The cars you see on a day-to-day basis blow past you like a train heading for a one-cow town: Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Ford Mustang, Chevy Silverado, and so on. To find real cars with real creativity, you have to turn elsewhere to get your fix. On the internet, one great place to find them is the Hemmings Blog, where this incredible 1950 Studebaker Starlight made waves with the blog’s followers last week.

Starlights are undeniably rare today, having been produced between 1947 and 1952. Each year, they come closer and closer to extinction thanks to the ever-increasing scarcity of parts available to rebuild them, increasing the cost and time investment that scares off restorers across the nation.

Nevertheless, none can deny the incredible appeal wrapped up in those classic bullet noses, combined with the striking greenhouse and pontoon-style lines that gave the car a silhouette unlike any other; in its time, “futuristic” was the word that came to people’s minds. It’s thus quite fitting that the restorer of this particular Starlight sought to pay homage to that heritage by merging the aesthetics of contemporary airplanes with that of the Studebaker’s rocket-like body.

Per the owner’s description, the car sports graphics mimicking the design of P-38 Lightnings, a twin-boom American fighter from WWII that saw action in both theaters. It cost the man “$12K in body work/paint,” including the installation of over 750 rivets to various parts of the body.

Needless to say, this car was a labor of love, and it can be felt and seen in all aspects. We hope whoever finally slapped down the money for this gleaming coupe knows how to treat it right, because a Starlight like this can’t be taken lightly.