July/August 2020 Vintage Truck

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The July/August 2020 issue of Vintage Truck magazine is available on newsstands. Our cover story about Virgil Hudkins’ 1949 Studebaker 2R-5 pickup was written by Loren Hoekema and photographed by Brad Bowling.

When Virgil Hudkins walked into his house one fall day in 2001, his wife Sue greeted him with some surprising news.

“You really should go load up that Studebaker pickup you have been wanting,” she said. “I just bought it for you.”

The pickup in question was a red 1949 2R-5 half-ton her husband had been driving by and wanting for years. It was located (in disassembled form) in a lean-to at a farmstead just south of Hudkins’ hometown of Rochester, Indiana.

Virgil Hudkins was no stranger to Studebakers. Rochester was just 40 miles from South Bend, the home of Studebaker Corp. His dad William worked in the foundry at the South Bend Studebaker factory as a millwright and machine repairman. Since the engine plant and foundry continued to operate through the end of the 1964 model year, William was one of the lucky few not laid off when the main factory closed on the fateful date of Dec. 20, 1963, just before Christmas. December 1963 was a significant month for young Virgil for another reason; he and Sue were married on the 21st.

When new, Hudkins’ red 1949 was a worthy successor to a long and proud line of Studebaker trucks. The company entered the commercial vehicle business in 1852 when Henry and Clement Studebaker rolled their first two wagons out the door of their South Bend blacksmith shop. These wagons, along with many more the brothers produced over the next decade, carried early pioneers to California and Oregon. In 1858, brother John M. Studebaker bought out Henry and—together with Clem and younger brothers Peter and Jacob—began a company that, by the turn of the 20th century, would be the largest producer of horse-drawn vehicles in the United States.

To read more about our featured Studebaker pick up a copy of the July/August 2020 issue of Vintage Truck magazine!

Articles in this issue include:

  • The Humpback Mystery
    Can our readers complete the origin story for Dan Trey’s 1953 Chevrolet 3800?
    Story by Tom Gibson, Photos by Brad Bowling

  • A Present from Mrs. Hudkins
    Virgil Hudkins’ 1949 Studebaker 2R-5 pickup
    Story by Loren Hoekema, Photos by Brad Bowling

  • Old Truck Quarantine

  • The Lone Ranger Rides AgainEmily Kuret’s 1983 Ranger XL 4X4 is the first of Ford’s domestic compact pickups! Story by Robert Gabrick, Photos by Carrie Nickerson

  • Letter from the Editor

  • Letters to the Editor

  • Delivery Designs: The Boyertown Weight-Saver

  • Dodge Garage: 1950 Dodge Express

  • For Ford Fans: 1961 Ford F-250 unibody

  • The Road Less Traveled: Kelly-Springfield

  • Hey Loren!

  • Aid for the Anxious Amateur: Bumpers Were Made for Bumping (Weren’t They?)

  • Classifieds

  • Show Guide

  • Granny Gear: Hey, My Fictional, Functional Mirror

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