Owner insight:  I originally came to FantomWorks to have my truck painted and the interior redone.  After a few minutes talking with Dan and Kyle the decision was made to customize the entire truck.  Studebaker trucks are not one of the more common classic trucks, which is what initially drew me to it, and with all the work that the amazing crew has done it is guaranteed to be the only one of its kind.  Every inch of the truck is a work of art from the padauk wood bed to the handmade instrument cluster.  The team at FantomWorks has exceeded all my expectations.

FantomWorks insight:  At first glance one would think there really isn’t much to be done.  That is ’til you get closer and closer to the truck.  This truck was originally brought in for some simple body and paint work.  Upon speaking with the owner, we found out he didn’t really care for the turn signals in the front or the tail lights on the back, the interior was practically gone and the 80′s style seats were not the look the owner wanted for his truck either.  We were asked to repair the previous custom work and then the owner told us to “have at it” and give it the “FantomWorks” flair.  Along with the cleaner and more aggressive look, we plan on making this the custom “one of a kind” Studebaker that it deserves to be.

Vehicle information

The 1951 Studebaker 2R5 pickup was part of the Studebaker 2R series, the company’s first postwar truck design. Billed as “The ’49er,” the Studebaker 2R family arrived in early 1948 to replace the prewar M-series.  Initially, there were four 2R models, spanning wheelbases from 112 to 195 inches. The 1/2-ton Studebaker 2R5 pickup and the 1-ton 2R15 pickup were powered by the 80-bhp Champion L-head six.

The chassis, although all new, was conventional. What set the Studebaker 2R pickup apart was its styling, principally the work of Robert Bourke, a member of (and later head of) the Loewy Studios design team then under contract with Studebaker.  The Studebaker 2R5 pickup continued through 1953 with virtually no change apart from engine boosts (to 85 and 102 bhp) in 1950.  Studebaker’s first V-8 arrived for the passenger cars in 1951, but wouldn’t enter trucks until 1954, in the Studebaker 2R pickup’s successor.