Produced from 1960 to 1964, the Champ was Studebaker’s first major redesign of their truck line in more than ten years. With the chassis and cargo bed used as carryovers from previous models, the Champ cab was designed using the front end of the Studebaker Lark, which had been introduced the previous year, along with a newly designed front grille. This 1963 Studebaker Champ Deluxe Cab is powered by a 289ci V8 mated to a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive. According to the engine serial number, the engine is not original to the truck, and is actually a 4-barrel 289 from a 1963 Studebaker Hawk and has been upgraded with a McCulloch-Paxton VS57S Studebaker supercharger. In naturally aspirated form, the 289 produced 225hp and with the addition of the supercharger, according to factory estimates, engine output increased to 289 horsepower. The dark green exterior of the Champ still retains a nice luster although it does show its age and has some bumps and bruises along with some rust in the cargo bed corners. Inside the cab, the black interior is presentable, and the dash features an original 160mph speedometer out of a Studebaker Super Lark in place of the original 120mph unit and in place of the original multifunction gauge which would have indicated fuel level and water temperature with warning lights for oil pressure and amperage, a tachometer now resides along a full set of gauges that separately monitor fuel level, amps, water temperature, and oil pressure. Originally column-shifted, the truck has been converted to floor shift with a Hurst shifter with chrome shift knob. Other features on the truck include power steering, alternator, Avanti R2 supercharged badges, and a sliding rear window, a feature which was pioneered by Studebaker and has since been copied by nearly every other auto manufacturer. With only 5,861 Champs built in 1963 and only 5,059 destined for the U.S. market, this 1963 Studebaker Champ is a seldom seen classic American truck that was innovative in its time as a truck with a passenger car-based cab that offered “car-like” comfort and today they are prized for these interesting features that were far ahead of their time.
