This Sharp 1965 Studebaker Daytona Wagonaire is owned by Terry Spitzer of Timberville, Virginia. It is a nicely optioned car with Flightomatic automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, Twin Traction limited slip differential, factory push-button radio, power tail gate window, Climatizer heater and defroster, dashboard clock, two position rear view mirror, full wheel discs, and front bumper guards. The McKinnon Industries built 283 cubic inch V8 rated at 195 horsepower, foldling tailgate step, and back-up lights were standard items on Daytona Wagonaires. Custom touches include an underdash FM radio and eight track player combination unit, Flarestat emergency flasher, 1966 style "283" fender emblem, and a mid-1950's Studebaker horn button in the steering wheel.

Terry's wagon is one of 1,824 Studebaker Wagonaires produced for the 1965 model year of which 723 were Daytona models and the remainder were lower trim Commander models. The very attractive color is Horizon Green which was carried over from 1964. All regular production 1965 Studebaker station wagons were equipped with a sliding roof. A fixed roof version was available in 1963, 1964, and again in 1966. In a bid to appeal to safety conscious buyers, front seat belts, a foot operated windshield washer, and a parking brake warning light were standard items on all 1965 Studebakers. Studebaker advertising also touted the padded dash and rocker style dash switches as safety items. front disc brakes continued to be available as an option on all models.

Studebaker styling for the 1965 model year was basically unchanged from 1964. One difference on Daytona models was a switch to Cruiser style side mouldings with plain rather than black centers. Two-door hardtops and convertibles and the Daytona four-door sedan were dropped from the line. The Daytona Sports Sedan with a standard vinyl roof and bucket seats was the only new model. The major change for 1965 of course was the use McKinnon Industries General Motors six cylinder and V8 engines. These were basically the Chevrolet 194 cubic inch in-line six and 283 cubic inch V8. Studebaker did not use GM transmissions or other GM driveline components. The Flightomatic automatic and three speed manual with or without overdrive were unchanged.

The pictures were taken in June 2021 at the Greater Virginia Chapter of SDC gathering held at the home of Chester and Nancy Bradfield in Bridgewater, Virginia. Thanks to Terry for providing the information on his outstanding 1965 Wagonaire.

If you own or once owned a Studebaker or related vehicle and would like to see your car as "Stude of the Month" or in the "Cool Studes" section, or if you have other pictures or material that you would like to contribute to this page, please e-mail me here at wj2d44@gmail.com. I can accept either electronic or hard copy images. The Main Page is issued every other month so the next edition will be December 2021.

All of the previous editions of the Main Page going back to October 1995 have been reposted. In the process of reposting the pages, I have made corrections and revisions as needed, and in some cases added material that was not used when a page was first posted due to download speed and file storage limitations. A complete list of Main Pages and Studes of the Month with links to each is located here.

If you have a particular interest in Bullet Nose Studebakers, visit Bill Junge's Bullet Nose Paradise which is dedicated to the 1950 and 1951 Bullet Nose models.

This 1963 Studebaker Champ 8E Pickup with a full-width eight foot bed is owned by John P. Good Jr. of Winchester, Virginia. John's truck is a Deluxe Cab model with bright windshield trim, chrome trimmed window vents, a chrome grill, chrome headlamp rims, and bright fender trim. Deluxe Champs came with chrome hub cabs but this particular truck has 1962 Lark type full wheel covers. Deluxe Champs also featured a safety padded dash, armrests for both doors, a passenger side sun visor in addition to one for the driver, and a two-piece sliding rear window. White painted bumpers were standard with chrome plated bumpers optional. This truck appears to have been recently repainted a non-stock but quite attractive shade of blue. The tailgate lettering has been beautifully done.

