SCCQ Club Member – Gus Trouchet – 51 Bullet Nose Studebaker
Sunday, December 5, 2021 21:00

By January of 2021, my Studebaker collection included a Champ, 1961 Hawk and a 1963 Hawk GT. The car that I felt was missing was a bullet nose V8 coupe or convertible.

I started looking around Australia for a suitable car to purchase and soon discovered that these models were rare in Australia and that my chances of finding one that was a driveable car in good condition were not good.

I was very concerned about the risks associated with importing a car from America at a time when it would be impossible to personally view a potential purchase due to Covid 19 travel restrictions. Like everyone else in the classic car hobby, I was well aware of the horror stories attached to cars arriving here in Australia in much worse condition than the buyers had been led to believe during the purchasing process.

During my research when looking for a suitable car I had developed a trusting relationship with Vas who owns a Caloundra, Queensland based company, “Iconic American Imports”. Vas provided me with a very detailed proposal to manage the inspection of the car using the services of a network of experienced mechanics to prepare a condition report, transport to Los Angeles for preparation for shipping, shipping and management of import paperwork and port and custom clearances in Brisbane. Once I had selected a suitable car for purchase, Vas would firm up this proposal and provide a fixed cost for his services.

I found this car in early February of this year on HaggleMe, a web based service that specialises in selling cars for clients who prefer to have an agent manage the selling process. The car was advertised as being located in Indiana, in very original condition and had been used as a daily driver by the family for a long time. The photos provided indicated that the car deserved further investigation. I asked Vas what his experience with HaggleMe was and he assured me that he had previously had good dealings with the company.

On that basis I commissioned a report on the car. The cost of this report was higher than I would have expected to pay in Australia, but the scope of the inspection and report was to be very detailed. I commissioned the report a couple of days after finding the advertisement and the report arrived about ten days later.

When it arrived, the report ran to some sixty pages and included numerous photos. The substance of the report was that the car was an honest and original car that has been well cared for by the owner. The faults identified were not major and were to be expected in a car that was seventy years old.

Vas offered to assist me with negotiating a purchase price that was acceptable to the seller and myself. Once the purchase price was agreed between us, I paid a deposit in mid-February to reserve the car. Early in March the purchase arrangements were completed.

The car was transported to Los Angeles and an asbestos inspection was completed. The front brakes shoes needed to be removed as a result of this inspection and the car was left with rear brakes only for shipment. A bio clean was performed and the car was transported to port for transhipment. At this time shipping out of America had been significantly slowed by the impact of Covid 19 on the operations of both ports and shipping schedules. Unfortunately, prior to shipment America Customs selected the container of cars that included mine for a random inspection.This inspection resulted in my car missing the ship and further delays resulted as a new ship was found.

As a result of these shipping delays it was August before the car arrived in Brisbane. At this point Australian Customs discovered a discrepancy in the shipping documents that appears to have been related to incorrect recording of chassis or engine numbers in the US. As a result, the car went into the bond warehouse for several weeks while “Iconic American Imports” resolved the issue.

My first impressions of the car when it was delivered to my home were very positive as the car exceeded my expectations. The car is in excellent original condition as the condition report had indicated. Until this could be verified in person I was of course prepared for some disappointment. Since delivery, the faults that were identified have been verified, but no significant new faults discovered.

I intend to keep the car as close to original and as delivered as possible. However, I have had disc brakes and electric power steering fitted to all my Studebakers as these changes improve safety, improve driveability, and do not in my view compromise the integrity of the cars. Fitting the power steering will require changing the column gear shift to a floor shift. Fitting the disc brakes will require the use of Ford wheel rims. I intend to protect and preserve the existing paint work as much as is possible, despite some cracking and weathering.

Despite my original reluctance to import a car sight unseen I am very pleased that I persevered. My faith in Vas and his support team in America has been justified by the outcome achieved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2008 - 2024 Studebaker Car Club of Queensland Inc