1931 President Speedway Roadster. Produced so
the land speed records would be sanctioned by the American Automobile
Association. The AAA required the high performance model to be a
production vehicle. They wanted at least 100 made, but it was offered
so late in the production year that only a few were made. The land
speed records still stood. Restoration started
in October 2001.
In 1931 at Dry Lake in California (later known as
Muroc, and now known as Edwards Air Force Base), the "Speedway" was used to
set eleven new records. The driver was Studebaker's research engineer
George Hunt. The runs were sanctioned and approved by the AAA, "The
high Court of Mortordom", who had set up and measured the course, and also
tore down the car before and after the record runs. It is significant
that these runs were made with the "Speedway" President. The
engineering staff had convinced management to offer a "hotter" version that
was given the "Speedway" designation. The engine differed from the
ordinary President. The modifications included; high compression head
(7:1), larger carburetor jetting, rear axle ratio (3.47:1), and high lift
cam. The Speedway model was only available in the roadster body, in
two distinctive color combinations, Chessylite Grey or Black. In
both these color combinations the chassis and wire wheels were Cardinal Red,
and with Red leather upholstery and high compression head painted Flame Red.
In a sales bulletin released August 10, 1931 the Speedway was offered at the
same price as the standard model. This combination applies to only 100
Roadsters now scheduled for production. Of the 56 Roadsters known to
exist today, only 11 have serial numbers above 7036122. Only 4 of
those are known to have had the correct Speedway paint combinations.
