18th Studebaker National Meeting
18th Studebaker National Meeting
Studebaker is now sadly gone, but a record number of the spectacular cars that gave the marque its legendary status are expected to still turn heads at the 18th Studebaker National Meeting at Ballarat over Easter this year.
Cars at the Nationals that re-shaped automotive design in the 1950s and '60s will include a number of Raymond Loewy-designed Studebaker Starliner coupes from 1953 - a model recently voted one of the Top 10 cars of the 1950s for its evocative styling.
The most eye-catching of these will unquestionably be the Starliner based Top Doorslammer (Po-Mod) champion drag car of Melbourne's Peter Kapiris, which will be a feature car of the National meeting's Concours.
Back in 2001, the 'Batmobile' set a new benchmark for the Doorslammer category when Kapiris recorded an elapsed time of 6.07 seconds for the standing quarter mile at the Kwinana Beach Motorplex in Western Australia. The vehicle's appearance in Ballarat will allow fans to get a closer look at this spectacular Studebaker.
Studebaker enthusiasts at Ballarat can also expect to see other special models, including the equally charismatic Raymond Loewy designed Avanti coupe, a number of sought after Golden Hawk coupes and a wide range of other Pre and Post-War models.
Supported by Shannons, the Studebaker National Meeting commences on Thursday April 9 with registration for all participants at Ballarat's Bell Tower Conference Centre, with Friday devoted to a business meeting of delegates, a swap meet and a welcome dinner.
The Concours will be held on Saturday April 11 in Ballarat's Botanical Gardens, with the organisers hoping to have a Studebaker from every year of manufacture in attendance, making it Australia's largest ever gathering of the marque.
Easter Sunday will start with an Observation Run, with the Presentation Dinner that evening.
A variety of activities will keep attendees busy on Easter Monday, while the Nationals will conclude with the Farewell Breakfast on Tuesday, April 14.
For more details about the 18th Studebaker Nationals, visit www.studebakercarclub.net or contact Phil or Margaret Harrington on (03) 94813109.