PACKARD STRIKES AGAIN

Over the years of my writing this column for Drag Racing Online, we have accumulated a stash of information and photos about Studebaker cars, trucks and their Packard relatives.

 

Three of my close friends are a big part of this story. They are Bob Anderson, Terry Newton, and Mike Peters. Anderson triggered my doing this now, by sending me information on another great Studebaker gathering in So. Cal., this time it was held at the Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, CA. Two years ago I attended a similar function at La Palma Park in Anaheim.

 

Last May, on what was tagged by publisher Jeff Burk as my ‘Bucket List Tour’, we visited the Wayland, MO, Rust Revival, a giant car show with ‘rat rods’ and cool customs. There we found a pristine Studebaker truck which was restored by an automotive machinist and longtime friend, Clifford Couch.

The primo truck really stood out during the ‘Rust Revival’ in the center of Wayland, MO.

 

At the just completed 32nd Annual ORACLE CAR SHOW

Years ago, Studebaker stood tall in the automotive industry as shown here by Dave, Donna, Daryl & Sandra Schultz. It is a proud 1929 Studebaker ‘President’ which was pieced together using an original body and a Studebaker pickup. Nice job!

The Oracle Show also contained the eight-year restoration of a 1956 Studebaker ½ ton P/U. The ‘Transtar’ truck is owned by Joe & Karen Guthrie.

Jim Baker's Then and Now

VOLUME XIX,  NUMBER 5 - May  2017

At Boulder City 2013

This 1954 Studebaker Commander was on display at the Boulder City, Nevada, Dam O-Rama’ in a park near the Hoover Dam. The car is owned by Frank & Jenny Bailor of Las Vegas.

 

The lead in photo at the top is the 1954 Studebaker turned A/Gasser of James & Samantha McClure and Phyllis Harmon. It is driven by record setting boat racer, Terry Newton and is a popular car on the NHRA Nostalgia circuit. A close up of the engine compartment shows the supercharged Alan Johnson 545 cubic inch power plant which replaced the Studebaker original, and propels the Commander to 7.00 times at over 175 mph.

A/Gas- Terry Newton was the #1 qualifier in A/Gas with his sharp AJPE 540 c.i. powered '53 Studebaker, and stunned Chris Beanes in the final.

Another A/Gas Studebaker is the silver K & S Racing Team entry driven by Ken Ratsloff. It is shown here in the staging area at the 2015 CHRR at Famoso (Bakersfield).

Ken Ratslof

 

Back in the day:

Without question, the most well-known Studebaker at OCIR racing was the ‘60s sedan of Andy Guerian who ruled the Orange County and Southern California bracket racing scene for several years driving this Champion sedan.

The Chicagoland, Mississippi River valley area was home to ageless Ron Colson in his prime. The Studebaker coup shown above was a terror when the dollars were up, winning consistently for several years during the ‘60s. The photo is by Wayne Arteaga a well-known gasser/altered racer from St. Louis, MO.

Many old timers will remember this Studebaker sedan which started the career of Jr. Thompson. The car won a lot of shows in Southern California and was sponsored by Iskenderian Cams and Reath Automotive.

 

At La Palma Park, 2016:

At the 2016 La Palma Park meeting, the car pictured above was our choice for ‘Best of Show’.

Also at the La Palma Park Studebaker shindig in 2016, three original NHRA Pro Stock drivers got together. From left: Don Lorentzen; Jim Baker; and Bob Anderson. Anderson, who raced Studebakers before his Pro Stock days, was selling several items at the show.

 From Jalopy Journal

 

“Lions Drag Strip, 1963: This Paxton supercharged Studebaker was raced by Bob Anderson during the early 60s. (Note: Bob informed us he is now restoring the Studebaker with engine help from his friend and neighbor, Bob Lambeck.) (Photo by Shell)

Bob and Shell Anderson chat with Dr. Studebaker (Museum Manager) at the recent 2017 Studebaker event in Oxnard.

 

The Chuckle: In 1963 my friend Kent Martin unloaded a new Buick Skylark from the transport and removed the all new aluminum engine for blue print etc. Kent’s family owned the local Buick dealership in Kahoka, MO.

 

When the work was finished, he took the little white coupe to the NASCAR Speedweeks at Daytona, FL. The program in those days was to race seven consecutive nights on the backstretch of the Daytona Speedway. Points were earned each day toward a final class championship.

 

Kent’s car was placed in E/S along with the extremely popular 220 H.P. ’57 Chevrolets. During the first two nights, Kent won, turning back all others. Third night, one of the Chevies won. Kent heard a rumor that the racer had installed an illegal Isky camshaft overnight so he protested it on day five. It was determined to be illegal and left the score tied at two wins apiece.

 

However, on night six a new car showed up and easily won the class. The owner of the ’57 Chevy told Kent, “You protested me so I called my buddy in Pompano Beach and he brought his record holding E/S here to help me.” There it was, a 1956 Packard sedan, lettered from the front wheel well to the rear quarter panel with the inscription PACKARD STRIKES AGAIN!

We have searched for two years to find a photo of the PACKARD E/S to no avail. My memory is that it looked like this car being polished during the Oxnard, CA, Studebaker-Packard show.

 

Certainly the memories of Studebaker – Packard will live on for years. But as time passes from when they were no longer produced, that memory will continue to fade. It is folks like Bob Anderson who help keep the brand in our memory; Terry Newton who regularly races one of the fastest Studebakers in NHRA Nostalgia A/Gas; plus Herb & Mike Peters who collected every Studebaker they could find until their home in Anaheim was parked full of them. Mike is a superb body shop craftsman who painted several Pro Stock cars for me when racing with Dave Smith.

 

 

 

Until Next Time, Be On Time!

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