Well, my plan was to do cars of the same color all week, and today was going to be red. But then I found this silly old Studebaker, and I mean, I couldn’t not write about it. So I did, along with an old Audi that I already had lined up. It’s an odd pairing, but what the hell.
It’s not like yesterday’s cars had all that much in common either. And I honestly didn’t know which way it was going to go. Many of you expressed concern with the van’s high mileage, and it does have a lot of miles, but fleets like DHL depend on their vehicles, and they take care of them. The final tally was close, but the van won by a couple dozen votes.
I get it; small vans are incredibly useful, even nearly-used-up like that one, but part of me was really pulling for that Beetle. It’s one of those cars I keep wanting to like, and I think I could enjoy one in the right spec. This isn’t the one I’d want; I would insist on a manual transmission, and I think I’d skip the convertible. But I can see how it might be a good little runabout for someone. Yeah, you’ll have some electrical problems here and there, but to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that didn’t have at least one gremlin lurking in the wiring.
I did have another red car lined up for today, a Nissan Rogue, but when I took a second look at the ad, I honestly couldn’t think of a single thing to say about it. So screw it; we’ll stick with a fake cop car Studebaker and a fake rally car Audi. Here they are.
1959 Studebaker Lark VI – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 170 cubic inch flathead inline 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: St. Charles, MO
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: “Runs good” is all we get
American cars spent the 1950s getting longer and wider, and sprouting tailfins and chrome bric-a-brac. But a new little insect-shaped import proved there was a market for small cars, and domestic makers took note. Newly-formed AMC led the charge, but Studebaker wasn’t far behind. In 1959, it introduced the Lark, a compact car made from the basic structure of its full-size car. Studebaker shortened the front and rear, leaving the middle passenger area the same size, resulting in a smaller, lighter car with plenty of interior room.
The Lark was available with six or eight cylinder engines. The six was Studebaker’s long-running flathead, which would be replaced a couple years later by a new OHV six. It drives the rear wheels through a three-speed manual with a column-mounted shifter. We don’t get much information about this one; the seller’s only comment is a terse “Runs Good!”
I seriously doubt this was originally a police car; I think the spotlight might date back to 1959, but it looks like the original color was a seafoam green. It looks like this was a promotional vehicle for an RV dealership, though I’m not sure why they wanted it to look like a cop car. At least they did a nice job fixing it up; the black and white vinyl upholstery looks sharp, and it’s in good condition.
I don’t know about any of you, but I’d ditch the cop cosplay outfit in a heartbeat if this car were mine. Actual vintage cop cars are one thing, but this just seems silly. A heat gun and a scraper will take care of the decals, and then you can set about repainting it – maybe as a tribute to a more famous Studebaker. It also has a couple of cracked side windows that need replacing, but they’re just flat glass, so replacements shouldn’t be hard to get.
1985 Audi 4000S Quattro – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 5, five-speed manual, AWD
Location: Fridley, MN
Odometer reading: 268,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Until the early 80s, Audi sedans were not much more than expensive Volkswagens. But when it stuck a full-time 4WD system under its Coupe body and drove up a ski slope, and then proceeded to devastate the competition on the rally circuit, Audi came into its own. This car, the 4000S Quattro, was the first Quattro to sell in any real volume in the US; the original Quattro coupe was sold here, but hardly anybody bought one.
Unlike the Quattro coupe, the 4000 is not turbocharged. It’s powered by a 2.2 liter five-cylinder delivering 115 horsepower to all four wheels. The early Quattros were only built with manual transmissions, and had open differentials front, center, and rear. A vacuum-operated switch in the center console controls locking mechanisms for the center and rear diffs for slippery conditions. This one has a few modifications, including a hotter cam and a free-flowing exhaust, and the seller says it runs and drives great. It does have a noisy power steering pump, and one rear wheel bearing is making noise as well, but those are fixable.
Audi wanted to make sure you knew this car was special; the “Quattro” badging is everywhere: on the dash, all over the interior fabric, and of course in the lines of the rear defroster. A lot of these old 4000 Quattros are absolutely trashed inside, but this one looks pretty good, especially considering its high mileage. The driver’s seat padding is beaten down, but the upholstery looks all right.
