Over the weekend, the museum unveiled the restored 1951 Studebaker Commander famously borrowed from Fozzie's uncle in The Muppet Movie.
Following production, the car sat outdoors for years on a Warner Bros. backlot, until the Studebaker National Museum acquired it in 2004 as a donation from the Orange Empire Chapter of the Studebaker Driver’s Club in California.
After raising around $100,000 from various donors, including private donors, a donation of replacement parts from Studebaker International and other contributors Stephen Allen’s LLC, Westmoreland Studebaker, Studebakers West and Midwest Studebaker, the work began in January 2024 and the car returned to the museum Thursday, July 10 2025.
Razorfly aimed for perfection when renovating the 1951 Studebaker Commander by maintaining the spirit of the movie as well as the spirit of the vehicle design, Zoran said. The company conducted hours of research and even reached out to Disney to view behind-the-scenes footage of the film to make the vehicle drive again, rather than have it be a prop.
“We had to find out what they removed, what they modified," Zoran said. "All of those changes we had to then reverse and almost reverse engineer. We actually had to manufacture some parts to make the car back to (its) normal usability."
Below are some before and after photos:
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| Photo: Southbend Tribune |
International Academy Award-winning costume, prop house and custom car builder Razorfly Studios in Sylva, North Carolina, was commissioned to do the restoration.
Restorers sandblasted the car down to the bare metal before coating the frame in a sealant to prevent further rust. then tried to replicate the specific psychedelic paint job Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem gave it.
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| Photo: Southbend Tribune |
Museum Curator Kyle Sater said he started choking up seeing the car roll out of its trailer "This car is more than a car," t's cross-generational — it's an icon... It symbolizes friendship and memory and nostalgia."
The film actually features two identical 1951 Studebaker Commanders. One car was used for long shots, while the second was modified so the puppeteers could control the Muppets from under the dashboard while a professional driver steered the car from the trunk using custom controls.
Following production, the car sat outdoors for years on a Warner Bros. backlot, until the Studebaker National Museum acquired it in 2004 as a donation from the Orange Empire Chapter of the Studebaker Driver’s Club in California.
A full restoration was always the intent when the museum first acquired the car, but it took time to get the money to do it. In January 2022, The museum launched a crowdsourcing campaign hoping to get $175,000
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| Photo: Southbend Tribune |
After raising around $100,000 from various donors, including private donors, a donation of replacement parts from Studebaker International and other contributors Stephen Allen’s LLC, Westmoreland Studebaker, Studebakers West and Midwest Studebaker, the work began in January 2024 and the car returned to the museum Thursday, July 10 2025.
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| Photo: Southbend Tribune |
Part of the restoration included a "meticulous recreation of the psychedelic paint scheme" and restoring the car's mechanical systems and remote cockpit, which was used to operate the vehicle during filming. This was one of the greatest challenges, Zoran said.
Razorfly aimed for perfection when renovating the 1951 Studebaker Commander by maintaining the spirit of the movie as well as the spirit of the vehicle design, Zoran said. The company conducted hours of research and even reached out to Disney to view behind-the-scenes footage of the film to make the vehicle drive again, rather than have it be a prop.
“We had to find out what they removed, what they modified," Zoran said. "All of those changes we had to then reverse and almost reverse engineer. We actually had to manufacture some parts to make the car back to (its) normal usability."
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| Photo: Ed George |
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| Photo: Ed George |
UPDATE:
More information about The Studebaker National Museum and Fozzie's car can be found here: https://studebakermuseum.org/exhibition/fozzies-studebaker
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