The Champ was introduced in 1960 in an effort to provide a more contempory appearing light-duty truck. The chassis and drivetrain selections were basically unchanged fromn the 1959 E-Series but the cab section was all new being derived from the compact Lark. The nose panel, front fenders, hood, and doors were the same as used on the Lark. The main cab section was was basically a Lark four-door body cut just behind the front doors. A heavier grille with horizontal openings was used in place of the Lark grille. The dashboard and instruments were the same as in the Lark which also gave a more modern appearence. A full-width cargo box produced using former Dodge tooling was available starting in 1961. Trucks rated at one-ton and above continued to use the older style cab.

The pictures were taken in June 2021 at the American Truck Historical Society National Convention and Truck Show at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, Virginia. This was one of several Studebaker Champs on the display field.

Dan Armstrong from Mansfield, Texas has created a number of crossword puzzles and games for car nuts. Dan has a strong interest in Studebakers, particularly the 1956 Sky Hawk, the performance equipped 1963 Lark Daytona, and the performance equipped 1963 and 1964 GT Hawks. The Studebaker crosswords are copyright by Dan Armstrong and are used with his permission. Thanks to Dan for providing the downloadable Studebaker crossword puzzles for readers of this page to enjoy.

The pictures were taken in June 2021 at the American Truck Historical Society National Convention and Truck Show at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The latest 1:64 scale Studebaker reissues from Johnny Lightning are a pair of 1957 Golden Hawks in the Pro Collector Series. The colors are Azure Blue with a Wedgewood Blue fin flash and Lilac with an Artic White fin flash. Both versions come packed with a metal storage tin that slides open. They are labeled as limited edition models of 3,500 pieces each. The Johnny Lightning 1958 Golden Hawk will also be reissued in two versions in the Classic Gold Series. These will be in different colors and are slated for release in October 2021.

Numerous variations of the Johnny Lightning 1957 Golden Hawk have appeared over the years. One of my favorites is the Johnny Lightning Collector Club 10th Anniversary Edition which came in a special felt padded tin with 10th Aniversary Collector Club Pin and Certificate of Authenticity. This version was not sold in stores but examples appear on eBay from time to time. Regular issues were sold on blister cards as with this Hot Rod Magazine version from 2004.

This Crown Premiums 1:24 scale Baldwin Filters 1937 Studebaker Coupe Express is a recent addition to my personal collection. It was issued in 2008 as a limited edition of 2,000 pieces of which this is Number 202. This model comes packed in an oversized picture box with the truck and accessories securely packed inside. It is very nicely detailed with opening doors and hood, detailed engine and interior, steerable wheels, detailed chassis, and removable bed cover. Other versions of the Crown Premiums 1937 Coupe Express include Trustworthy Hardware and Snap-On Tools. Crown Premiums also offers a 1937 Studebaker Woody Panel Delivery.

Crown Premiums began doing business in 1981 as a provider of high quality promotional models of classic cars and trucks. Many of their offerings are in 1:24 scale but other scales are also available. The company markets to businesses who seek to promote their products by selling or in some instances giving away promotional models of cars and trucks. The models are manufactured in China. Often these come in a series and appear around the winter holidays. Baldwin Filters has issued several Crown Premiums models including a 1:24 scale 1934 Ford Tow Truck and a 1:24 scale 1934 Ford Oil Tanker.

More toy Studes can be found in the Stude Stuff area of this page and on my Studebaker Toys Home Page.

Click here for information on ordering hard to find Studebaker toys made by manufacturers such as Johnny Lightning, Racing Champions, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Muscle Machines, Maisto, and EKO.

Jim Geary's book Studebaker Toy Treasures is the standard reference for collectors of Studebaker Toys. This wonderful book has 294 pages of color pictures and details on hundreds of Studebaker toys. Publication date is 2004 and just about every Studebaker toy and model produced up to that time is pictured and cataloged. Jim is making the book available for $25 plus $14 for shipping. Jim will sign the book if requested. It also comes with a CD of more toys than what is in the book. This is a must for the serious Studebaker toy vehicle collector. Jim can be contacted at sanjim76@live.com or send payment to Jim Geary, 181 Allendale Hills Road, Franklin, NC 28734.