The life and times of Suzy Studebaker, My Elegant Speedster
By: Murray Stahl

Suzy Studebaker is closing onto that 50 years old milestone. Born in February of 1955 in South Bend Indiana she has seen a half-century of automotive life. Dressed in an elegant black and white color scheme she can remember when she was chosen to represent her Studebaker family as a model in their ads. How proud she was that all these ads were for “Studebaker-Packard.” It’s difficult to be young in a hyphenated family born half black and white but she really wanted to fit in even though she was seen as a “special” model. She was always much closer to the Studebaker side than the stuffy Packard’s. Her swoopy, low, European lines just never meshed with the dowdy behemoths commonly under the Packard Cormorant. Suzy had been styled as a very low, luxurious touring coupe with a fashionably long front and rear deck; she knew that she was a trendsetter. It was always apparent that someone had to leave the corporate nest! It wouldn’t be the pretty Coupes.

She was wild from the start, beginning life with a high horsepower engine and full instrumentation encased in an engine turned dash replete with a bevy of aircraft type switches. Independent Road tests by “Motor Trend” clocked her at 125 MPH and 0 to 60 in 9.4 seconds. This was heady stuff in 1955 on bias ply tires. Her given name was “Speedster” and she tried hard to live up to it.

Of course she was always a bit of a brat, quick to flaunt her prominent front-end and slim, swoopy figure. Many of her siblings sported wild paint combos while her own sedate black and white outfit was classy and formal. She knew that having a standard transmission and electric overdrive set her apart from her 2215 siblings with their slushy automatic drives. Alas, after a half-century only 119 of her siblings are thought to still exist.

Her pretty, leather upholstery and wire wheels were industry trendsetters for their time but her high cost of $3253 put her firmly into the mid-priced society whirl. At her coming out party she was quickly dubbed as “Studebaker’s Factory Hot-Rod.” There was an early rivalry with the pretty little white Corvette from Detroit but Suzy Studebaker was clearly the class act with many different color combos and a potent V/8 capable of easily showing her skirts to that fiberglass hussy. Imagine the little Corvette, so quick to drop her top, thinking that her hoary six-cylinder anchor could launch her into the “in-crowd.”

At “fifty” Suzy Studebaker can look back upon a life of service, first as a family sedan shepherding the kids to and thro. After a period of inactivity and neglect Suzy received a freshening restoration and entered the “show car circuit.” At first it was exciting being looked over and judged but too soon the excitement turned to boredom. After all how many awards and trophies can a girl use? Meandering across the country in a closed trailer for yet another snobbish judged event just didn’t get the old Girl’s juices flowing. A total of 187 miles in 12 years let her greases harden. Was there no end to this sterile existence?

In 1997 at 42 years of age our Suzy began yet another new life as a “Driver.” It started suddenly as the new owner drove her home on the interstate from Maryland to New York. What a hoot, back on the road again. On the interstate those new cars didn’t attract anywhere near the attention that the pretty coupe did.

At fifty Suzy’s rear sags a bit and she could certainly use a small bit of cosmetic work (who couldn’t) but now she commingles with Hot-Rods and feels young again. Its fun watching people smile at Suzy’s flirty, swoopy, lithe lines.

Lets raise a glass to Suzy Studebaker, A Factory Hot-Rod, Hoo rah.