Marks Custom Stude

I was just cruising around at work last week when I got a random phone call.  This bloke says his name is Mark Lund and he had a car I might be interested in shooting, but he was only in Brisbane for the weekend and he was from Yandina in northern Queensland.  When I asked about the car and he told me he had a 59 Studebaker Lark two door wagon, I had to find a spot for him.  So it was arranged for early Sunday morning and the rest is history.  And what a piece of history this car is........

There are many words you could use to describe this car:  classic, custom, but the word unique is the one that stuck in my mind.  And I am not just talking about the car.  Mark is one of those genuine old school car blokes, and his wife Kath is almost as rare as the car.  She is always keen to work on the car and even on the morning of the shoot, she had the polishing rags and cloths out before I even had a chance to get the camera out of the bag.  A lot of blokes I know would be green with envy over a missus so keen to get her hands dirty.

Mark is not one of these guys who likes to take credit for someone elses work, and most of the work on the Stude was done when he bought it.  The engine is a mild 350 Chev, backed up by a Turbo 350 gearbox with a Hurst Pro Ratchet shifter, and the original Dana 60 diff at the rear.  The door handles have been taken out in favour of a full remote door opening system and the taillights have been frenched.

Mark has redone the interior though.  The custom leather look, vinyl now covers the seats, hood lining and door cards.  The door openers are custom and the dash is full Autometer.   The suspension is pretty much the way it came from Studebaker.  Stock leaf spring rear end lowered slightly, but the rest is standard including the four wheel drum brakes.

Mark and Kathy have decided to move along to the next project.  The Stude is FOR SALE if anyone is interested in buying a classic one off car. If you can see yourself behind the wheel of this legend, contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will put you in touch with Mark.  I had a big night before I went out to shoot the 59.  I was home at 2.30am and off to shoot the Stude at 4.30am, and it was worth every minute of lost sleep to not only shoot such a classic, but to meet a pair of classic revheads like Mark and Kath.