Winner of the 2014 Winfield Award
David Warner
Car: 1948 Studebaker Pickup
Hometown: Willow Street, PA
Most unusual feature: Gullwing doors
How long owned car: 3 years
Color: Two Tone Pearl Orange/Pearl Black

Dave received the beautiful trophy and
a $10,000 check from Meguiar’s.


Winfield winner, ’48 Studebaker pickup, at 2014 PPG Syracuse Nationals

By Kenn Peters
Right Coast Association

A 1948 Studebaker pickup truck owned by Dave Warner, of Lancaster, Pa., was chosen the winner of the annual Winfield award at the 2014 PPG Syracuse Nationals.

Warner received a trophy and a check for $10,000 from Meguiar’s, a maker of fine car-care products. Perhaps as important are the bragging rights that go along with the prestigious Winfield award, considered to be one of two top awards for custom-built cars in the United States.

Warner has owned the truck about three years, but the build process lasted 15 months. And although the truck is stunning in black diamond over custom pearl orange and is show quality from the underside to the top of the cab, it’s a driver. Warner said he drives the car to work once or twice a week during the nice weather.

“I don’t mind at all driving it, going to the store for something or driving to work,” Warner said.

As it happens Warner works with the man who did the majority of the work on the truck, Mike Heim, owner of Qualtiy Custom Rides, in Lancaster.

The two men have known each other many years but only began a collaboration a few years ago when they both left their jobs, Warner into retirement, and Heim to start Quality Custom Rides.

Because Warner knows his way around a vehicle’s drive train, Heim invited him to work at Quality Custom Rides. Warner took the challenge and said he finds the work both interesting and invigorating.
Heim said he had always wanted to own his own shop to build custom cars and this was the perfect opportunity.

Once Warner acquired the Studebaker he had a vision for something special that would enable him to have a high-quality show vehicle, but also a truck that could take to the road whenever necessary.
Heim said he knew what Warner was talking about and he too had a vision of what could be done with the rare pickup.

The result of their vision and work is truly unique. For starters the roof comes off to turn the truck into a roadster. There’s a heavy helping of carbon fiber throughout the body and the interior. The instrument panel is from a 1941 Studebaker Commander and it sports new chrome and hand-blown glass control knobs that Heim commissioned.

While the Studebaker was chosen as the best among the six Winfield finalists, it was by no means an easy task for Gene Winfield to select the winner. He said the field was the strongest he’s witnessed in five years, and given different circumstances any one of the five could have been selected the winner.

Among the field was a heavily customized 1948 Buick from Middleburg, Va.; a 1950 Mercury from Greenfield, Mass. It began life as a four-door sedan but was turned into an El Camino type vehicle;  a one-of-a-kind 1969 Camaro custom roadster from Sandy, Utah;  a unique and beautifully customized 1957 Chevy pickup from Owasso, Ok., that was among the Ridler “Great 8,” at the 2013 Detroit Autorama, and a sleek 1937 Ford coupe from Delano, Minn., that was built by Dave Tucci, of Tucci Hot Rods, in Marcy, N.Y.