1952 Studebaker Champion by
Steve Unger

My 1952 Studebaker Champion was purchased by the original owner in Pennsylvania. After the original owner passed away sometime in the late '70's the car was sold to his good friend & neighbor. The friend kept the car in its original condition but when the engine, a 170 c.i. flathead 6, showed signs of excessive wear, the owner replaced it with a N.O.S. Studebaker replacement engine sometime in the '90's. It seems when Studebaker abruptly closed its doors in the 60's, there were tons of N.O.S. parts left behind. Besides the engine replacement, the 2nd owner also replaced the worn interior.
The car was sold to it's 3rd owner in 2005. By now the body was showing signs of age & the chrome was rusty & dull. He had the body work done & the car re-painted in it's original
Maui Blue color. The bumpers & chrome trim were re-plated.
I am the 4th owner. For the past 2 years my family & I have attended the annual car show & swap meet,
(Das Awkscht Fescht) in Macungie PA. Last year, while attending the show, I happened across this gentleman with a car he was selling under a canopy, with a banner that read: "'52 Studebaker Champion". I always liked the "Orphan" classic cars.
I had never seen a Champion up close & was impressed by its condition. The engine started & ran perfectly. The seller & I spoke for a time & he told me of the work done to the car along with its history.

After telling my wife about the Studebaker, she wanted to see the car for herself. We must have went back to see the car at least 4 times that weekend! I eventually took the car for a test drive. It ran , shifted, & stopped great! After some negotiations with both the seller & my wife, the Studebaker was ours. My daughter immediately named her "
Abby".
We picked up Abby the following week. He assured me he would check all fluids & make sure the car would be roadworthy for the trip home. The car made the trip back without any problems. I was really impressed on how smooth & well behaved it drove on the highway. The car only has 85 hp but this is a light car so performance is good.
To date, I have only had to replace the fuel pump, master cylinder, rebuild the carb.& adjust the valves. My son was not too happy to find out Abby has about 30 grease fittings which needed his attention. I was also able to locate an original clock which I installed. Abby has been a great addition to our family. Right now she rests in the garage, waiting for the first rains of spring to wash away the salt from the New York roads. She lets me know she doesn't like to sit idle, every so often showing her displeasure in the form of an oil drop on the garage floor! ONLY 3 MORE MONTHS TILL SPRING!