A14

By Bill Sherk

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The Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, opened a Canadian branch plant in a former gun factory in Hamilton, Ontario in August 1948. From then until March 1966, thousands of Studebakers rolled off the Hamilton assembly line. Here is the story of one of them as told by the owner, Jim Tomblin of Paris, Ontario:

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Jim Tomblin's 1949 Studebaker coming and going

"If you were a young man of 18 in 1955, you wanted to make enough money to buy your first car. Oh, what a dream! A 1949 Ford coupe is what I had in mind. I worked for a year at Edgar Motors in Paris and made enough money for a down payment. My father agreed to co-sign for me if I promised I would never ride a motorcycle.

"My brother Chuck and I went to Strowbridge Motors in Brantford to see what they had in used cars. We met a very nice salesman by the name of Herb Telfer. He asked if I wanted to look at a little Studebaker.

"I said: 'No, not really.' And he said: 'You will like it. It's a sporty looking little car in mint condition. It just came into the shop and is being checked out right now.' Not too eagerly, I replied: 'Okay.'

"Herb brought the car out. This Studebaker was a 1949 coupe with a beautiful chrome grille and big wraparound rear window. Herb let me take it out for a ride and I fell in love with it!

"I had her for about a year when a group of fellows from Paris and Brantford started a custom car club called the Road Rovers. We got together about once a week at Brags' B-A station in Paris and would just talk and check out each other's cars. Most of the guys in the club had done some customizing on their cars and so I decided to do a bit of customizing myself on my Studebaker.

"I shaved the hood and trunk lid and added '55 Ford headlight rims, fender skirts, chrome wheel covers, a spotlight and a big whip aerial. I also added what every cool car of the '50s had to have: a Hollywood muffler. It gave my car a very distinct sound. I then repainted the whole car from plain maroon to metallic maroon.

"Since then, I have owned other classics including a 1955 Monarch Richelieu, a 1960 Buick four-door hardtop and a 1964 Pontiac Parisienne hardtop. I traded my Studebaker coupe on a 1954 Meteor hardtop, but to this day I still reminisce about my little Studebaker. It was my favourite of all the cars I have owned."

As a thank you, if your story is published in this column you will receive a copy of Bill Sherk's book "60 Years Behind the Wheel: The Cars We Drove in Canada 1900-1960." To share your stories or photos e-mail billtsherk@sympatico.ca or write Bill Sherk, 25 John St., P.O. Box 255, Leamington, ON N8H 3W2.