One of the most fascinating chapters in Indianapolis 500 history unfolded between 1930 and 1937, during the so-called “stock-block” or “two-man” era. This period followed a sweeping 1929 revision to the AAA Contest Board rulebook that increased maximum displacement from 91 to 366 cubic inches and required each car to carry a riding mechanic. Championed by Eddie Rickenbacker, the changes were intended to reduce costs and broaden participation. The results were immediate and dramatic: by 1930, roughly half of the Indy 500 field was constructed largely from stock production components.

Among the manufacturers to embrace this formula, none achieved greater success than the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. The company’s association with the Indianapolis 500 predated the stock-block era; in 1924, Earl Cooper drove a Miller-powered Studebaker Special to a strong 2nd Place finish. Encouraged by a competitive showing from Studebaker-powered cars in 1930, company president Albert Erskine and chief engineer Barney Roos recognized the promotional value of factory involvement at the Speedway.

That interest soon brought Studebaker’s director of testing, George Hunt, into the 1931 Indianapolis 500 with the car presented here. Initially known as the Hunt Special, this machine was developed in partnership with famed Bonneville racer Ab Jenkins, who would go on to set numerous speed and endurance records with Studebaker automobiles.

With Studebaker’s approval and Jenkins’ financial backing, Hunt commissioned a racing chassis from respected Indianapolis fabricators Rigling and Henning. The aluminum bodywork, crafted by noted builder “Pops” Dreyer, featured a pointed tail and a distinctive ornamental grille derived from a Studebaker President radiator shell. At Studebaker’s Proving Grounds in South Bend, engineers installed a 336 cid straight-eight engine from the top-of-the-line President. Specially prepared for competition, it featured four Winfield carburetors, a high-compression cylinder head, Scintilla magneto, steel tube headers, and a high-performance camshaft. In keeping with AAA regulations, the remainder of the chassis utilized stock Studebaker components, including axles, brakes, gearbox, and steering gear.

Finished in striking Willow Green, the Hunt Special debuted at the 1931 Indianapolis 500 with veteran driver Tony Gulotta, formerly of the famed Packard Cable team, at the wheel. Gulotta qualified 19th at 117.7 mph – just one mile per hour shy of the pole speed – and ran strongly throughout the race. On lap 167, while battling for the lead, the car encountered an oil slick and struck the Turn Four wall. Both Gulotta and his riding mechanic escaped injury, but the promising run came to an abrupt end.

Repaired after Indianapolis, the Hunt Special was prepared for the 1931 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a contest Studebaker regarded as a supreme test of engineering and durability. As noted in The Studebaker Wheel, the factory’s newsletter, setting a record on Pikes Peak was considered the pinnacle of American hill-climbing achievement. Studebaker selected three-time winner Chuck Myers to drive, and the results exceeded expectations. Myers won the Open Class outright, defeating the Shultz Stutz Special by 15 seconds and establishing a new course record of 17 minutes, 10.3 seconds over the 12.4-mile ascent.

This performance positioned the Hunt Special as the prototype for a full factory effort at the 1932 Indianapolis 500. Using Jenkins’s car as a pattern, Studebaker constructed four nearly identical Specials for the Memorial Day classic. The five-car Studebaker entry proved highly competitive, finishing 3rd, 6th, 12th, 13th, and 15th. This car, driven by Zeke Meyer and wearing race no. 37, placed an impressive 6th, recording an average speed of 98.476 mph. Interviewed after the race, Meyer remarked, “I’m 41 years old and no chicken, but my Studebaker handled so easily I could have driven it 1,500 miles instead of 500.”

During the summer of 1932, the Studebaker Specials participated in a traveling auto show that toured major US cities, promoting the company’s latest production models and underscoring the brand’s engineering prowess. Following these promotional duties, the no. 37 car was displayed prominently on the Studebaker stand at the 1933 New York International Auto Show, serving as a powerful marketing symbol for the South Bend manufacturer.

That spring, four of the Studebaker team cars were modified with new wind tunnel-tested bodies. This car, still technically owned by Ab Jenkins, retained its original coachwork, receiving only a streamlined grille and 18" wire wheels. Mechanical updates included a more aggressive camshaft and Stromberg carburetors, aligning it closely with the factory-owned entries.

At the 1933 Indianapolis 500, the Studebaker team fielded five cars, accompanied by one of the new Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrows for promotional purposes. All five Studebakers finished the race, placing between 7th and 12th. Driven by L.L. “Slim” Corum and wearing race no. 47, this car finished 12th. The 1933 race marked the zenith of Studebaker’s competition program; mounting financial pressures from the Great Depression soon forced the company to withdraw from factory racing.

Ab Jenkins retained ownership of the car and returned it to Utah, where it saw occasional use on the Bonneville Salt Flats. In the mid-1930s, Jenkins’ son Marvin made minor modifications to render it roadworthy, using it as a sports car until its sale in 1939. By the early 1960s, the Studebaker Special had fallen into disuse, spending several years stored in a South Los Angeles backyard.

The car was rescued in 1972 by Stanley B. Smith, a noted collector and former Director of the Antique Automobile Club of America. A lifelong Studebaker enthusiast, Smith undertook a meticulous restoration with his son, returning the car to its 1932 Indianapolis configuration. Completed in the early 1980s, the restored Special appeared at marque gatherings and concours events nationwide.

In 1988, the car was acquired by respected New Hampshire-based collector Robert Valpey, for whom it served as the centerpiece of an outstanding collection for more than three decades. During his stewardship, it participated in vintage races, exhibitions, and concours, including an invitation to the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® for a special display of two-man Indy cars.

Acquired by the John Price from the Valpey estate at Gooding & Company’s 2019 Pebble Beach auction, and since displayed in a museum setting, this important Indianapolis racer remains in exceptional condition. It is accompanied by an extensive archive including period photographs, Studebaker factory documentation, detailed Indy 500 research, the original 1932 AAA Racing Car Registration card, and correspondence between Stanley Smith, Barney Roos, and Ed Reynolds.

One of the most significant surviving stock-block Indy cars, this remarkably intact Studebaker Special retains the President Eight engine with which it competed in three Indianapolis 500s and achieved its landmark Pikes Peak victory. As both a successful competition car and the prototype for Studebaker’s factory racing program, it stands as a powerful and evocative artifact from one of American motorsport’s most compelling eras.