The 1953 Studebaker Champion featured in this article is one great looking Street Rod. The car is painted in GTO Red.
Brief History of the Studebaker Champion
The Studebaker Champion had a relatively long history. It was considered Studebaker's economy model. The model first came on the market in 1938. It was produced into the 1942 model year but it's production, like every other American civilian automobile, was halted in February 1942 due to the U.S. entering World War Two. The next Studebaker Champion to see was the 1946 model. That car was essentially a 1942 model with some minor changes.
Credit for the new post war model Studebaker Champion goes to the legendary Virgil Exner and the Raymond Lowry Studios. Virgil Exner was a very well known automobile designer who worked for several companies, most notably for Chrysler and Studebaker. Raymond Lowry Studios performed many types of design wwork including stations and train cars for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The 1953 Studebaker design was futuristic, and gave a heads up to the rest of the American car industry that it was time to catch up. Studebaker advertised their 53 Commander as "The new American car with the European look". Also, "Continental charm of Europe's most distinguished cars".
The year 1953 was the beginning of the fourth generation Studebaker Champions. The 1953 models were introduced with an entirely different design. The two-door coupe was named the “Starlight.” while the more expensive hardtop coupe was named the “Starliner.” The Studebaker Champion was produced from the 1938 model year through 1958. It's replacement in 1959 was the Studebaker Lark which assumed the role as Studebaker’s economy offering. One thing for sure is that the Studebaker Lark would never be mistaken for the aerodynamic 53 Commander.
Our 1953 Studebaker Champion Street Rod Specifications
This particular street rod is equipped with a small block Chevy 350 cubic inch ZZ4 engine. This was the original high-performance 350 Chevy crate engine. The ZZ4 350 comes with a forged steel crankshaft, hypereutectic pistons, hydraulic roller camshaft and lifters, and aluminum cylinder heads. The ZZ4's Corvette inspired high-performance heads feature high velocity intake runners and D-shaped exhaust ports to allow efficient and unobstructed flow through the engine. All of this adds up to a very impressive 355 HP.
As a side note, the standard engine for the 1953 Studebaker Commander was a 169 cubic inch inline six that was rated at 85 HP.
In addition to this, our featured 1953 Studebaker Champion has a 750 Holly carburetor and a Turbo Hydra-Matic 700R-4 transmission. This transmission was designed to be used behind small block Chevy V-8's.
The car has front disc brakes and 9 inch large rear drum brakes. Add to this Sanders headers and a 2 1/2 inch Flow Master mufflers.
See our additional muscle car articles on the links below...
The 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S
The 1967 Chevy Nova II SS
A Beauty of a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS
![]()
Studebaker Street Rods
Performance car enthusiasts know that there is not a shortage of Studebaker Street Rods and these include pickups. In regards to the 1953 Studebaker Champion, the radical restyling of this car and the aerodynamic improvement was not lost on performance enthusiasts. It is for these reasons that the 53 Studebaker Commander is a popular Street Rod. We've even come across a great looking 53 Commander with a Chrysler Hemi engine delivering a whopping 725 horsepower and a claimed top speed of 200 MPH.
A few good resources for hot rods and street rods include...Hot Rods of the 1950's by Andy Southard and Hot Rodder: From Lakes to Street by Albert Drake
(Article and photos copyright 2015 Auto Museum Online)
 |
| 1953 Studebaker Champion Street Rod |
The Studebaker Champion had a relatively long history. It was considered Studebaker's economy model. The model first came on the market in 1938. It was produced into the 1942 model year but it's production, like every other American civilian automobile, was halted in February 1942 due to the U.S. entering World War Two. The next Studebaker Champion to see was the 1946 model. That car was essentially a 1942 model with some minor changes.
Credit for the new post war model Studebaker Champion goes to the legendary Virgil Exner and the Raymond Lowry Studios. Virgil Exner was a very well known automobile designer who worked for several companies, most notably for Chrysler and Studebaker. Raymond Lowry Studios performed many types of design wwork including stations and train cars for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The 1953 Studebaker design was futuristic, and gave a heads up to the rest of the American car industry that it was time to catch up. Studebaker advertised their 53 Commander as "The new American car with the European look". Also, "Continental charm of Europe's most distinguished cars".
The year 1953 was the beginning of the fourth generation Studebaker Champions. The 1953 models were introduced with an entirely different design. The two-door coupe was named the “Starlight.” while the more expensive hardtop coupe was named the “Starliner.” The Studebaker Champion was produced from the 1938 model year through 1958. It's replacement in 1959 was the Studebaker Lark which assumed the role as Studebaker’s economy offering. One thing for sure is that the Studebaker Lark would never be mistaken for the aerodynamic 53 Commander.
 |
| Small block Chevy 350 engine |
This particular street rod is equipped with a small block Chevy 350 cubic inch ZZ4 engine. This was the original high-performance 350 Chevy crate engine. The ZZ4 350 comes with a forged steel crankshaft, hypereutectic pistons, hydraulic roller camshaft and lifters, and aluminum cylinder heads. The ZZ4's Corvette inspired high-performance heads feature high velocity intake runners and D-shaped exhaust ports to allow efficient and unobstructed flow through the engine. All of this adds up to a very impressive 355 HP.
As a side note, the standard engine for the 1953 Studebaker Commander was a 169 cubic inch inline six that was rated at 85 HP.
In addition to this, our featured 1953 Studebaker Champion has a 750 Holly carburetor and a Turbo Hydra-Matic 700R-4 transmission. This transmission was designed to be used behind small block Chevy V-8's.
The car has front disc brakes and 9 inch large rear drum brakes. Add to this Sanders headers and a 2 1/2 inch Flow Master mufflers.
See our additional muscle car articles on the links below...
The 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S
The 1967 Chevy Nova II SS
A Beauty of a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS
Studebaker Street RodsPerformance car enthusiasts know that there is not a shortage of Studebaker Street Rods and these include pickups. In regards to the 1953 Studebaker Champion, the radical restyling of this car and the aerodynamic improvement was not lost on performance enthusiasts. It is for these reasons that the 53 Studebaker Commander is a popular Street Rod. We've even come across a great looking 53 Commander with a Chrysler Hemi engine delivering a whopping 725 horsepower and a claimed top speed of 200 MPH.
A few good resources for hot rods and street rods include...Hot Rods of the 1950's by Andy Southard and Hot Rodder: From Lakes to Street by Albert Drake
(Article and photos copyright 2015 Auto Museum Online)
