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.

Please Park It Next To The Shiny Red One

John found this truck at the meet in Cedar Rapids, sitting by its lonesome self, away from the other trucks being exhibited. He never found out who owned it, but sure wished that it had been sitting over next to the other trucks where he felt it belonged. Shiny or not, this Stude has character! We want to make sure to encourage everyone to bring all their Studes in all their stages with them next year to the International Meet in Glendale, Arizona. We'll have our truck there and he likes to hang out with a mixed crowd!

So, THIS Is What It's Supposed to Look Like!

Last week, John was fortunate enough to attend a few days of the International Studebaker Meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. One of the highlights of his journey was having the opportunity to see Les Hole's '55 truck.

Although we enjoy and appreciate our truck for what it is, we have nothing but admiration and awe for this stock version of the same year and model.

John even got to see the engine compartment as it was meant to be...Studebaker engine and all!

Perhaps the best part of the whole encounter was meeting this truck's owner and hearing his passion for his Stude. He was even so generous as to give John a past copy of Turning Wheels that featured '55 trucks. Thanks, Les! It was a pleasure meeting you and seeing your truck!

The Smith Family Celebrates the First Annual International Drive Your Studebaker Day

Tracy started the day off by taking George to the grocery store to pick up some food for our family picnic. Although it's a tad warm driving in 105 degree weather with no air conditioning, the President's working radio (gotta love the AM choices!) and super-large trunk space more than made up for the heat.

Later in the day, after driving the car and truck around and taking some photos along the way, we stopped in at McDonald's to cool off with some ice cream and more than a few cups of water! Believe it or not, more people talked to us about our Studebakers here than any other place we visited today.

George posing during his photo shoot.

Horse looks right at home in the pecan grove.

Jilly waiting for her turn to drive on Drive Your Studebaker Day...

"I'll just move it right over here for you, Dad..." You can almost hear Thayer starting to negotiate his drive time. You've got a few years yet, buddy!