1962 Studebaker Champ Pickup
The Studebaker Champ was a light-duty pickup truck produced by the Studebaker Corporation from 1960-1964.
Designed at a time when Studebaker’s truck line had not seen major upgrading in over 10 years, the company, which had endured years of declining sales, was forced to use a number of existing components.
This 1962 Studebaker Champ 3/4-ton pickup has a factory side-mount spare tire and custom wheels. It’s finished in metallic blue and is powered by a 289ci engine mated to a 4-on-the-floor manual transmission.
Inside the exterior blue returns as part of an intriguing mix of classing and modern worlds. The cab is equipped with a bench seat trimmed in black cloth and vinyl with a matching dash pad, custom door panels, headliner, and carpeting. A two-spoke steering wheel fronts a column-mounted 8k-rpm tachometer and a color-matching steel dash that houses a 120-mph speedometer as well as coolant-temperature and fuel-level gauges.
However, in many ways, the Studebaker Champ was a bit behind the pickup truck times. While the Detroit automakers offered their trucks with independent front suspension, the Champ had a solid front axle. Plus, to save money, the tooling for the bed actually comes from Dodge—it’s the same bed found on the contemporary ‘Sweptline’.
