The Old Man's Back On The Road! (and he's driving his Studebaker!)

It's been 3 1/2 weeks since John's surgery. After three previous attempts to try to drive the truck since then (OUCH! The clutch was not his friend!), he was finally able to get back on the road today and take a trip to the grocery store. The weather has cooled just a bit this week, making it perfect for early morning drives. What more could a man ask for?

One More Step

Now that John's able to drive the truck again, he wasn't about to limit himself to one little drive to the grocery store. As soon as the sun went down, he hopped on in and drove the truck to his guitar lesson.

Dash In, Dash Out!

What do you do when you have a credit with Studebaker International? Why, order that black dash pad you've been thinking of adding! Originally offered as an option on our truck, the dash pad was supposed to add a level of safety to driver and passengers. We just like the way it brings the elements in our cab together.

This is what the dash looked like before we added the black pad. The red screws across the dash show where the pad is meant to be attached. The weather is starting to cool in the evenings, which means we are gearing up to get to work more on our Studebakers. Stay tuned for weekly updates on our projects!

I Wish I Was An Oscar Meyer Wiener

While driving a Studebaker in August in Arizona may be a bit warm, it's more than worth it! And who could pass up the opportunity to see the Wienermobile up close and in person? While Tracy waited in line with the kids so they could get their picture taken with this little bit of Americana, she also didn't have any qualms about pulling George on up for his photo opportunity, as well. A Studebaker and the Wienermobile...now that's life in the good old United States of America!

"His and Hers" Studebakers

John and his dad had the pleasure of meeting Johna and Rick Pierce (from Sacramento) at this year's Zone Meet. Not only were they very welcoming and helpful, but they also DRIVE THEIR STUDEBAKERS!

Here are a few fun pictures of some of the places they have driven their Studebakers.

These folks are excellent ambassadors for the Studedebaker Drivers Club. Thanks, Johna and Rick, for helping to keep the "D" in the SDC!

This Is The Way To Keep Studebakers Going!

A Studebaker friend of ours, Dave Arnold, recently shared these great pictures with us of his daughter "growing up with Studebakers." The monumental time recently arrived for her to receive her temporary license and actually get the opportunity to drive her dad's '60 convertible Lark. The video that follows shows this momentous occasion and leaves us wondering...will our kids want to drive the truck or the President? Or will we have more options available for them to choose from by then?
Thanks again, Dave for sharing these awesome pictures and video. We are pleased to note that no Studebakers were harmed in the making of this film... :)

Push It, Pull It, Drag It, Or Push It Out Of An Airplane...I Don't Care! Just Get It There!

There have been a lot of rumblings in the Studebaker world whether certain vehicles would be considered "Trailer Queens." The question then arises: What qualifies a vehicle as a Trailer Queen? Is it the owner who has a lot of time and money invested in his vehicle who trailers it across three states to get to the show (in order to protect his investment), but then drives it all over once he reaches his destination? Is it the driver who trailers his vehicle to every show, parks it, dusts it, and shows it, all while shining up his "Do Not Touch" placard? Personally, I ran into both cases at the International Meet in Cedar Rapids, but by no means would I consider the first example to be a Trailer Queen. As for the second example, all I can say is that they wear their crowns proudly and it is pretty easy to differentiate between the two.
The bottom line is that owners spend different amounts of time and money on their vehicles and for many different reasons. I don't really care how they get their vehicles out there as long as they do.
The '60 Lark convertible pictured above is owned by Dave Arnold and won first place in its division at the 2009 International Studebaker Meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. While in Cedar Rapids, Dave logged over 400 miles in this car and was giving rides to anyone who asked. You can understand my disappointment that I DIDN'T ASK! While this car may have arrived to the meet on a trailer, it is by no means a Trailer Queen. Instead, the car and driver are great ambassadors for what our club stands for....the Studebaker DRIVERS Club.