Custom 1953 Studebaker Champion Regal Starliner Rocks 800 HP, How Do You Like Them Apples?

Anyway, the Champion is a meaningful nameplate, having been in production from the beginning of the 1939 model year until 1958. Studebaker made five generations of this car, with the first three playing in the full-size segment, whereas the final two went mid-size.

Fourth-generation cars were redesigned pretty much from the ground up, and the biggest prize was arguably the 2-door coupe variant, dubbed Starliner, which was penned by one Raymond Loewy – it’s why they’re commonly referred to as Loewy Coupes.

It’s precisely these models that are considered highly “collectible”, and we can definitely understand why. There’s a lot of heritage there, which still matters to a lot of buyers.

Unfortunately, performance was never the Champion’s strong suit, which is why we take notice whenever we come across one that’s been modified.

This particular Studebaker, which is currently up for grabs, is a 1953 model year car, and it’s a Regal Starliner. Best of all though, it’s been heavily tuned to the point where it might help you beat various supercars in a quarter mile race.

Let’s talk about the exterior first, which was repainted orange and features green flame graphics on the hood. The car also has body-color bumpers, polished trim, vented front quarter windows, and a set of Cragar wheels wearing 205/70 Ironman GR905 tires at the front and 295/65 Mickey Thompson ET Street R radials at the rear.

Meanwhile, chassis mods include an independent suspension, tubular control arms, custom traction bars, rack-and-pinion steering, plus front disc brakes.

Inside, you’ll find orange leather upholstery with beige inserts and green accents – it's a bit of a strange visual, but to each his/her own. The car also has power windows, custom Turbo Action Cheetah SCS shifter, and a Grant banjo-style steering wheel positioned on a tilt column.

Powering this beast is a replacement 392 ci HEMI V8, rocking a Weiand supercharger and dual Holley Quick Fuel carburetors. We should also mention the exposed air filters, branded valve covers, aluminum radiator, trunk-mounted fuel cell, and a custom dual exhaust system.

According to the seller, the vehicle produces upwards of 800 horsepower, with everything going to the rear wheels via a TorqueFlite A727 three-speed automatic transmission, aided by a 3.73:1 limited-slip differential.

While they don’t specify any 0-60 times and other performance figures, we can only assume that this Regal Starliner is well acquainted with various drag strips and that it wouldn’t line up at the lights just to make a fool of itself.