Studebakers in the Southwest
Written by Keith Fudge

The Studebaker:  an American automotive icon.  Recently, Dennis Gage had the opportunity to visit with a man who owns more than 80 of these legendary cars.  While 80 is quite a number in itself, it is even more impressive that all of Scott Cawley’s cars are low-mileage, rust-free originals!  Where to start was the biggest issue Dennis faced when he met Scott.  The beginning of this version of “Studemania” began with a 1956 Pinehurst two-door station wagon.  Original in every sense of the word, this early SUV was and still is a beauty!  Next on the agenda was a 1955 President Speedster that featured two-toned lemon lime paint and a tan saddle-stitched leather interior.  A bullet-nosed 1950 Stude was on hand for that classic Studebaker look and clearly demonstrated how the car’s design was influenced by the style of the P-38 fighter plane.  A rare Studebaker pickup truck was next on the agenda.  This heavenly hauler was even supercharged and used to tow speed cars to the Bonneville Salt Flats!  Soon, Dennis and Scott left this group of cars and made their way to another area of Scott’s collection.

Scott began showing Dennis a 1948 Commander Convertible.  This car was restored 20 years ago and is factory correct in every detail.  A 1955 Conestoga Wagon flanked the Commander, and this family vehicle featured a “Swamp Cooler” air-conditioning system!  You just pour in ice and cold water and the fan blows it through the vents and into the car!  Talk about your low-mile cars.  Scott then walked Dennis over to a 1960 Lark convertible with 9,000 actual miles.  It was like a brand new 1960 Studebaker!  Well, it was a beautiful Arizona day, and you know Dennis!  He asked Scott if it would be possible to take a couple of these classics out on the road.  Scott complied and then he showed Dennis a top-of-the-line 1962 Lark Cruiser.  This car only had 38,000 miles and still had the plastic seat covers on it!  Powered by the 259 cubic-inch engine, the car started right up.  With Dennis behind the wheel, he and Scott took the Lark for a drive.  While they were on the road, Dennis asked Scott how he became fascinated with Studebakers and what led him to collect them.  Scott told Dennis that he grew up in South Bend, Indiana, near the Studebaker proving grounds.  He also said that NOS parts are readily available because they really didn’t know they were going to halt production, so they were stocked with parts for years to come.  Consequently, that makes restoration pretty easy.  Soon they returned back to the site where Scott had a classic Studebaker muscle car all ready to go!  This 1958 Golden Hawk is 100% original with 80,000 actual miles.  Powered by a supercharged 289 cubic-inch engine and equipped with a Borg-Warner transmission, this car cost $5,700 when new!  The Golden Hawk purred more like a kitten but had plenty of muscle when called upon.  Scott said that the car was really a head-turner.  We could easily see why!  What a great collection of cars from a legendary automaker!

That’s if from Chandler, Arizona.  So until our next visit, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”