accessory Fram oil filter on top. Aside from a few hose clamps and the battery, it looks very correct and almost ready to show. It starts easily, idles well even when it's cold, and aside from a slight exhaust leak that I'm going to try to cure, it's a joy to drive. Underneath, it has a recent dual exhaust system that just purrs, and there's no signs of rust or rot or even repairs anywhere under this car. It is very clean. The tires are older "Commander" bias-ply whitewalls, and I might consider replacing them, although they don't show any signs of distress.

 

Asking price is a very reasonable $24,900. V8 power, overdrive, room for the whole family, and a unique look all make this Stude a winner. We've sold a number of Studebakers recently and I have been very pleasantly surprised to learn that about half of the people know what they are but almost all of them love the way they look. You know I'm a fan of the unusual, and if you aren't afraid to go outside of the same-old, same-old, this Commander will make you happy. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2018 by Matt Harwood
SOLD! (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

You always think of the GM cars when you think chrome.  Looks like Studebaker was trying t out do them.  I never realized how much chrome they put on their cars in the mid 50's.   Looks like the previous owner spent the bank bringing this one up to snuff.  You definitely could not restore a good example for the asking price.  Plus it's a V8 Commander and not the Champion 6. Someone is going to have a lot of fun with this one.  Great 50's color as well. 

[Pete Phillips]

Studebaker's Passmaster V-8 is a 259 with a four-barrel and dual exhausts. The 289 didn't come out until 1956, in the President series.

Beautiful car, by the way. I have a '55 President 4-dr. the same colors, but not nearly as nice as this car.

Pete Phillips

Leonard, Texas

[Matt Harwood]

18 minutes ago, Pete Phillips said:

Studebaker's Passmaster V-8 is a 259 with a four-barrel and dual exhausts. The 289 didn't come out until 1956, in the President series.

Beautiful car, by the way. I have a '55 President 4-dr. the same colors, but not nearly as nice as this car.

Pete Phillips

Leonard, Texas

 

Correct, although this one wears a '289' decal on the valve cover. I don't know which engine it is, but in the interest of minimizing confusion, I'm going to assume it's a 289 from a later car. The fellow who restored the car isn't the sort who would simply stick a decal on it just to impress people. I think he wanted to build a mean little Studebaker hot-rod 4-door, which it is!

[1957Birdman]

I understand where Matt is coming from since I own a car that can have a number of variations of the Ford Y-Block that are visually similar except for the casting number and appear correct to the average observer. I found out many years after I bought my car that instead of a 292 I actually have a 312 that was originally in a 1958 Mercury. This fact means a zero point deduction if judged in an AACA show and it does not affect my enjoyment of the car. Okay, so the car Matt is selling does not have the absolute correct engine for that year. However, it is the correct engine for a mid-fifties Studebaker and will give someone a lot of enjoyment in the hobby. It least it doesn't have a 350 Chevy engine. 

I really think that "numbers matching" engines mean the most when talking about high dollar cars. Matt sells quality cars and I think this is one of them.

Regards,

Lew Bachman

1957 T-Bird Colonial White

[Matt Harwood]

The whole "numbers matching" thing has gotten way out of hand. It shouldn't matter most of the time. Yes, if you claim to have an L88 Corvette or a Boss 429 or something rare and desirable, yes, numbers-matching means something. On a 1977 Corvette with an L48? Or a Model A Ford? Or a low-cost Studebaker? Who cares? It changes nothing about the car and pretending that a car like this is an "investment" that needs a bulletproof pedigree is ridiculous. Get in the car and drive and have fun. That's the hobby. Pretending that the numbers stamped in one engine that's otherwise identical to another makes a car more valuable is the most esoteric thing in the hobby and it's doing as much harm as anything else everyone complains about, maybe more. Passing on good cars because the "numbers" aren't quite right is silly right on the face of it. Lew's comment is spot-on. He loves his car, it looks and acts like it should, and only one person out of a thousand (ten thousand?) will ever spot the difference. Pretending that the car just got less valuable because of that knowledge is beyond ridiculous. 

 

If that '289' decal wasn't on the car, who would know what motor it had in it? Who would have cared? Nobody would come into my shop and demanded to see the casting numbers on that car to know exactly what motor it has. NOBODY.

 

Jeff, are you a player or a spectator on this car? If you're a player, I will confirm the numbers for you and if it's a correct 259, we'll work out a deal to put it in your garage. Fair enough?

Edited April 1, 2018 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

At the price, a person could use it as a good daily driver. Beautiful.

 

 Did Jeff take his ball and go home?

 

  Ben

[auburnseeker]

I hope the buyer when I go to sell my Hudson Pickup doesn't walk away when I open the hood and he sees the 49 full oil pressure 262 Hudson engine with the Wasp twin H set up on it,  since it's not matching numbers.  So far I think anyone that asks I have to tell them that's not the engine it's suppose to have. 

I still think this is a great car.  Someone is going to get a nice car.

[Matt Harwood]

On Sunday I spent some time going over the engine and after some scraping of paint and some light sanding, I eventually found the engine number stamped into the block. According to the sources I can find online, it falls within the range of 1955 Commander V8s, most likely making it a 259. The V prefix is exclusive to Commanders as well, lending credence to the fact that it's the right engine. Is it the ORIGINAL engine (numbers matching)? No way to know. But it is a CORRECT 1955 Studebaker Commander 259 V8 and it's probably safe enough to assume it's original to the car, although if you really care about those sorts of things you could probably compare the build date of the car to when a car with that number might have been built. But that's as close as you're going to get to "matching numbers" on a car like this. 

I don't know why the '289' decal is on it. I don't think I'll take it off since it might pull paint or be discolored, but at least I know it's a correct engine for this year, make, and model. Photo of the engine stamping number attached.

 

 

Here is the source document that confirms what I've learned: 

 

http://www.studebaker-intl.com/catalog_pdf/engine.pdf

 

I do this crap on Z/28 Camaros and Hemi Mopars because those guys are real sticklers. Who knew I'd need to do it for a $20,000 Studebaker sedan? 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[SMB]

A build sheet can be purchased from the Studebaker National Museum which will provide all the specifics for the car.   I'm surprised that the previous

owner did not get one as they are only about $40.

[Matt Harwood]

SOLD! Thank you!

[keiser31]

EXCELLENT!

[Bleach]

I would have liked to own this car. It has just about everything I would want in a car.