A once in a lifetime opportunity to own possibly the most original classic car on earth! This rock 'n roll era Studebaker Champion has only travelled 128 miles since coming off the production line in South Bend, Indiana 60 years ago.
This 1958 RHD Studebaker Champion has a very well documented history that started as love lost when a honeymoon present was sadly never received and the heart broken now former fianc?e put the Studebaker away in a garage never to drive for 26 years.
In 1984 the Studebaker was then sold to a car dealership who kept her on show for 10 years preserving the perfect patina and mileage until they decided to sell. One of the photos attached is a 1985 news paper article about the Champion and a visit by the then president of the Studebaker Drivers Club in the USA and Studebaker Family descendent, Carroll Studebaker.
The 1993 sale was to a syndicate of friends who chipped in to buy this oddity at auction and all agreed that the Studebaker never be driven while in their careful ownership.
But time waits for no person and as the syndicate members began to die off the last two owners decided to sell. After a further 23 years the Studebaker was put up for auction. It was now 2016 and the lucky purchaser of this near perfect example of late 50's production quality decided that this Studebaker, while mileage kept incredibly low, ensure the Champion could become a legal driving vehicle after so many years hidden away. The Champion was bought back to life, re-registered and provided a road legal warrant of fitness. All the time those involved with getting her back on the road joked that this Studebaker was still a long way off the manufacturer's recommended first service at 500 miles!
In February 2018 this incredibly low mileage, original and basically brand new piece of Americana was entered into her host country's premier Classic Car Concours in the Survivor competition where originality and age are the main criteria for success. Being a car that could win this class in any classic car event in the universe, the 1958 Studebaker was going to be hard to beat and, of course, this Champion wasn't. The link to follow is an interview from last year's concours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-F1SRzJvhw
The 1958 Studebaker Champion has lived its whole life in fabulous New Zealand and now looks for a collector that truly appreciates the uniqueness of an incredibly well preserved motor vehicle that at 60 years old has never needed restoration because it really is a brand new classic car.
