OK Guys, yesterday was the first annual International Drive Your
Studebaker Day.  How many of us were actually out there in our Studes
seeing, and being seen?

I live near Princeton, NJ: I got out early and drove my 51 Commander
Land Cruiser on a lovely drive over to the Jersey shore - nada.  Not
one single Studebaker to be seen.  Later in the afternoon, I drove out
to Bethlehem PA (that's you guys, "Action Chapter") to my girlfriends
home and we went out for a nice drive through Northampton and Lehigh
counties and had dinner in historic Bethlehem with the Commander
proudly parked on historic Main Street.  Nope - nothing from the
fabled factory in South Bend to be seen.  Heck, I put over 175 miles
on the car, and my dreams of passing leagues of fellow Studes was
disappointingly unfulfilled. It was however, the most fun July Fourth
I'd ever spent!

Frank Ambrogio had his 56J out yesterday and posted a cute little
video on YouTube, so that makes two of us.  Who else among us took
their Studie out from under wraps and took it out to be seen?

I never could understand why at least up here in the New York
metropolitan area, you never see any Studebakers - not at many car
shows, rarely at local cruises or on the streets?  I have four Studies
in my garage, and all of them are pretty much daily drivers,  I drive
a different one each day.  My "day car" is the one that rarely sees
the light of day.  Just seems strange; we own the most beautiful and
eye catching cars on American roadways but we never take em' out!

Bob Bourke, Raymond Loewe, Helen Dreyden, Brooks Stevens and others
didn't apply their unique gifts to South Bend iron just to have them
hidden away.  They were meant to be seen and shared, that's how
Studebaker became America's favorite independent (automaker).

Let's not have to wait for an "official" event to take our Studes out
for others to see and enjoy - lets' bring em' out any day we feel like
it.  Make that drive to the office a little special now and then - for
yourself and the guy or gal in the car next to you!  Next time you and
your family go out to dinner, take the Stude - and be prepared to
answer alot of questions and take plenty of compliments when you park
it in the parking lot!  We do all the time and we enjoy talking up our
cars when we do.  It's nice when you get that feeling "I'm just a
little cooler than you - I have a Studebaker!"

George
-63 GT Hawk
-63 Champ
-56 Golden Hawk
-51 Commander Land Cruiser