The Loewy-styled Champion's slippery shape made it a hit at the salt flats — racers ran it both stock and with chopped, channeled bodies at Bonneville chasing land-speed records.
Median 90 hp across 155 similar cars
Lead trim: Champion 169.6 cu in L-head I6 (2,779 cc, 85 hp, 1953–1954) · up to 101 hp
Studebaker Champion1953–1956
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Studebaker Champion yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Loewy-styled Champion's slippery shape made it a hit at the salt flats — racers ran it both stock and with chopped, channeled bodies at Bonneville chasing land-speed records.
In 1953 Studebaker was redesigned by Robert Bourke of Raymond Loewy's design studio (the "Loewy Coupe" or "Low Boy"); the 2-door coupe with a central pillar was the Starlight, the more expensive hardtop the Starliner, with a lower front end than its contemporaries that shared an appearance with the Citroën DS, plus a taller 2-door sedan; a 1954 2-door station wagon, the Conestoga, was added. Power of the L-head inline six (169.6 cu in / 2,779 cc, 185.6 cu in / 3,041 cc) stayed at 85 hp until 1955, when a larger version made 101 hp; the Starlight/Starliner labels were dropped and a wraparound windshield introduced for 1955; the 1956 sedans got "eyebrows" over the headlights and large tailfins while the coupes took Hawk-style bodywork with a square central grille. Streamlined Loewy coupes were popular with land speed racers. Coupes and hardtops: wheelbase 120.5 in, 202.2 in long, 71 in wide; sedans 116.5 in, 198.6 in, 69.5 in.
Collectors Spotted in the Studebaker Champion Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Studebaker Champion yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion 169.6 cu in L-head I6 (2,779 cc, 85 hp, 1953–1954) | 1953–1954 | 2.8 L Inline-6 | 85 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Champion 185.6 cu in L-head I6 (3,041 cc, 101 hp, 1955–1956) | 1955–1956 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 101 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Struggling to compete with the Big Three, Studebaker stripped this Champion down to the bone for 1957 and sold it as the no-frills "Champion Scotsman."
The Loewy-styled Champion's slippery shape made it a hit at the salt flats — racers ran it both stock and with chopped, channeled bodies at Bonneville chasing land-speed records.
The Champion coupe's wraparound "greenhouse" rear window started as a quiet option — it caught on so well Studebaker gave it its own name, the Starlight coupe.
Studebaker's humble Champion engine went to war: from 1943 to 1945 it powered the M29 Weasel, the military's tracked snow-and-swamp carrier, which even borrowed the Champion's own leaf springs for its suspension.
Studebaker's frugal Champion didn't stay civilian forever: from 1943 to 1945 its engine — and four sets of its leaf springs — powered the M29 Weasel, a WWII snow-and-swamp personnel carrier.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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