
Studebaker never planned to sell the 1955 Speedster: twenty were built purely as car-show display pieces, and only the enthusiastic reaction to them convinced management to rush it into production mid-year.
Lead trim: Speedster 259 cu in V8 (185 hp, 258 lb-ft)
Studebaker Speedster1955–1955
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Studebaker Speedster 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.
FactStudebaker never planned to sell the 1955 Speedster: twenty were built purely as car-show display pieces, and only the enthusiastic reaction to them convinced management to rush it into production mid-year.
The Studebaker Speedster was built for the 1955 model year only, the company's halo model on the President platform, a 2-door hardtop coupé positioned as a competitor to the Ford Thunderbird and Chrysler 300 (Studebaker had used the Speedster name in the early 1920s); it replaced the Champion Starliner and the Golden Hawk succeeded it. Studebaker's 259 cu in (4.2 L) V8 produced 185 horsepower and 258 lb-ft, with a 3-speed Borg-Warner manual or DG250 automatic. Wheelbase 120.5 in, length 204.4 in, width 70.4 in, height 56.3 in, curb weight 3,301 lb.
Collectors Spotted in the Studebaker Speedster Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Studebaker Speedster yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speedster 259 cu in V8 (185 hp, 258 lb-ft) | 1955–1955 | 4.2 L V8 | 185 hp | 258 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
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

Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.

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The Corsair's pushbutton Teletouch transmission put its gear buttons right in the steering wheel hub — exactly where drivers reached for the horn.

For 1959, the Corsair got bumped to the top of the Edsel range overnight, inheriting the flagship spot after Ford quietly killed off the pricier Citation.

Ford gave the doomed Edsel one genuinely odd party trick — an options-list 'Edsel Lubricator' that greased the chassis at the push of a dashboard button, as long as you remembered to top up its reservoir.

A Packard-engined Golden Hawk ran the Mille Miglia, the last car styled under Raymond Loewy's studio before the Avanti.

AMC announced a 288-hp fuel-injected Rebel option, then never sold one; every production car got a four-barrel carburetor instead.

For 1960 AMC quietly dropped the Rebel name from marketing altogether, calling it simply the Rambler V8 engine option.