Bruce Garvey refused to believe his car was cursed. His 1949 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe sedan was just too lovable, and too solid, to ever be permanently doomed by bad luck.
But it’s a good thing Garvey has a good sense of humor.
“I had a ’46 Studebaker that I wanted to re-do, but it was too far gone,” recalled Garvey, a resident of DePere, Wis. “I wanted a runner, and so I bought this one in northern Illinois, just north of Chicago — and it blew up on me on the way home!” he laughs. “That was in 2005, 2006, somewhere in there.”
Garvey soon decided that the Champion was going to be his maiden automotive restoration project, and with the help of family friends, it turned out great—with the exception of one other little
