An Unlikely Pair
At 16, Kevin Boesky found himself in his first automobile, the defunct Studebaker. It was one of 10,000 cars manufactured out of the long gone Los Angeles factory that served Los Angeles from 1936 until 1964. Now a Junior in high school, he has some adult insight about this iconic make.
Q. What is the year, make, and model?
A: 1941, Studebaker, Champion.
Q: How did you become interested in cars?
A: I got interested in cars from a design standpoint. I was interested in airplanes, that led into Le Mans prototypes, and it went from there.
Q: How did you find the Studebaker?
A: My Dad and I were going to take six months to buy a car for me, and we decided on a 2003 Audi TT. My grandfather got upset and found me a Studebaker and gave it to me for my 16th birthday. When my grandfather bought his first car in 1951, he bought a ’41 Studebaker, like mine.
Q: How did you know this Studebaker was the one for you?
A: It was a surprise. My grandfather told me that he bought it for himself. When I was visiting him he asked me how I liked it, and when I said I liked it, he held out the keys and said, “Happy birthday.” My grandfather seems to love driving around town with me.
Q: Describe your favorite drive in the Studebaker:
A: I just like driving it around town.
Q: What other cars do you own?
A: I also own an Audi TT. I usually have more fun driving the Studebaker around, and it’s a better car to drive around slowly.
Q: Which car would you take out on a date?
A: Well, there’s always a danger of starting the car with the Studebaker.
Q: What do you like about your Studebaker?
A: It’s a fun car to drive and much more mechanical than a TT. I like everything about it. The shifter is really tight. You can feel the suspension and everything that’s going on with the car. The biggest problem was to find a place to put the car at home.
Q: What do you love about the Studebaker?
A: I love the design. It’s really a beautiful car. It was designed by Raymond Loewy (industrial designer) and Virgil Exner (futuristic Chrysler designer).
Q: What is unique to the car?
A: Technology-wise, the Studebaker had the front suspension, which made it drive really well for the time, and it had a hill hold for the clutch that will prevent it from rolling back.
Q: How often does this car get driven?
A: Really whenever I can drive it, mostly on weekends and sometimes during the week.
Q: If you could choose one passenger to ride along with you in your Studebaker, who would it be and why?
A: John Surtees, the race driver from the ‘60s. Definitely different from what he’s used to driving.
Q: With this car, is it a fling, or are you in it for the long haul?
A: I’ll be keeping it for awhile. I can’t see it going anywhere soon.
