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1961 STUDEBAKER CHAMP
WITH SLIDE-IN CAMPER
Front View
Rear Angle View
Dashboard with Extra Gauges
Under the Hood
This 1961 Studebaker Champ with slide-in camper is owned by the Studebaker National Foundation.
The pictures were taken in June 2019 at Chester and Nancy Bradfield's maintenance and storage building in Bridgewater, Virginia.
The truck is eventually headed for the Mid-America Museum of Aviation and Transportation in Sioux City, Iowa.
It is a long bed model with the optional full-width cargo box that first appeared in 1961.
It is equipped with heavy duty components including a 289 cubic inch V8 and five-speed floor shift transmission.
Numerous extra gauges to monitor just about anything you might think of have been added to the dash.
The raised front fender trim visible in the first picture is unique to the 1961 model.
Here is a shot of the truck's serial number plate.
The truck was formerly owned by a Douglas Aircraft Corporation engineer.
That may explain the proliferation of gauges.
With the Mid-America Museum of Aviation and Transportation closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Champ will remain in Virginia for the time being.
It has received a tuneup, new battery, and clutch mechanism repair while at the Bradfields and is fully drivable.
Current plans (as of February 2021) are to take the Champ to the American Truck Historical Society National Convention and Truck Show that is scheduled to be held in Harrisonburg, Virginia in June 2021.
Hopefully the event will happen in-person as the 2020 ATHS National Convention and Truck Show was held virtually.
Thanks to Chester Bradfield for providing the information regarding this very interesting Studebaker truck.
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