South bend dealers

[bigdaddy]

The build sheet on my '63 says " Rush Sold" & the destination is listed as South Bend (1) In. Does anybody out there know which dealer, this was sent to?

[Skip Lackie]

Certainly the biggest dealer in South Bend (maybe the only one in SB itself) was Newman & Altman. But that could also refer to a Stude Corporation storage lot where the buyer would pick the car up. However, in this latter case, the production order usuallywould also say "prepare for retail delivery"; in other words, the factory would do the prep work that a dealer would ordinarily do.

[Gunslinger]

Wasn't Freeman-Spicer not only the bigger dealer in South Bend but the number one Studebaker dealer anywhere? Their former dealership was the original location of the Studebaker National Museum if I remember correctly.

[bigdaddy]

Thanks for the response. I bought this car from the second owner. He said that it was only a few months old when he bought it in '63. He seemed to think that the original owner purchased it from the SB plant, but I don't know if that could be done. I was under the impression that Freeman Spicer was the largest dealer in SB, so I assumed possibly that the SB (1) on the build sheet was Freeman Spicer.

[Skip Lackie]

I'm no expert on Stude production orders, but I doubt that the SB(1) meant Freeman-Spicer. The production orders that I have seen for cars that were ordered by a specific dealer usually listed the name of the dealer, as well as the method of delivery. I think it's more likely that SB(1) was code for some particular storage lot or maybe the inspection line for special preparaton. And yes, VIPs could buy a car directly from the corporation. And anyone could order one through a dealer and pick it up themselves at the factory.

[Guest dapy]

I took the family's 1950 Champ to Freeman-Spicer for repair. I bought a new 1952 MG TD from Newman Altman.