Is this Studebaker Lark Daytona 500 the ultimate underdog?

It's demonstrative of a whole other dimension of motorsport that you just don’t get in some of the sleeker, lighter, more finely-honed machinery: managing weight and power and using the loud pedal as a tool for steering. It certainly made for some spectacular and occasionally calamitous racing, especially on the greasy surfaces drivers were confronted with over the course of the weekend. We had to have a poke around the grid to see if we could find an oddity.

And find one we did, in the form of the lone Studebaker Lark Daytona 500. To the casual observer, surrounded by those monstrous Fords, it looks positively petite and dare we say it, European? At the front, it’s a squint or a flash through your peripherals away from a Triumph Dolly Sprint, and in profile, it’s utterly dwarfed by the gargantuan Galaxies. So what’s this thing’s story? Was it as little of a threat as its comparatively diminutive dimensions and looks suggested? We had a chat with one of the chaps tasked with its care at 75MM.

The car, Chassis 64 V6265, has been in the UK since around 2013, shortly after which it was seen at 2014’s Revival. Born as a left-field alternative to its conventional Falcon kin, results until recently have been what you’d expect of the underdog alternative choice – not up to snuff.

But with some recent sharp preparation, “Studd”-friendly greasy conditions and an owner/driver fresh off a two-week Rallying stint, fortunes looked tentatively in favour of this weird and wonderful oddity. Comparatively low weight, perfect semi-slithery conditions and a driver newly versed in the art of “steer from the rear”, meant that both put in a properly good shift.

Placing 7^th out of 26 finishers is nothing to be sniffed at, coming within two seconds of the 1:29 fastest lap of Craig Davies in his Mustang, the Studebaker ended up punching well above its weight. Following our chat with passionate preparers keen to prove that it’s worth not just bringing another Mustang, it warmed our hearts to see it do so well!

Photography by Tom Shaxson