'Retro cool' 1949 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe
By: By Bob Golfen
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
'Retro cool' 1949 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe
The Studebaker Starlight Coupe's unique rear window raised eyebrows at the time
The avant-garde styling of the Studebaker Starlight Coupe was controversial right from the start. The unique four-piece wraparound rear window looked like a backward windshield, and standup comedians labeled it the car for people who don't know whether they're coming or going.
But the coupe's look, which stood out in the post-war years in a sea of lumpish sedans, resonates today among collectors who seek something different, as well as street rodders who want to create eye-catching customs.
The Studebaker prompted quips about whether it was coming or going
The Pick of the Day is a 1949 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe described as being "exceptionally clean" after restoration to original, aside from such modern addons as air conditioning, seat belts, dual exhaust and an aluminum radiator for keeping its original 80-horsepower, side-valve inline-6 running cool.
While another controversial Studebaker styling feature - the famed "bullet nose" - wouldn't come until the following year, the '49 model is rare and distinctive enough to turn heads, some in admiration, others in amusement. The look was originally penned by legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy along with another great force in American automotive styling, Virgil Exner.
The period color sets off the styling details
"We love the look of these Starlight coupes," the Lutz, Florida, dealer says in the ClassicCars.com advertisement. "The unique presentation with the long trunk and wrapping around rear glass made these look absolutely futuristic in the '40s.
"And more than just distinctive, it's quite rare. Studebaker produced less than 10,000 of these Champion coupes in premium Regal Deluxe trim in 1949, and we doubt you're going to find a finer surviving example."
As well as an attractive paint job in an appropriate color, the Studebaker looks to be gleaming with clean chrome and details. The odometer shows less than 50,000 miles, although there is no indication whether that is original.
The modern-look interior appears fresh, with AC and seat belts added
"This one received a nice restoration later in life, so the wraparound chrome bumpers, distinct grille, artful taillight bezels, and all the other brightwork shines like a regal classic should," the dealer says. "Even the correct two-piece wheel covers are still in place. And the green paint offers the right period-correct presence and the perfect backdrop for all this shine."
The coupe is equipped with a 3-speed manual transmission shifted on the column, and the interior looks beautifully presented, with the AC ducts artfully incorporated into the original dashboard design. The gallery of photos with the ad show a car that is overall very tidy and presentable.
A postwar Studebaker Starlight Coupe would make a good entry point for a budding car collector. The owner describes the car as "retro cool," which sounds just about right.
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.
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I had always thought that was one weird-looking car, and I can certainly remember the "coming or going" jokes, but I did think that the Studebaker Avanti was a pretty good looking car back in the early 1960s:
They needed a grill, looks too plain in middle of front
Well, okay, you're into cookouts - will this do? I'd like mine medium rare please.
That's my kinda grill
Back in those days I couldn't spell so well, and I preferred girlls to grills. LOL
Oh, I just remembered, the driving school where I learned how to drive, Jerry's Driving School, used Studebakers with dual controls - LOL. I learned how to drive in a Studebaker.
Growing up I always thought these were ugly as hell. Now, after seeing some of the new cars on the market, my opinion has taken a 180.
These are some amazing, well built cars. Nothing flashy. Only the basics needed.
Another difference is that you could hit the fender with a hammer and not make a dent.
Now the fender falls off and crumbles to pieces and costs a few thousand to replace.
Unfortunately, "ugly" is in!
Back then different makes and brands looked different from each other. I love telling stories about the days when I was a kid so here I go. I spent the summers at my grandmother's cottage on the Burlington Beach thin strip of land that divides the far western point of Lake Ontario from Burlington (a/k/a Hamilton) Bay. Along that strip there was a rail track and the Queen Elizabeth Highway that ran from Toronto to Niagara Falls went along it. We kids used to sit beside the highway and shout out the car makes and brands as they drove by on the highway, identifying them. I could never do that today because now they all look alike, would satisfy the Amish who could rightly say they all look very "plain" (check the movie Witness for where I learned that).
One of my favorites the 1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk.
I like the looks of that car a lot more now than I did then. If I were to drive that car on the roads where I am today it would stop the traffic.