1956 Studebaker Champion - $22,500 (Pillager) ------Not Mine---------

[Fossil]

https://brainerd.craigslist.org/for/d/pillager-1956-studabaker-champion/7558722018.html

1956 Studabaker Champion. Numbers matching original. Inline 6 cylinder, 3 on the tree manual transmission with factory overdrive. Runs and drives great. Very comfortable ride. In great shape. Turn key and drive away. A few small rust specks in body. Everything works as it should! 40,000 original miles. Open to reasonable offers, no trades.

[TerryB]

The styling really looks the part of 1950s “let’s try this and see what happens”.  Not really bad but a real mix of what was going on by the different manufacturers and an attempt to incorporate them into a Studebaker platform.  Price seems high for what it is.

[DrumBob]

I'd say that's a LOT of coin for a not so desirable car. I think the seller has been smoking too much crack cocaine. 

Edited January 9, 2023 by DrumBob (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

 

16 hours ago, TerryB said:

The styling really looks the part of 1950s “let’s try this and see what happens”.  Not really bad but a real mix of what was going on by the different manufacturers and an attempt to incorporate them into a Studebaker platform.  Price seems high for what it is.

Essentially, that's exactly what happened.  Once the S-P merger was complete, Packard president Jim Nance was calling the shots.  He, just as many in the company, blamed styling for the sales failures of the 1953-'55 sedans which were created under the Loewy contract.  That design contract was tremendously costly for Studebaker but would end in 1955; Nance had been developing an in-house design team at Packard.  But, in the case of what to present for 1956, time was short, and the in-house teams were already loaded with development work for an all-new 1957 line.

Vince Gardner, who had been in the Loewy group but had left to open his own design consultancy, was contracted to create the 1956 sedan and wagon styling.  His mandate was to apply mainstream 'Detroit' idiom styling with a familial appearance to Packards and Clippers without changes to the existing central body tooling.   The new front clip and rear quarters squared-up the prior sloping features plus revised trim patterns and color breaks succeeded in giving the cars a new look.  Unhappily, the thick door frames and roof pillars which weren't to be changed, were decidedly out of fashion during the burgeoning hardtop trend that now included B-pillarless four door hardtops

After the blockbuster 1955 industry-wide sales year, 1956 was somewhat off which was to be expected.  Much more than their styling appeal, the steady drum beat of bad news being reported about Studebaker-Packard's financial condition discouraged many potential buyers from taking the chance on what might suddenly become an orphan car.   

In the current collector market, there is no serious demand for 1953-'58 Studebaker sedans and wagons, even examples in nice condition.    At half the asking price, this car would still go begging.  
 

[Fossil]

Don't ask why but I kind of like it the same way I would like a 3 legged race horse. The selling price is totally nuts though. 

[George Albright]

Too many zeros!

[marty14]

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