Quiz Archive

About quiz # 199 Studebaker President 1929 Brooklands

This was tough one. A 1929 Studebaker President in Brooklands disguise! We should inform Bob Coolidge of Studebaker Racing History about this one. Anyway we had no less than four competitors who all came very-very close. Richard Armstrong, Peter Ransom, Thomas Rudolf and David Green. Against others who gambled on Cadillac they came up with Studebaker. Two of them came up with the right type 'President'. In the end we decided David Green was best with: "The car is a 1929 Studebaker President. The number of cylinders (8) is carried in the centre of the radiator. Your older photograph was taken in the pits at the Brooklands Double Twelve race held May 10/11, 1929 (only run during daylight, therefore numbers were carried on the off-side headlamp). Despite the attrition of the field (including the Bentley Speed Six, #2), both Studebakers (click) finished, although unplaced." Congratulations David Green! (photos from the collection of John Grant and David Green) Special thanks to John Grant, current owner of the Studebaker: "The car is a replica of the two cars that raced in the 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve. These were 1929 FH President Roadster chassis with 4 passenger fabric tourer bodies with cycle guards. The drivers were amateurs and there was not any factory backing."
Peter Ransom remembers the car is around since long: "I was playing in a jazz band at an “old boats, old cars and old?fashioned jazz” weekend back in the ?80s at Runaway Bay on Queensland’s Gold Coast, and there was the Studebaker ? first time I’d seen it. It was then owned by Ben Bronk (now deceased). He also had a ’22 Stutz, ’29 Auburn and an Isotta-Fraschini."

Friday, 30 March 2007