Studebaker: Still Stands Out After 60 Years

Greg Lange, 53, an educator from Edmonds, Wash., on his 1955 Studebaker President, as told to A.J. Baime.

I’ve always rooted for underdogs. I’m a teacher of high-risk high-school students, and the job can be stressful. When I need to decompress, I go for a drive in The Prez.

I bought my Studebaker in August, 2014, for $6,000. Studebakers are known as orphans in the car world. Orphans are cars that were made by companies that no longer exist. When my son and I went and looked at the President, we said, “We’re taking this one home.”

Studebaker wasn’t a big Detroit corporation. It was a smaller company out of South Bend, Ind., and had to be highly imaginative to compete with Ford and General Motors. This resulted in unique designs and powerful engines. The one in my President is called a Passmaster (a 259 cubic inch V8); the meaning is obvious. Still, the company made its last vehicle in 1966.

I knew the Studebaker would present a different kind of ownership. Parts are hard to find; you have to join the community of owners. Where I live, there are a lot of retired Boeing workers, people who can make their own parts. Because I’m a new owner, I’ve been to one club event so far; I was the youngest person by maybe 15 years.

I never chased down a Studebaker. I feel like I’ve been chosen to be the next caretaker of this 60-year-old car.