The Studebaker V8 was manufactured until 1963, with displacements ranging from 232 to 304 cubes. A heavy but reliable powerplant, the Studebaker V8 powered many a daily-driver Commander or Lark… but it goes without saying that we're more interested in the batshit-crazy supercharged versions. The Golden Hawk of 1957-58 got a McCulloch supercharger and churned out an impressive-for-the-time 275 horses. We all know about the Avanti, which got 289 horsepower out of its blown V8, but even cooler would be a factory-installed supercharged R2 in a '63 Lark, an option that meets with our highest approval. How about a 12-second Lark?
[Bill's Stude Page, Image source]

So, in an attempt to get the 450 DOTS Celebration to show up on your computer, I'm breaking it up into sections. We've had the Germans and the Wagons, and today I've been so inspired by the beautiful DOTS '69 AMX that I've put together a collection of Alameda's street-parked vintage American cars and trucks that were not designed by Detroit's Big Three (I say "designed" because I think that the '45 Jeep counts as a Willys, in spite of being built by Ford). I believe that the trio of kit cars, the Shay Model A, the CMC Gazelle, and the Fieroborghini- based on Pinto, Chevette, and Fiero chassis, respectively- qualify here, because, well, why not? You Scout fans will find plenty of iron to admire, we've got some Ramblers and a couple of Studes, and there's even a Packard!

1943 IHC	1945 Ford	1948 IHC	1951 Willys	1953 Packard	1956 Willys
1958 Willys	1960 Studebaker	1960 Rambler	1961 Rambler	1964 Studebaker	1964 Jeep
1964 Checker	1965 IHC	1965 Rambler	1969 AMC	1969 AMC	1972 IHC
1972 IHC	1972 IHC	1976 AMC	1976 IHC	1977 IHC	1979 Shay
1980 IHC	1983 Jeep	1984 Jeep	1988 CMC	2000 Fieroborghini

57Sweptside was dodging neutrons in bomb-test country when he decided to drop in on a junkyard in rust-unfriendly southeastern Nevada… or maybe it was northwestern Arizona. Either way, these carcasses will likely still be there by the time you see the photos. Here's what 57Sweptside has to say about his adventure:

Along US-93, between Kingman, AZ and Hoover Dam is a pretty desolate stretch of road. Every time we pass this yard (2x for every trip between Phoenix and Vegas) we swear that we're going to stop. This time we actually did it. As we peeked through the fence and tried to snap pictures, the caretaker came out of his on-site motor home to see what we were up to. He invited us into the yard, but not until we paid $5.00 each. Since it was the RETURN trip from Sin City, we weren't burdened with excess cash, but we managed to come up with $10.00. My wife and my sister opted to stay behind, sensing some similarities to the plot of a horror movie they once saw. My brother-in-law and I had already made the decision for them, but gave very convincing apologies and promises about "next time". Of course the old "curator" said it wouldn't be any fun if the girls stayed behind and he waived the admission fee for them. It seemed reasonable, after all he was 81 years old, had been blinded during cataract surgery and couldn't keep up with Kevin and me as we climbed over the rows and piles for rare treasures. And the girls got to chat with him, or more accurately, listen to him tell stories of driving a wrecker and bringing in some of the hulks that still sat there, escaping a whiteout in Nebraska and winding up in Kingman after WWII, and a detailed account (down to make/model/year of each participant) of a drunk driver outrunning the police and wrecking at mile post 148. If we weren't in such a rush to make it home for dinner (and to rescue the 7 grandchildren my mother was "babysitting" for the weekend), I could have stayed for a couple hours just to listen to the old man's stories.

EVERTHING in the pictures is for sale. Most of the vehicles have prices on them, and I think the "collection" can be bought as a whole. The prices seem a bit steep for some of what's out there, but I imagine that money talks out in this part of the desert. A lot of this stuff is complete with trim and emblems, but the interiors are beyond trashed. I didn't ask about parts, but there were plenty of cars lacking powertrains.

I can't figure out what the pickup with the flat nose fiberglass is. Any idea?

You can check out the whole set of photos here when you're done with our gallery.