It has some rust outside, but only a little; I think this is after Audi started galvanizing its bodies. The paint is dull, and the plastic trim doesn’t look great, but again, it’s nowhere near as bad as a lot of them I’ve seen. It rides on five-spoke wheels from a later Audi, and it has been lowered a bit. It has a crack in the windshield, and the seller says one headlight cuts out intermittently, but it wouldn’t be an old Audi without something electrical needing to be fixed.
These two don’t have a whole lot in common, but they are both four-door manual transmission sedans that you don’t see for sale very often. And either one would be fun to tinker with and tool around in on the weekends. So what will it be – the fake-cop-car Studebaker, or the all-wheel-drive Audi?
I’m going Studebaker, even though I hate the fake cop setup. Unfortunately, I have learned first-hand not to buy a 1980s Audi from Fridley (okay, Brooklyn Center, just on the other side of the river). The rust you can see is only the beginning, and any bolts you need to remove will be with a saw or cutting torch, not a wrench. I’d rather repaint the Lark than get rust in my eye from another crusty Audi.
A friend in college imported his 4000Q when he moved back from a few years living in Sweden, including his studded tires. After one particularly nasty snow and ice storm that had shut down the freeway, we drove on the 100% empty rural roads. We had a blast doing things that seemed impossible and ended up helping three different drivers who had put their trucks in the ditch. We couldn’t help but pull them out, but we could give them a ride to the nearest farm to ask for some help from somebody with a tractor. The rotary switch for the diffs is just classic.
I’m going with the Audi. It looks like it would be fun to drive, at least until it breaks in half from corrosion. I will give the seller bonus points for including several photos documenting this vehicle’s rust (the original ad included ~10 photos showing rust on the undercarriage and other areas). I appreciate the seller is not trying to hide this vehicle’s flaws.
The Studebaker has some appeal, but I could better than this for $4,500. The fake police livery is poorly done and just plain weird (again, how does a fake police car help promote an RV dealer???). It also distracts from the overall poor condition of this car. If you want a Lark, you can get a much better car for a little more money. Several much nicer Larks have sold on BaT for $6,000 to $8,000. It is going to cost several thousand dollars to make this Studebaker right; you will spend less money if you start with a nicer car that costs a few thousand dollars more.
Given the size of the flag at an RV World store, I think the police car makes sense as an advertising tool for RVs. It doesn’t really make sense, but that market isn’t a rational one, and the consumer group is more interested in cultural signaling than in the product’s qualities.
I’m a huge fan of the Audi, but today, I’m an even greater fan of early compact American cars. Studebaker wins, just barely.
Gonna need a paint job, and new upholstery, though.
I’d de-cop that Lark and probably paint it a nice vintage metallic copper color, just to complete the circle.
That Studebaker is adorable, but I’d rather see somebody else driving it around than own it.
I am all in on the Audi here. My dad bought one in case either he or my mom got sick and need to get out of their place in the winter. They are really, really fun to drive, and now that I am free for my dad’s “all must be done in the cheapest way possible” ethos, it would be fine to maintain.
I’ll just ignore the fact that my friend’s Audi coupe spontaneously combusted one day. Doesn’t enter my mind.
Old+Audi=Electrical Nightmare
A straight-6 Lark cosplaying as something it never was doesn’t do it for me. If it was a mid 60’s Galaxie, Fury, or Impala it would be more compelling. The mid 80’s Audi was always interesting – better than a VW but not in the same sphere as the other Germans of the era. Guys that drove them were usually reserved – not as showy, maybe a bit more frugal. They also didn’t have the tendency to drive them like an aggressive jackass (like today) – those kind of guys typically bought Saab.
Yes, yes we do. Saab it up…
Whoever buys the Studebaker, could you at least fix the spelling of “heroes” on the fender? Unless you own a sandwich shop, and then “heros” is acceptable.
I’m sorry, where was I? Oh, yes. Buying the Audi. That 4000 is likely as close as I’d ever get to owning a Coupe GT Quattro.
