Studebaker Farm Boy

 I found this pick up truck just sitting off in the corner of Showalter's Orchard and Greenhouse in Timberville, VA. (A wonderful farm & home of Old Hill Cidery. We loved this place!) I was immediately drawn to this pick up truck like a magnet to medal. I took about half a dozen pics of it. I knew this truck was some what rare and definitely intriguing but I didn't realize just how much. The name plate reads Studebaker but I had no idea what model or year it was from. I researched this vehicle for days and came up empty handed until I found this website photo on flicker.  Pending permission from John H Bowman's picture collection I was able to find an EXACT match of this truck! What are the chances of finding the same truck photoed 4 years earlier in the same exact spot? On google images among a million other Studebaker photos! I love it when life kisses you with a moment like this.
So here's what I found out about this farm boy. It's a 1954 Studebaker possibly a Model 2R (according to Studebaker Drivers Club site.)  John's write up states " For those interested in the truck's age, I identified it as a 1954 based on the grille (new design for 1954), one-piece windshield (also new for 1954), smallish rear window (enlarged for 1955), and the (missing) nameplate centered on the lower edge of the hood (for '55, the name stretched across the whole hood). Main sources: How Stuff Works (on line) and Bob Bourke Designs for Studebaker, by John Bridges (Nashville, TN: J.B. Enterprises, 1984): 71-80." Thank you John for your great eye and appreciation for old trucks! Your research has helped me come closer to solving this puzzle. What's fun is the name plate seen in the lower driver's side corner of the hood was off in John's photo but was reattached in mine! 
If you'd like in an depth history of Studebaker visit the Studebaker Drivers Club site. Additionally there's a terrific museum that has a multitude of archives that you can visit next time you're in South Bend, IN. Admission is only $8 for adults and free for kids 5 and under! 
I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I did. What a fun day for a delicious cider tasting and a blast from the past. 

The attached Studebaker name plate.

The Shenandoah Mountian backdrop makes for an inviting scene.