And we love those cars, no doubt about it, but looking at one is much like hearing the same classic-rock song for the millionth time. Sure, "Satisfaction" is a good tune (especially when performed by The Residents), but ennui sets in eventually. But there were plenty of vehicles built that can be classed as muscle cars, yet never attained truly iconic status. I'm a big fan of some of the less common machines, and UDMan truly loves them. He's put together a regular Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot series over on CarDomain, where you'll be able to see obsessively documented and illustrated studies of such greats as the 1958 Packard Hawk, 1970 Mercury Marauder X-100, 1957 Rambler Rebel, and 1977 Pontiac LeMans Can Am. We say check it out!
[CarDomain Blog]

As any of you who have been following our 24 Hours Of LeMons coverage know, we're trying to encourage more racers to think outside the E30/RX-7/Miata/Integra box when it comes to choosing their race cars. We'll be seeing a Soviet car in the Detroit-ish race, we've got a '63 Corvair getting ready for New England (plus a number of other cool entries that I'm not allowed to talk about yet), so the bar has been raised for the '09 season! So, just in time to get ready for the October 3rd Lamest Day race at Nelson Ledges, we've got a couple of sub-$500 Hell Projects that (if you could by some staggeringly unlikely miracle get into racing condition) would make your team an instant LeMons Legend.

When we had the Panhard Dyna Z-16 in our last voyage into the flames of Orphaned French Car Hell, Ohio-based Junkman jumped in to say that he had a reasonably complete Panhard PL 17 that he'd sell to any Nelson Ledges-bound LeMons team for below the $500 limit. Well, I couldn't let an idea that good go unexplored, so I asked Junkman if he really, really meant it. He sure did… as long as the team that buys the car lets him take a turn at the wheel during the race. He's getting ready to head to Retromobile now, so he didn't have time to go into all the details of the car. Does it run? Don't know! Does it have stuff like brakes and suspension? Can't say! We won't know any of that until The Man Of Junk gets back from France. But come on, everyone at the race will edge away from you in dismay awe at Nelson Ledges when you roll up with this fine, 42-horsepower French racin' machine, so don't worry about such inconsequential details!

Now's about the time that you red-blooded, commie-sucker-punchin', rear-wheel-drivin', body-on-frame-havin' patriotic racers slam your collective grimy fist on the smoldering workbench in the Hell Garage and shout "ENOUGH!" You'll drive a genuine America race car or nothing at all! Something from Detroit, or maybe Kenosha, or South Bend. Yeah, that's it- South Bend! You need to race a Studebaker, and we don't mean any disc-brake-equipped 60s Lark. We're talking about this 1951 Studebaker sedan (go here if the listing disappears), which boasts suicide doors, a genuinely wicked-looking patina, and a price tag of just $250. The seller isn't saying whether it's a 6-cylinder Champion or a V8 Commander, but it really doesn't matter; ever other driver on the track will be too terrified of your Studely studliness to attempt to pass. And, say, you've got an easy choice for the car's theme:

Fantasygoat mostly focused on old Detroit machinery, but Cuba also boasts a good selection of Iron Curtain Fiats. Polski Fiat 125Ps, Ladas, and the like roam the Cuban streets, and AcaciaBogdan went to the island- breezing right past JFK's embargo thanks to his Mexican citizenship- and get some great shots of both types of Jalop-approved iron for us. Now I've got to go reread Pedro Juan Guiterrez' Dirty Havana Trilogy, my favorite (and highly NSFW) post-Soviet-era Cuban novel. Here's what AcaciaBogdan has to say:

In these pictures I have tried to show what these cars are really like; driven daily, fixed and maintained in any way possible, just to survive. They have been passed from one generation to the next and are considered a prime commodity. They maybe some of the priciest possessions as all housing is state owned. To understand these cars is to understand the people of Cuba. Despite living in what we would consider poverty, people are chugging along, seem relatively optimistic, and are looking forward to better days ahead.
As mentioned above, the cars themselves are not in as mint as one would imagine. They all have been repainted several times. The paint quality and probably the painting process itself is not what one would call an industry standard. I spoke with one cabby about his 1950’s Ford convertible; he said that it was his father’s car. Since he’s had it, he has replaced the transmission from a 3-speed to a 5-speed (yes, a “five-on-the-tree” set up, totally crazy) and had a few body panels re-fabricated by hand.
On the mass transit side, people are generally being bused around in trucks. A typical Havana bus is essentially an American truck with bus-type looking trailer and is called “the dragon” by locals. I was told it’s like an R-rated movie: adult language, violence and brief nudity. The “buses” that run between cities are gated flatbed trucks with the people piled up in the back.
Currently, you can see all kinds of cars in Cuba; from the Communist Eastern Block Fiats, Ladas, and UAZs, current Asian and European models, to the 50-plus year old American iron. There is also a large number of current American vehicles, which I’ve learned come by the way of Canada. With all these other cars slowly coming into Cuba, people are realizing that the days of their beloved old American iron are coming to an end. I have learned that owning an old American car is slowing becoming trendy and a whole car culture dedicated to keep them running is emerging.
Please enjoy the pictures. If you have the ability to travel to Cuba, do yourself a favor and go as soon as possible. It is an unbelievable experience to see this magnificent country and its people in its current state. When you do go, remember that the best meal you can get is at a private “restaurant” (home) of the locals; the food is great, the price is low and the experience is unforgettable.