Decades ago I was at a rest stop somewhere in New Jersey and I came upon an older guy, maybe a bit eccentric, adding oil to his Lark.
I started talking to him and he told me that he made frequent trips up and down the east coast, and that this was the only car that “held up worth a damn”. I’m not sure why he travelled so often, and wasn’t about to ask. He sure was passionate about that Lark, though.
Northern populations of the lark are migratory.
There’s a used car place around here called Law Motors. They’d probably love to have the Lark.
Me, too, for that matter. At over a quarter of a million miles, that Audi is way too close to permanent “unavailable acceleration” issues.
How can anybody vote against 3 on the tree?
Both day but I have to pick the Study. Always wanted to own a flathead 6 and row a column shift. And when I saw the interior I wanted to start an Uber business. Customers will have no problem finding their ride!
Audi! Those cars are great!
I’m also, again, super-duper tired of mid-century stuff. And the ’59 Lark was the OLDEST new design for that year; it’s basically a ’53 Studebaker scaled down. I mean, it’s a fine enough car for its time, but completely outclassed by the other ’60 compacts. Even a Falcon would wipe the floor with it, let alone the Valiant or the Corvair. But have fun with your kingpins and L-head, I guess.
I’ll pick the car that delivers a nearly-modern experience and does things like turn, stop, and control its wheels over bumps.
I’d probably choose the Studecopper over any other of this week’s choices, but a 4x5x5 Audi that isn’t trashed is pretty compelling. And as the lead singer of Van Hagar said, “Gimme red (red!), there is no substitute for red.”
Mom worked for Studebaker in the early 60’s.
But I’ve always wanted a 4000 Quattro since they were new – especially in red.
So the Audi gets my vote.
BTW – It wasn’t the Ur-Quattro in the ski jump commercial. It was the 100CS Quattro sedan.
https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/videos/video/original-ski-jump-commercial-2371
In the commercial, yes, but legend has it that the way Audi engineers pitched the Quattro concept was to drive the prototype up an actual ski slope.
Nope – not a ski slope.
It was the Turracher Höhe pass – on a snow-covered forest road – where Audi engineers demonstrated the Audi Quattro prototype in comparison with an Audi 100, BMW 528i and a Mercedes-Benz 280E
https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/quattro-history
And the “legendary” Quattro was basically a parts-bin creation.
The AWD system with dual-concentric shafts to couple the transfer case in a tight space was lifted from the VW Iltis.
Clever.
Studebaker had a rep for build quality dating back to when they made covered wagons.
And the Lark Daytona R2 and Super Lark with Paxton Supercharger were no slouches. If you have a few minutes, take a look at the video linked below.
Good times.
https://youtu.be/y8KSXmDnrhI?si=e2qi8ph0LWN4nLMv
That Audi looks pretty sweet, and it’s one of the few I’d actually consider owning. But the Studebaker is just too cool and unique, and I think it would be less problematic in the longish run. I’d have to ditch the cop stuff, though. Maybe replace that “Backstoppers” decal with one of the Three Stooges dressed as firefighters from “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”.
My 6 year old just learned the black and white and red all over jokes. That headline made me chuckle out loud at work
I’ve fought early Audi wiring problems before. I ain’t scared.
This was legit a tough decision. My finger hovered over the Lark for quite a while. before finally hitting the Audi. It’s just more usable on an everyday basis, plus it could handle highway cruising. Taking the Lark on a road trip would be daunting.
Voted for the Stude! At first glance it looked like a “Both” day, but that Audi is used up!
ANd who doesn’t want a cool little old cop car!
Sir, that is not a cool little old cop car.
The Audi doesn’t do much for me but that Studebaker is cool as hell and I think would get a lot more looks and thumbs up while driving and would be a conversation piece at cruise nights.
Are you kidding??? 5-banger + manual in an 80s Audi? I’ll deal with the issues, which are relatively easy on these.
The Lark is probably what Sheriff Andy made Barney Fife drive since he couldn’t handle a full-sizer.
Audi stan here. Real Quattro with lockers? Inline 5? Yes, please. The fact I always had a soft spot for Borbet Type E’s is just icing on the cake.