1950 Studebaker XF58 «Ice Princess»
The XF58 is a vision of the Studebaker’s future in the 50s as envisioned by a custom builder from the 80s. That’s not as confusing as it sounds. This custom car is the brain child of Richard Fletcher who wanted to create a concept car as if it was made by Studebaker in the 1950s. The car itself is made up of Studebaker and Cadillac parts as well as a bunch of custom made bits. It appeared this year at the Chicago Auto Show as part of the Klairmount Kollection.
Essentially a combination of a Studebaker and a Cadillac, the XF58 Ice Princess is a six-wheeled oddity that looks like nothing else on the road. The front end gives way to a long flowing which meets a double bubble canopy. There’s also side exiting exhaust pipes and massive rear fins.
The custom model was created by Richard Fletcher and reportedly uses a massive 8.2-liter V8 engine from Cadillac. There’s no word on specifications, but the engine had a number different outputs over the years including a peak of 400 hp (298 kW / 406 PS) and 550 lb-ft (745 Nm) of torque.
The unique styling continues in the cabin as there are golden seats which are separated by a V-shaped console. They’re joined by retro gauges and red carpeting.
It’s hard to say what part of the XF58 Ice Princess grabs attention first. The nose is strictly Studebaker, reflecting the bullet nose design of the 1950 Studebaker Champion, Commander, and Land Cruiser. It’s framed by custom headlights and a dual axle front end for a total length of 20 feet. The long sweeping hood ends in another 50s flourish, the double bubble canopy cockpit.
