1952 Studebaker Starlight Coupe - Vintage Drag Racer - R3/4 Engine

1952 Studebaker Starlight CoupeVintage Drag Racer - R3/4 Engine I am helping my friend and long time Studebaker drag racer. Bob Mikliuc. sell his 1952 Studebaker Starlight Coupe race car. Bob has owned and campaigned this special Studebaker for over 55 years. originally as an NHRA M Stocker. and later with a modified R3/4 Studebaker V8 as a nostalgia bracket racer. The car has barely 50. 00 original miles on it since it has been a dedicated race car for all but the first several years of its life. It is a rust free. California car with mostly original paint. Chrome is excellent and currently covered with wax to preserve it in that condition. The interior is complete. not stripped to lighten the car. Although the rear wheel wells have been professionally radiused for slicks and the hood has been cut for an air cleaner. Bob will provide original rear quarters (they bolt on these Studebakers) and an original hood if the buyer wants to return the car to stock configuration. The car raced for the first 10 years or so with the stock 232 V8 and 3 speed overdrive transmission. It ran low 17s and generally trophied in his class. In those days. the NHRA stock classes were determined by advertised horsepower and curb weight. Bob feels that Studebaker may have UNDER rated the horsepower of their V8 while the big three were OVER rating theirs. Vintage race fans out there will remember the car at Half Moon Bay. Fremont (Baylands). Cotati (Sears Point). Redding. Pomona. Famosa (Bakersfield). and other West Coast tracks. When nostalgia drag racing came into being in the 70’s. Bob obtained and installed a rare R3/4 engine (block # B76 R4) Paxton Supercharger. correct supercharged Avanti AFB carburetor. and original R3/4 headers. He selected an Avanti Powershift transmission and a 3. 00 RPM stall torque converter. He replaced the original rear axle with a Dana 44 Twin Traction equipped with a 4. 28 gear set. He made his own traction bars which are copies of the popular Calvert design. Brakes are late model Stude finned drums all around. With this set up. Bob raced at many of the same tracks he ran when the car was stock. He posted a best time of 12. 70 at 109 MPH. In true drag racer fashion. Bob reported to me that he could have done slightly better on that pass if he had staged just a little shallower. Always with the need for speed. Bob made some modifications to the car in the early 2000s. He replaced the Paxton with a 1. 4 liter Whipple/Lysholm screw type positive displacement supercharger and added a much wilder cam (. 486 net lift. 280 degree duration). To date. the car has not had a full pass with this set up. Bob feels it will need heavier valve springs and a supercharger belt tensioner to get the most out of this combination. This car comes as currently equipped with the rare B block motor and Lysholm Charger. The engine is 3. 675 bore x 3. 625 stroke for 307. 6 cubic inches. It has forged pistons and an 8. 5:1 compression ratio. Any parts not shown in the photographs (like the radiator) to make it a complete race car will be included. It also comes with the Paxton blower set up if the buyer wishes to return it to its original nostalgia race configuration. Of course the car could also be easily converted to a stock Starliner or M Stock race car. The rare engine and speed parts could be used on other projects or sold. Also included are a variety of trophies if desired and a binder of time slips and race notes. Two sets of mounted slicks are included. but the tires are too old to actually race on and should be replaced. This is the real deal. A 50‘s. documented. one owner race car. Clean. rust free body. Complete interior in very nice condition. Rare R3/4 engine and additional vintage speed parts. Bob transported the car to the races on a specially equipped Studebaker car hauler. Bob has already sold the transporter. More vintage photos of the car here The car has not been on the strip for a few years. but Bob has protected it well and made sure the engine was turned and remained lubricated. He has kept it covered and under cover. Here are a few pictures of the car currently. More current photos of the car here The car is located in Fremont. CA. You may pick up the car in person. or Bob will help load the car on the carrier of your choice. A $1. 00 deposit via PayPal is due 48 hours after auction close. Payment must be made in full within 7 working days following auction close. Title and car will not be released until funds clear. Vehicle must be removed within 4 weeks of auction close unless you make other arrangements with Bob in advance. Bob has a clear California title to the car in his name. As with any vintage car. no warranty is expressed or implied. Please feel free to ask any questions about the car or to request greater detail about any part of the car. Contact Bob directly at 510-651-0194. A personal inspection by prospective buyers prior to auction close. or by a friend in the area. or a by a professional appraisal service is welcome and encouraged.