Studebaker judge Morris Haw looks deep into the original paint on a 1951 Studebaker Champion on display at the Can-Am Zone Meet for Studebaker owners from the West Coast and Canada, which continues this morning in Everett at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, 3105 Pine St.
What might seem incredible is that this particular automotive beauty has only 260 original miles on the odometer. And the story behind the car tells the reason why.
This car was bought direct from the factory in South Bend, Ind., on May 9, 1951, by Studebaker employee Harvey Hess for $1,459.34 as a gift to his son.
The son, who preferred Chevrolets, refused the gift. So Hess stored the car in a barn, according to a statement provided by the owner.
In 1992, the Studebaker was inherited by a nephew, John Hess, of Xenia, Ohio. The nephew drove it home – about 200 miles from South Bend – where it was stored in a special garage the nephew had built for it. The car stayed there until it was sold on eBay in January.
Evelyn Chumbley of Edmonds had long dreamed of replacing her 1951 Studebaker, the one she got when she graduated from high school. She got her wish.
The car advertised on eBay was identical in all respects to her first car, which her brother had wrecked.
Chumbley used the help of Rich and Mike Gahlbeck of Studebakers Northwest to replace, with original equipment, those parts that had not survived 53 years of storage.
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