{"id":736466,"date":"2026-06-14T18:10:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/736466\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T18:10:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:10:45","slug":"trev-halsteads-custom-1951-studebaker-starlight-coupe-bomber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/736466\/","title":{"rendered":"Trev Halstead\u2019s custom 1951 Studebaker Starlight coupe \u2013 \u2018Bomber\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Building a custom Studebaker isn\u2019t for everyone. Besides the fact there\u2019s almost none of them around in comparison to most other brands, they already look custom from the factory. That means you don\u2019t just build a Studebaker. You pick a fight with history, search for unobtainable parts and tempt fate by cutting up something irreplaceable. That\u2019s exactly what New Zealand custom legend Trev Halstead\u2019s known for, and his most recent of many custom Studes is no different. This \u201951 Starlite, \u2018Bomber\u2019, is now far more Trev than Stude, yet somehow still perfectly Studebaker in the places where it counts.<\/p>\n

First published in the May 2026 issue of Street Machine<\/p>\n

\"\"REAR END: Every piece of metal you see has been cut, shaped and welded in some way \u2013 so much so that you\u2019d be hard-pressed to pick the make and model from this angle. While most parts started life in the Studebaker factory, the number plate surround is all Trev\u2019s doing<\/p>\n

With the rarity of Starlite coupes, it\u2019s hard to tell what\u2019s stock and what\u2019s been created in Trev\u2019s rural home workshop. Spoiler alert: the list of untouched bits is basically the rear brakes and an inner courtesy light; everything else has been massaged, sculpted, or straight-up reinvented.<\/p>\n

Trev\u2019s not some social\u2011media render warrior. He\u2019s old-school, in the most complimentary of ways, turning to literal scissors and paper cut-outs to plan the right level of chop. That planning led to an impressive 4.5 inches coming out at the front pillars and 3.5 inches at the rear, with the centre peaked for a split screen that looks like it was born that way.<\/p>\n

\"\"EXTERIOR: With a profile like this, it\u2019s hard to believe Starlites aren\u2019t customised more often. Then again, the roof usually sits about a foot higher, so it takes serious work and vision from someone like Trev to get them looking this good!<\/p>\n

During that process, the rain gutters were also ditched and the window surrounds extended to suit the new proportions. It\u2019s traditional customising with a brutal level of finesse, done by a bloke who trusts his own vision over anything online.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"NOSE: Ironically, the Studebaker\u2019s hallmark bullet nose wasn\u2019t made by Studebaker at all \u2013 it was cast by Trev himself as a slight twist on the factory design before being chromed to look like a factory piece<\/p>\n

The stance isn\u2019t an accident; the body\u2019s been channelled three inches over the chassis, and the floors, firewall and trans tunnel have been made by Trev to suit. Up front, he binned the car\u2019s factory sheet metal for a 1950 Champion nose \u2013 shaving, smoothing, and then crafting custom grilles to tie it all together. The front guards were then seam\u2011welded into one piece, and the bonnet was lengthened to close up where then trim once lived. Around the back, those wraparound rear windows didn\u2019t just magically appear; there are 200 hours in the rear acrylic windows alone, with steel and plastic templates used to get the shape right before Visual Plastics moulded the final pieces. Even the famous Studebaker bullet nose is Trev\u2019s own \u2014 cast in bronze, linished, polished and sent off for chrome.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Clearly, this isn\u2019t Trev\u2019s first rodeo. The bloke\u2019s been turning rusty shells into hero cars for decades, stocking his shed \u2013 affectionately dubbed \u2018Studeville\u2019 \u2013 with enough Studebaker bits to confuse a museum curator. While he\u2019s owned close to 70 of them, he claims that most were basket cases that others wouldn\u2019t bother saving, but they\u2019ve provided him with parts and projects for decades to come.<\/p>\n

Underneath the lacquer-painted body is a Z-notched, boxed and smoothed chassis with the corners radiused to echo the rounded edges he\u2019s carved into the doors, bonnet and boot. Down the back, you\u2019ll find a narrowed Dana 44 loaded with 3.31:1 gears, hung on a custom four\u2011link. Airbags all \u2019round were a smart call here; Trev loves cars sitting low enough to scare road markings, but he also loves getting them home with the sump in one piece.<\/p>\n

Speaking of sumps, the 299ci Studebaker donk \u2013 crafted from a 259 block and a forged 289 crank \u2013 is a combo that provides proper Studebaker DNA with the poke and reliability to cruise and bruise. Trev smoothed the casting marks before paint, then bolted on a rare Edmunds 2\u00d72 manifold wearing twin Stromberg carbs. Factory Studebaker Avanti headers feed a stainless exhaust that ends in custom lakes pipes beneath reinforced sills. The triple tips are handcrafted showpieces; Trev\u2019s way of pointing out the details.<\/p>\n

\"\"ENGINE BAY: Even the underside of the hood has been detailed, with upholsterer of choice, Greg Mather, stitching up a colour-matched, pleated vinyl cover. The small scoop is just enough to clear the air cleaners atop the Stromberg carbs<\/p>\n

