"The Lark Daytona, Action Car of the Year! It's fresh and spirited,
and eager to go. In either version, hardtop or convertible, it's an
exciting performer and a steady road car that maneuvers through
traffic with sureness and ease. Its 109 inch wheelbase lets you
park almost anywhere, too. From the advanced thinking of Studebaker
Corporation; the exciting world of tomorrow from Studebaker today!"
From the 1963 sale brochure
For consignment, a 1963 Studebaker Lark Daytona 2 door hardtop with
a title verified 58,646 actual miles. This one's been owned by our
consignor since 2009 during which time he accumulated 7.000 miles,
kept it in the garage, and never drove it in rain!
Exterior
The unique shape and size of the Lark is complemented by two stage
President Red paint that presents very nicely on this straight
bodied bird. Along with the compact box you see in profile, both
ends feature period distinctive elements such as a tight, central
grille and wide set quad headlights set in aluminum bezels all of
which creates a virtual personality that differs from anything of
the era. There are eyebrows too, which is the wrap around trim that
continues to the back, ever expanding. In back, afterburner-like
tail lights cap the fenders while an ornamental band of stainless
runs end to end, parallel with the chrome bumper. Imperfections
include few chips on the cowl, uneven paint on a fender seam, and
few other chips, and some swirl/brush marks.
Interior
Black vinyl door panels mix vertical stitching with horizontal
along with a carpeted lower and some ornamental trim and both show
nicely. Inside, red inserts color the black bucket seats and also
the rear bench which exhibits some looseness, but all are clean and
intact. A D-shaped horn ring fronts the steering wheel which in
turn, fronts a simple dash with two gauges flanking an unused third
and white plastic toggle switches below. There's chrome trim around
the cluster under a clean, black dash pad. The AM radio is still in
place in the center of the dash and a Vanity emblem is over the
dash, indicating it may have originally been equipped with a makeup
tray and mirror in the glove box. Black carpet covers the floor, a
white perforated headliner tops the ceiling, and a hound's tooth
vinyl mat presides over the clean stamped steel of the trunk.
Drivetrain
With a car this size, you'd expect an inline six, but this one
packs a 259ci V8 with room to spare in the boxy bay. The engine has
an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor and puts out 195 horsepower. Looks
like we have a sleeper in the making! A Flight-O-Matic 3-speed
automatic transmission that routes power to 3.31 gears in back. The
bay presents cleanly with vibrant orange valve covers.
Undercarriage
The underside presents cleanly with only a light film of oil on the
pans and some evidence of a one time drip from the gas line
connection at the tank.Dual exhaust runs confidently through
stainless steel mufflers and out the back through downturned tips
while drum brakes occupy all four wheels. Suspension consists of
coil springs up front and leaf springs in back.
Drive-Ability
The simple and compact interior make driving the car easy, so we
start it up, listen to the rumble of the dual exhaust, and move the
ivory handled column shifter into place, sending this red bird onto
the test loop which gives us no surprises in power, tracking, and
handling. We're on older tires here so pacing ourselves to test the
basic functionality and find everything works! While Classic Auto
Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of
our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working
at the time of your purchase.
Compact before compacts were a thing, the Lark Daytona represents
an early iteration of a pocket rocket with a brick like profile
that would leave unsuspecting hot rodders not beat, but a bit
surprised. This was billed as the action packed Studebaker at the
time, and 63 years later, it's still pretty exciting in its own
way!
63V11583
63-1963
V-259ci V8
11583-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price. All prices are before
state, city and county tax, tag, title and license fees. Out of
state buyers are responsible for all state, county, city taxes and
fees, as well as title/registration fees in the state that the
vehicle will be registered. Classic Auto Mall is not responsible
for errors and omissions. Please verify listings with dealer.
Vehicles may require VIN verification and/or safety and emissions
inspections to transfer ownership and register the vehicle in the
declared state of residence. Please check with your local DMV
office to ensure compliance with your states titling and
registration process.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
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