I haven't had time to do many Project Car Hells lately, due to all the work caused by my personal Hell Project (which has been fully redecorated and looks far more evil than it did the last time you saw it). Last time we were here, the Mazda 323 GTX edged out the Shelby Dodge by a 55:45 ratio. Today we're going to reminisce about the good ol' days of the late 1950s, when recession coupled with the Big Three relentlessly crushing all competition resulted in rough times for marques such as Kaiser, Nash, Hudson, Packard, Frazer… well, you get the idea. Today we're going to take a look at a couple of projects that hail from their makers' final gasps for corporate breath: Hudson and Packard!

Packard purists tend to frown on the "Packardbaker" era, when Studebaker- itself on the financial ropes, though with nearly a decade of body blows left to absorb- badge-engineered its cars with Packard emblems. A painful fate for the once-upscale Packard brand, to have a buggy manufacturer owning its name, but a half-century has softened the blow, and the Packardbakers are actually considered pretty cool-looking machines nowadays. Why, even a diamond in the rough like this 1957 Packard Clipper could be made into a stunning machine, whether you take the restomod or numbers-matching restoration approach. For only 600 bucks, you get quite a bit… quite a bit of iron oxide, that is. But don't stress about that, because the seller states "the motor seems to be all there." We'd suggest setting it up with the supercharged 289 out of an Avanti; we suggest not putting a small-block Chevy in it, because some engine swaps are just plain wrong.

The Hudson story differs from Packard's in that the case could be made that all the mergers that eventually formed AMC from the corpses of several dead automakers eventually led to Renault and Chrysler, which still exist today. Still, 1956 and 1957 was really the final gasp for true Hudsons, and owning one from that era would give you, like, this totally ironic commentary on the current state of the American auto industry (of course, by the time you finished the project, there might not be an American auto industry, but we have no choice but to think positive thoughts when the flames of the Hell Garage are all around us). You figure it's tough to find a Hudson at anywhere near the same price as that Packard, but check it out: this 1956 Hudson Hornet, also priced at $600. Don't let the fact that this project is so hellish that it's already destroyed at least one marriage ("lost the house and the wife. needs to go now") scare you off, and the fact that it sat unpainted through three rainy NorCal winters shouldn't cause you the least bit of worry. It's still got the 308 flathead- yes, the same engine that owned NASCAR in the early 50s, so all you need to do is… well, OK, everything.

The green Mitsubish Lancer Evo X is boasting 650 HP. The Bentley Continental GT (yes that's what's hiding under that awful body kit) brags of 800 HP. The Tundra? Well it's a huge lifted truck with green tribal grpahics...need we say more? And to think this is just the tip of the SEMA iceberg. [via MotorAuthority]

Speaking of Avantis, been meaning to send these shots for a while. I snapped this rather sad Avanti at the Leisure World (actually it's called Laguna Woods Village these days) retirement community near Laguna Hills, CA. Not sure what vintage it is — seemingly it's from the post-Blake era — but it sure doesn't have the style of the Stude or Avanti II versions. Whatever vintage it is, it does seem to use some "borrowed" GM components. Isn't that a side mirror from a C4 Corvette?

This car doesn't seem to get driven much. Every time I've seen it, it's been parked in the same place, just baking in the SoCal sun.

The third brakelight would imply that it is a 1986 or newer model:

The ground effects of this later-model body make the car look bloated. And the original curvaceous "coke bottle" lines have been toned down compared to earlier models:

Alloy wheel is reminscent of those on an early C4 Corvette...

And the instrument panel looks like it was taken from a 1976 Camaro

Evidently, in 1964 Studebaker built 465 of these - with 283 Chevy engines. So after building a Trans Am Camaro, this gentleman was looking for a new project. Something different to road race - a Chevelle, maybe a Nova. He found out there were FIA homlogation papers for a Studebaker, and this is what he built. A beautiful car, it ran pretty well and sounded great. He'll be back out with it over the 4th of July weekend at the SOVREN Historic races.

