1951 Studebaker Champion 4 Door Sedan
Trev
& Dianne Halstead
Rukuhia, New Zealand
Studebakers were exported to New Zealand and were also assembled there with parts shipped from the states. Trev purchased his right hand drive 4 door Champion in less than average condition for $40.00 in 1972. Over the years, it had three major rebuilds.
In the above photo, Trev had welded the fenders, grill and a 50 hood together and fabricated a mount to tilt the front end to access the big block Chevrolet engine. The rear wheel openings were raised and flared to allow for larger tires on the 63 Dodge Dart rear end.
After the car was damaged in an accident, it sat for four years. When Trev decided to repair it, he went all out. The top was chopped 4"and he removed the rain gutters and slanted the B pillars to give it a forward look. He had to split the front and rear glass because of the chop. In the photos below you can see that he added a chin under the grill to hide the tilt front mount. He also repainted the flames and the taillights were replaced with 59 Cad lenses.
Another rebuild for the "BOM8ER" ...
The latest rebuild photos above show the new gold lacquer paint with ghost flames. The custom made dash and center console were made by Trev. He also made the stainless headers for the 439 cubic inch big block Chevy that's hooked to a TH400 transmission.
After owning this car for almost 50 years, it went to a new home and is now being taken care of by Brent Everess. Trev is working on a new "Bomber" and I'll be adding a page for this chopped Starlight Coupe when it's done.
Trev is known as Mr. Studebaker in New Zealand and you can click on the links below to see the other cars he has built.
