Ray Martin – Proud Studebaker Restorer & Owner
Ray with his recently acquired 1963 Avanti R2
If you ever travel to the South West Ontario to the small village of Sparta you will find the home of Ray and Vera Martin. You will see a large Studebaker Service sign over his garage which is the first indication of his being a diehard Studebaker Owner. Ray was born in nearby St Thomas and was raised in Sparta. When he was young he has a US cousin who worked at the nearby Dearborn, Michigan Ford Factory who bought a brand new 1953 Studebaker Hardtop Lowboy Coupe as his family car (that must of impressed his boss). When Ray first saw this car he was hooked on all things Studebaker and over the past 63 years he has owned and mostly restored 40-50 Studebakers in various conditions, he has lost count – from total basket cases to cars or trucks that are drivers. No matter what condition they arrived in they were always in better shape when they left and many of them are still on road being happily owned and driven by fellow proud SDC members or Studebaker Enthusiasts. Ray has always taken great pride in Studebaker Ownership and has given all of them the “Ray” treatment. As the Studebaker slogan says “Always give more then you promise” and that was Ray’s creed to Studebaker Ownership.
For the past 65 years Ray has been happily married to Vera who has been witness to Ray’s desire to own and restore all of their Studebakers. They have been married since 1955 and as many would say she is a real “keeper” and a saint to put up with the many days & nights that he work on his cars while tracking in the usual grime from his latest project. In 1961 Ray started to work at the Farm Credit Corporation in the Niagara region of Ontario and became a Loans and Mortgage Manager. For the next 35 years he would arrange for Loans and Mortgages to Greenhouses and Fruit Farms in the Vineland area.
Ray’s first Studebaker was a brand new Blue 1955 Studebaker Commander Coupe. This got the ball rolling on his ownership of many Studebakers. The next Studebaker that he bought was a 1962 Studebaker with Black & Red Interior which didn’t last long as it had brake problems and went back to the Factory to get properly sorted out. In 1976 he bought a 1955 Studebaker Coupe for $500 and proceeded to become a Studebaker Drivers Club (SDC) Member and the rest is History. Ray and Vera got heavily involved with the Ontario Chapter SDC and he become its Vice President in 1986 and followed up with him being President from 1987-89. He owned many Studebakers that needed a new lease on life and he has a favourite one. In 1985 Andy Hook phoned him about a local auction that had a 1929 President Roadster for sale. It had sat out in a field for many years and was in very poor shape. He proceeded to buy it for the princely sum of $500. After 5 years of blood, sweat and tears he got it back on the road while being restored to Concours D’Elegance level. In 1992 while at the Massachusetts SDC Meet he won best of show with this car. At that time he sold it to Denton Wright who sold it to a man from Chicago who was born in 1929 and wanted a car built that same year. At the 2008 Lancaster SDC Meet he saw it again and it was beautiful as ever. In 2016 it sold for $143,000 US and then at Barrett-Jackson Auction sold for $110,000. He recently saw it on the Internet with an asking price of $200,000 US.
He has owned a beautiful 1956 Golden Hawk for the past 18 years. It won 398 points out of 400 at the 2014 Dover SDC Meet. He just traded it a white 1963 Avanti R2 which has an Orange factory installed interior from Jim Anderson, a member of the Hamilton Chapter SDC. This Avanti is equipped with special wheels that he originally owned many years previously on a 1966 Daytona with only 6000 miles that he had sold in 1982 to Denton Wright who in turn sold it to Alain Gilbert of Montreal. It seems that Alain didn’t like them and sold them to Jim Anderson who in turn installed them on his Avanti. He always regretted selling these wheels and now they have returned to his garage while being installed on his new Avanti. Full Circle
Over the many years Ray & Vera have owned Studebakers their family has been front and centre to his affection for all things Studebaker. They include their son Donald & his wife Donna who live in Merrickville, their other son Jeffery and his wife Dana and their 3 kids who live in Detroit, Michigan, their daughter Julie and her husband Randy Gonser and their 2 kids who reside in Stratford along with their daughter Jennifer and her husband Tom Harrison and their 3 kids who live in Waterdown. They are both extremely proud of their family which includes a University professor, a Surgeon, a House builder, Nurses, an Engineer and an aspiring NHL hockey player who was drafted by the London Knights. All family members have contributed very much in all of their endeavours to make their home and neighbourhood a better place to live.
Over the years he has owned Four 1964 Daytona Convertibles and Six 1966 Studebaker Two Door Coupes. He also owned a Red 1941 President that he owned when he moved back to Sparta in 2000. Just down the road was a black 1941 President owned by Bill Sanderson. It was originally bought new by his Father and strangely they were the only two 1941 Studebaker Presidents in Ontario and were only a couple of miles apart in Sparta. He also has owned a 1964 Transtar Truck and a 1965 Wagonaire to name afew. He also presently owes a 1964 Daytona Convertible which is equipped with a 289 V8 with a Factory Paxton Supercharger. He is in the midst of selling this car as he wishes to just have one, his recently acquired 1963 Avanti R2.
Ray Martin at the 2018 Badenoch Swap Meet with his 1964 Daytona Convertible R2
Ray has other interests as he has been continually been in local Music Bands since he was six years old. At that age his Dad had sadly passed away and he developed asthma. To improve his health his mother got him involved in bands starting off as a Flute Player. For many years he was a member of both the Lincoln & Welland Regimental Band and also the Lincoln & Welland Music Band. He travelled twice to Bermuda and in addition to many US Cities. Ray also plays for the SDC Music Band when attending their annual Meets and also locally with the London Dance Band playing the Saxophone.
Ray Martin being presented his 2018 SMIC award in celebration of his achievements
In 2018 Ray was honoured by his fellow Ontario Chapter SDC members for his many years of Studebaker Ownership and superb Restoration Skills by being presented the Studebaker Made in Canada Award. This award is given to Canadians who have significantly promoted Studebaker when in production and their legacy since their closure in 1966. Sadly Ray passed away on February 5th of 2021. He will be remembered for his kind-hearted efforts towards fellow Studebaker Owners who will attest to his dedication in the way he restored so many Studebaker cars and trucks that we find on the roads of Ontario and beyond.
Studebaker Made in Canada