The Pininfarina-designed fastback body on the MGB-GT looks great, most of us would agree, but that old BMC B engine left something to be desired in the power department. From personal experience, I can say that an MGB can barely get into triple-digit speeds with a stock B, and the six-cylinder and Rover V8 versions aren't enough better to justify the funky handling. That's why what you need is an MGB-GT whose funky handling is justified... by the presence of a good ol' small-block Chevy. In fact, you need such a setup with the Added Handling Funk of a backyard IRS conversion, such as this 327-powered 1967 MGB-GT (go here if the ad disappears), with a price tag of just $2,500! The 327 is actually a 283 bored out and stroked to 327 specs (because 327 blocks are so hard to find?)... or maybe it is; the seller can't be sure. That won't matter much, of course, because you'll want to drop in a gnarly-ass 406 in it right away... well, that is if the Corvair transaxle can hold up. Yes, a Corvair transaxle, with the driveshaft coming in from the front! Don't fret about build quality, though, because this project was built by a NASA engineer in Huntsville. A small-block powered IRS MGB built by a rocket scientist and then stored for years in Missouri- what could go wrong?

You have to like that MGB-GT, but many of us won't allow our Hell Garages to be contaminated by the presence of foreign steel, plus the Hell-O-Meter™ reading of a lunatic factory hot-rod built in the last desperate throes of a soon-to-be-defunct American automaker may well be higher than that of a vehicle built under the evil spell of the Prince of Darkness. Yes, we're talking Studebaker Avanti here! You think it's impossible to get a project Avanti for anywhere near the same price as that MGB? Bah! You pessimists can just take your best shot at suspending some disbelief here, because I've managed to find this 1963 Studebaker Avanti (go here if the ad disappears) for just a bit more than half the price of the MG! Now, keep in mind that when you get an Avanti for $1,400, you don't get everything. However, the seller says it "has almost all the parts and a fresh engine," and you even get a Lark (not pictured) as a parts car! The photograph doesn't tell us much about the condition, but it's a safe bet that a word falling somewhere on the Adjectival Scale between "Execrable" and "Dreadful" would be pretty accurate. And so many questions unanswered! What kind of "fresh" engine are we talking about here? The 170 six-banger out of the Lark? Or maybe you've won the lottery with this car and you get a perfect NOS supercharged 289 crate motor! The seller claims "it is complete," so perhaps a couple of days of work is all you'll need to hit the road in your souped-up Stude!

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The Ford Mainline has a cool name, as does the Packard Patrician. Oh, sure, you can find all manner of old American vehicles with cool names, but we challenge you to find one that measures up to the Studebaker Dictator (OK, gauntlet thrown down, get busy with the names). Studebaker Dictator! Try saying it a few times. Take it for a spin around the block, see what you think. Of course, taking the name around the block will have to suffice for now, because this 1938 Studebaker Dictator (go here if the ad disappears) looks better suited for a drag- or maybe a scrape- around the block. But it's only $1,000. That's right, just a grand and you could be the proud owner of your own 60-year-old Dictator. You'll feel like Francisco Franco, only with mistresses and minus the brutality, as you cruise the boulevard in this fine Stude. Naturally, the seller says nothing about its condition, but you pretty much have to figure on fixing everything with a project like this, so any description in the ad would have been a waste of time. Supercharged 289? Why, of course- money is no object!


That Dictator looks like a strong contender, so we're going to break out the big guns from one of the PCH Superpowers here. Yes, the reigning PCH Intergalactic Superpower, Italy! And not just some sort of ordinary Alfa or X-1/9; no, we need a low-production Italian specialty vehicle, preferably based on a notoriously unreliable chassis. The OTAS 820 meets those criteria quite nicely, but is it even possible to find one within spittin' distance of the Dictator's price tag? Sure it is- just take a gander at this 1968 OTAS 820, which is priced at just $2,700 (or a dollar per rust hole). The seller says "THIS CAR IS MISSING THE ENGINE LID, REAR BUMPER, AND REAR EMBLEM," which means endless days of scouring the globe for OTAS parts, before you finally give up and have your local fabrication shop turn terrifying amounts of your cash into the missing pieces. But don't worry, because "EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMS TO BE THERE, EXCEPT WHAT THE RUST MONSTER HAS EATEN." The Rust Monster is always hungry for Italian food, even in California! Don't think of the negatives, though; just imagine this rear-engined Italian thoroughbred wailing through the turns on a picturesque mountain road, with you at the wheel. Of course, you might be 78 years old by that time, but it will all have been worth it.

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So... the weather cooperated yesterday and got some shots for you. Couldn't get in to see the engine, but I believe it's a straight 6. It stays parked on the street in a Seattle neighborhood, gets driven every few days. It appears to be the original color - it's a little faded. Very little rust as well. The smoothside bed is interesting - I believe it's the original instead of a stepside.