Backing it all is a BorgWarner three\u2011speed \u2019box, smoothed and painted to match the engine bay. The Studebaker-based driveline speaks the same language as the rest of the car: period\u2011flavoured, sharply finished, and proudly giving a middle finger to convention.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

Inside, Trev\u2019s gone to town. Most of the trim work is by his own hand, with Greg Mather at Midnight Upholstery stitching the seats, door cards and hoodlining so they fit the car\u2019s persona rather than fight it. The dashboard started life as a \u201947 Champion unit, now reinterpreted with VDO instruments and a Smiths speedo. The steering wheel is an HQ Holden item transformed: custom centre, \u201956 Stude horn button, and the sort of smoothing and shaping that makes it look factory.<\/p>\n

\"\"INTERIOR: The trim on the Honda seats is the one part of the build Trev didn\u2019t tackle himself at home. However, before handing them over to trimmer Greg Mather, Trev did manage to cut them down and reshape them<\/p>\n

Scan the cabin and you\u2019ll spot polished stainless domes across the boot and door trims, handmade window winders and door handles, a Ford Escort handbrake, and a custom shifter massaged into the right profile. Nothing here is off\u2011the\u2011shelf. Even the knobs below the Sony head unit are hand-shaped aluminium alloy, polished to a shine that would shame most commercial pieces.<\/p>\n

While he may be old-school, Trev\u2019s learned a few new tricks over the years, including how to add electric power steering neatly under the dash to keep the engine bay pure. The wiper motor\u2019s hidden for the same reason, and the brake booster is tucked up under the floor.<\/p>\n

That booster assists HQ Holden front calipers with Ford Falcon rotors, while the back sticks to rebuilt factory drums \u2013 which Trev says work plenty well enough. The wheels around them are Stude Hawk 15\u00d76-inch steels, capped and wrapped in wide whitewalls for the right amount of traditional flavour.<\/p>\n

All of this would be impressive enough if it lived under lights and covers waiting for one show a year. Instead, Trev has clocked up 11,000km in the car since finishing it in 2024. During that time, it\u2019s taken home plenty of tinware, each piece earned the old\u2011fashioned way: alone in a shed with a welder and stubbornness, laying down paint, metal and patience until it all clicks. And yeah, the finish is insane; there\u2019s a reason that strangers stick their noses under the sills and around the inner guards, trying to find the rough bit that\u2019ll make them feel better. Good luck \u2013 ain\u2019t gonna happen!<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"GEAR LEVER: That oddly curved gear lever started life in a Bedford bus. These days, that same bus sits outside Trev\u2019s shed, jammed full of Stude bits salvaged from wrecks and other builds over the years<\/p>\n

When Trev was building this Stude, he swore it would be his last. Clearly, that changed \u2013 he\u2019s now almost finished the next project, a radical reimagining of one of his earlier builds: a four-door sedan turned into a custom two-door coupe!<\/p>\n

\"\"SO STUDIOUS<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only a handful of customised Studebakers in New Zealand, and Trev owns almost all of them. Each and every one is a credit to his workmanship and vision, built almost entirely in his rural Waikato shed. The collection currently includes a 1950 two-door custom; a 1950 sedan delivery; a 1951 custom coupe; a stock 1952 Commander; a 1953 Starlite; and a 1956 Sky Hawk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While a couple of the cars remain stock, the rest pack big-block Chevs, Holden front ends, and countless hours of Trev\u2019s handiwork. Trev rarely parts with his creations, but a few have left the shed to make room for the next wild idea.<\/p>\n

\"\"NZ Prowear Chrome Showcase 2025Trevor\u2019s beautiful Studebaker Starlight took home the 2025 Mothers Shine award at the inaugural New Zealand Prowear Chrome ShowcaseTREV HALSTEAD
1951 STUDEBAKER STARLITE COUPEPaint:Custom lacquerENGINEBrand:299ci Studebaker V8Induction:Edmunds 2\u00d72 manifold, dual Stromberg WW carbsHeads:CNC-ported Edelbrock Performer RPM 87ccCamshaft:R1 grindConrods:StockPistons:RossCrank:ForgedFuel system:StockCooling:Custom radiatorExhaust:Studebaker Avanti headers, twin 2in stainless exhaust, 3in lakes pipesIgnition:MSD Street Fire ignitionTRANSMISSIONGearbox:BorgWarner T86 three-speedConverter:StockDiff:Dana 44, 3.31:1 final driveSUSPENSION & BRAKESFront:6in airbags, relocated shocksRear:Custom four-linkBrakes:Ford Falcon discs and Holden HQ calipers (f), stock drums (r)Master cylinder:StockWHEELS & TYRESRims:Studebaker Hawk 15\u00d76, custom hubcaps (f & r)Rubber:Wide whitewalls 215\/75R15 (f & r)<\/p>\n

THANKS
Eric Carter; George Panfilow; Greg Knight; Greg Mather; Peter Dellaway; Glen Odlum; Gary Hooker; Jamie Hazlitt; Di, Tash and Jesse \u2013 without their help, the build may never have been completed.<\/p>\n

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