Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, Checkered Flag – For people who are part of the car culture, there is oftentimes a person or a certain car that we can recall that was the one thing that pulled us into the automotive world. Andy Sigal is no different as he remembers how we was drawn into his admiration of Studebakers. “I was a kid in high school. I saw a flat black ‘53 Studebaker Coupe sitting on the Bonneville Salt Flats. [It was a] Side picture, flat black paint, flat brushed aluminum moon disc wheel covers. I just fell in love with the curve of the hood, the curve of the roof, the curve of the trunk.”

It was from that single picture at Bonneville that the automotive flame started to build within Andy and eventually produce the gorgeous 1955 Studebaker President State Hardtop he was displaying at the Checkered Flag car show. For those who don’t know (which would be most of us), the 1955 Studebaker President State Hardtop was a design developed by the renowned Raymond Loewy team. It was known for its’ sleek lines and prominent “butter knife” side trim. The model was at the top of Studebaker’s luxury lineup, sporting the famous “long and low” silhouette that defined the period. Andy’s car is powered by a factory V-8 engine with an automatic transmission and is equipped with power steering. He added air conditioning himself for comfy cruising in hot weather.

Every car has a story and this one is no different. Andy fondly recalled the story of how the car came to be in his possession. “Literally, this car found me. I knew about the car like, 25 years ago and it was supposed to get hot rodded, but the owner…no money ever showed up, and the person who was in charge of modifying and restoring the car knew I wanted it. In 2009 he called me and said ‘if you want it you can have it, but there’s no title, but I’ll give you a notarized bill of sale. Otherwise I’m hauling it off the crusher,the guy doesn’t want the car back, and the guy who had possession of it didn’t want the car either’.” Not having a title is a challenge on it’s own, but Sigal was able to get one through a company who specialized in such things, allowing the project to proceed. He was quick to add, “I didn’t buy the first nut, bolt or screw until I got a title.”

[The] “Car came out of Great Neck, New York, had a lot of rust. So it took me a number of years. You can get a lot of reproduction structural sheet metal; floors, rockers, body mounts, trunk corners, inner quarter panels, I chased as far west as South Bend Indiana for parts, Every year Studebaker has an international meet. Finding the parts was half the challenge, doing all the work myself, other than paint, was the other half of the challenge. Couldn’t afford to pay somebody to do it so I thought I better learn to do it myself. Only had it on the road about 2 years, took me 15 years to bring it to life. I taught myself a lot of metalwork. The paint and machining is the only thing I didn’t do.”

Sigal is justifiably proud of this car and is quick to point out some special highlights. “ ‘55 was one year only for this big stainless trim up the side, one year only for the grille, the engine is a date-code correct 259 block for a 1955 President. The President State Hardtop and the President State Speedster are the only two models that came with factory Carter four-barrel carburetor and intake, I was lucky enough that my parts car was a 1955 President sedan four door. So it’s a date code correct block, carb and intake. I do have a 289 crank in it with 10:1 compression pistons and what they call an R1 grind camshaft, reproduction studebaker avanti cast header-style exhaust manifolds, all stainless exhaust. That’s its’ original color called Pima Red. I do have a ‘56 or ‘57 Hawk dash in it. I put in modern front seats because they have the seat belts and shoulder harnesses all built in one. [I] Converted it to disc brakes with twin piston master cylinder for safety. Went to a modern Ididit steering column because it’s collapsible. In case something drastic happens, I don’t want the steering wheel in my chest. Other than the louvres on the hood, the only two accessories on the car; the door handles have stainless fingernail guards and then the tips of the front fenders have those spears. All the rest of the this trim on this car is as it came from 1955.”

Andy Sigal sums up this unusual specimen of automotive engineering that he’s resurrected simply and to the point; “It’s a lot of fun to enjoy.” And isn’t that exactly why we love all these cars so much? To enjoy them, and that’s what Sigal has built this car to do. If you didn’t make the Checkered Flag event this year, be sure to put it on next year’s calendar so you can enjoy a LOT of cars and people like this!

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