Photo: sd455muscle/eBay
When it comes to 1950s pickup trucks, we usually think about Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge rigs. Because these were the most popular trucks at the time. However, the pickup market was quite diverse in the 1950s.
Willys had entered the pickup business with the Jeep in 1947 while International Harvester was still going strong. The latter company offered several iterations of its light pickup that decade, including the L, R, S, and A Series. Finally, Studebaker was also selling haulers.
The now-defunct carmakers may be best known for automobiles like the Avanti, Golden Hawk, and Champion, but Studebaker built trucks for decades. It all started with the Truckette, which was introduced in 1919 and sold about one million units through the 1940s. From 1937 to 1939, the Indiana-based firm offered the stylish Coupe Express.
In the early 1950s, Studebaker had two pickups in showrooms. The M-Series soldiered on through 1952, while the 2R/3R remained in production until 1954. The E-Series replaced the latter in 1955, while the Transtar arrived in 1957. Both paved the way to the Champ, the company's last pickup.
But I'm actually here to talk about the Scotsman, a Studebaker hauler very few people remember. Produced from 1958 to 1959, the Scotsman was not only short-lived, but it was also partly overshadowed by an automobile with the same name.
Studebaker introduced the nameplate in 1957 as a low-priced midsize car. The sparsely equipped Scotsman was quite successful and outsold the Champion, Commander, and President lines combined until the Lark replaced it for the 1959 model year.
The truck wearing the same name saw daylight in 1958. Designed using the same recipe as the car, it was a no-frills vehicle for the low-priced market. Using early 1950s front sheet metal and decal instead of chrome trim, the Scotsman was advertised as the lowest-priced pickup in the US in 1958. The hauler remained in production in 1959, but its place was taken by the Champ in 1960.
Come 2024, the Scotsman truck is pretty much unknown outside the diehard Studebaker fan club. It's also a rare sight because most of them were abandoned in junkyards and scrapped. However, the lineage also included a super-rare 1/2-ton version made with the NAPCO 4x4 in 1959. Apparently, only nine were built, and at least one survived for more than 60 years.
This weathered hauler surfaced in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, and it's looking for a loving home and an enthusiast who would give it a makeover. And even though it seems to have been sitting for a long time, this truck still runs and drives. Moreover, it still has the original inline-six engine and manual transmission under the hood.
Not surprisingly, the Scotsman has a bit of surface rust and a couple of holes to fix, but it's very solid otherwise. It's being offered with a long list of newer parts, including tires, starter, battery, clutch, and jerry cans. The tailgate is not original, the speedo doesn't work, and the brakes need attention.
And get this: the owner claims this truck is also one of four NAPCO 4x4 rigs ordered without a bed. The latter was added after the truck left the factory. I'm unable to verify this number, but Scotsman 4x4 pickups are indeed very rare. Granted, they're not exactly sought-after either, but this rig would be a hit at a Studebaker meeting.
The truck is being auctioned off as we speak, with bidding at $14,100. The listing ends in about 25 hours, and the reserve is still in place. How much do you think this Studebaker is worth?
The now-defunct carmakers may be best known for automobiles like the Avanti, Golden Hawk, and Champion, but Studebaker built trucks for decades. It all started with the Truckette, which was introduced in 1919 and sold about one million units through the 1940s. From 1937 to 1939, the Indiana-based firm offered the stylish Coupe Express.
In the early 1950s, Studebaker had two pickups in showrooms. The M-Series soldiered on through 1952, while the 2R/3R remained in production until 1954. The E-Series replaced the latter in 1955, while the Transtar arrived in 1957. Both paved the way to the Champ, the company's last pickup.
But I'm actually here to talk about the Scotsman, a Studebaker hauler very few people remember. Produced from 1958 to 1959, the Scotsman was not only short-lived, but it was also partly overshadowed by an automobile with the same name.
Studebaker introduced the nameplate in 1957 as a low-priced midsize car. The sparsely equipped Scotsman was quite successful and outsold the Champion, Commander, and President lines combined until the Lark replaced it for the 1959 model year.
The truck wearing the same name saw daylight in 1958. Designed using the same recipe as the car, it was a no-frills vehicle for the low-priced market. Using early 1950s front sheet metal and decal instead of chrome trim, the Scotsman was advertised as the lowest-priced pickup in the US in 1958. The hauler remained in production in 1959, but its place was taken by the Champ in 1960.
Come 2024, the Scotsman truck is pretty much unknown outside the diehard Studebaker fan club. It's also a rare sight because most of them were abandoned in junkyards and scrapped. However, the lineage also included a super-rare 1/2-ton version made with the NAPCO 4x4 in 1959. Apparently, only nine were built, and at least one survived for more than 60 years.
This weathered hauler surfaced in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, and it's looking for a loving home and an enthusiast who would give it a makeover. And even though it seems to have been sitting for a long time, this truck still runs and drives. Moreover, it still has the original inline-six engine and manual transmission under the hood.
Not surprisingly, the Scotsman has a bit of surface rust and a couple of holes to fix, but it's very solid otherwise. It's being offered with a long list of newer parts, including tires, starter, battery, clutch, and jerry cans. The tailgate is not original, the speedo doesn't work, and the brakes need attention.
And get this: the owner claims this truck is also one of four NAPCO 4x4 rigs ordered without a bed. The latter was added after the truck left the factory. I'm unable to verify this number, but Scotsman 4x4 pickups are indeed very rare. Granted, they're not exactly sought-after either, but this rig would be a hit at a Studebaker meeting.
The truck is being auctioned off as we speak, with bidding at $14,100. The listing ends in about 25 hours, and the reserve is still in place. How much do you think this Studebaker is worth?
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