Studebaker was born in 1852 when blood brother Henry and Clem build up three covered Wagon in South Bend , Indiana . Actually there were five Studebaker brothers , all of whom enter in company affairs over the years . By 1872 , Studebaker was the largest horse - draw vehicle producer in the human beings .
J.M. " Wheelbarrow Johnny " was president in 1902 when Studebaker began building machine . The first were electrics , presently joined ( and later replace ) by gas - power models . Albert Russell Erskine , a one - time company accountant , ran the company from 1915 to 1933 .
Erskine liked to say " I eat on obstacles for breakfast . " His energy , optimism , and efficiency procreate Studebaker ’s sales and profits . The companionship was quite successful in the medium - Leontyne Price discipline , but Erskine wanted to enlarge both down- and upmarket . In 1927 , a idle six ( dub Erskine ) gave Studebaker a front in low - price field . Pierce - Arrow was acquired in ' 28 and give Studebaker a strong ingress in the sumptuousness market .
Studebaker fared poorly after the 1929 origin market collapse . Albert Erskine ’s optimism worked against him during the Depression . rather of conserving cash reticence , he paid large dividend to Studebaker shareholders , expecting the saving to recuperate soon . The Depression only deepened and Erskine ’s policies put the company in a unstable location .
The Erskine car was a weak performing artist and sell poorly . It became the Studebaker Model 53 Six during 1930 . Having failed with his namesake railway car , A.R. Erskine tried again with another low - priced " fellow traveler , " the Rockne , nominate for then - famous Notre Dame football game coach Knute Rockne .
This car did n’t last as long as the Erskine , with just over 36,000 build in 1932 - 33 . At $ 585-$735 , the Rockne should have sold well in those mysterious Depression years , but a deficiency of power was a disability , compounded by flukey craftsmanship . Yet another Erskine error was selling a Studebaker call Dictator . The name seemed downright unpatriotic as real - life story dictators Hitler and Mussolini consolidated their power , yet it persisted through 1937 .
Excluding the Erskine , Studebaker ’s 1930 argument encompassed no fewer than six engines and seven serial . A six and eight , both 221 - three-dimensional - column inch inline units of like power , featured in that year ’s 115 - inch - wheelbase Dictator and 120 - inch Commander series . Low - priced 114 - inch - wheelbase Standard Sixes anchored the business line .
At the top were splendid President Eights , offer on both a 125 - inch - wheelbase build and a special 135 - inch political program . These were the fine automobiles South Bend work up in this decade – perhaps the best ever .
For more on defunct American cars, see:
1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 Studebakers
For 1931 , Studebaker drop the Dictator Six , but keep back the Dictator Eight . wheelbase stretched to 124 inches on air force officer and to 130/136 on president . At midyear , the 221 Dictator eight was reboot from 70 to 81 bhp , and the long - CVA 250.4 - Criminal Investigation Command Commander unit was pushed to 101 . price were conform to cover a more or less broader range of $ 795-$2550 , versus 1930 ’s $ 895-$2595 .
This same lineup returned for 1932 , when either a modest 205 - cid six or smaller 190 - Criminal Investigation Command six powered the Rockne . The elderly - line six , a stroke 230 with 80 bhp , went into a young 117 - inch - wheelbase Standard human body that also served Dictator Eights . The Commander ’s wheelbase increased an inch . All Presidents had a 135 - column inch wheelbase .
For 1933 , Commanders cod a 117 - column inch wheelbase with a smaller 235 - Criminal Investigation Command square eight , but at 100 bhp , it had almost the same business leader . The President retained its 135 - inch form and the tranquil 337 - cid 135 - bhp eight . The 125 - inch - wheelbase President returned – this time with a small 250 - cid eight rated at 125 horsepower . The Dictator name was wisely drop for that class .
Curiously , the Dictator name returned for ' 34 . Comprising Standard , Special , and Deluxe modeling , Dictators had a 113 - column inch - wheelbase and were powered by a 205 six with 88 bhp . That class ’s Commanders rode a 119 - column inch wheelbase and carried a revived 221 eight , albeit with 103 bhp . Presidents were downgrade to a 110 - bhp , 250 - cid eight and now rag a 123 - inch chassis .
Sales dwindled from over 123,000 for 1930 to under 26,000 for ' 32 , dropping the make from fourth to 11th . Studebaker finished 14th for 1933 , when it went into receivership after a hoped - for fusion with White Motors fell through . With that , fellowship head Albert Russell Erskine resigned , then committed self-destruction soon afterward .
Stepping into this managerial severance were output frailty - chairman Harold S. Vance and sales agreement VP Paul G. Hoffman , who would together with point Studebaker through 1949 . They quickly got rid of Pierce - Arrow ( the luxury market had melt ) , then took footstep to get idle yield lines moving again .
As a outcome , Studebaker made a little gain in 1934 , enough to guarantee a line of credit rating and get out of receivership . yield promptly move up to near 60,000 from 1933 ’s paltry 12,500 , lift the make to eighth in the industry . Output slipped below 44,000 for ' 35 , but recovered to near 56,000 and some 98,000 for 1936 - 37 , severally , when Studebaker fetch up 11th and tenth .
Part of this success muse a reversal of Erskine ’s " full - ancestry " market approach . Studebaker ’s 1934 - 35 line comprise just three serial : Dictator Six , Commander Eight , and President Eight . Commanders then take a two - year vacation .
For 1934 , Studebaker introduce streamline " Year before " manakin with pontoon fenders and rounded grille . Rumble - seat body types depart the following year . For more on defunct American cars , see :
1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 Studebakers
" Potato " shapes were evident for 1936 - 37 , as most everywhere else , yet Studebaker managed a fine-looking , individual appearing . Offerings in both those years consist 116 - column inch - wheelbase Dictators and Presidents that rode 125 - inch chassis .
For 1938 styling , Studebaker executive Paul G. Hoffmann hire Raymond Loewy , the bright industrial house decorator who ’d created the 1932 - 34 " Aerodynamic " Hupmobiles . This first of many Loewy projects at South Bend produced a outstanding prow - character radiator with pod headlights snugged in between it and the fenders , plus GM - style " catwalk " trim on some models .
Those offering involved a resuscitate Commander Six with five body expressive style , a replacement for the set forth Dictator on a slightly farsighted 116.5 - column inch flesh . The same platform corroborate four State Commander Eights , while a newly abbreviated 122 - inch chassis appear under four State Presidents . The 1939 models had headlamp moved out into the buffer and more horizontal grillework to match .
Though Studebaker make a respectable $ 2 million for 1936 , net income slimmed to just $ 812,000 for ' 37 , fall out by a shortage of $ 1.76-million in recession - plagued 1938 . But things meliorate markedly in ' 39 , when modelling - year car yield jumped intimately 50 per centum to almost 86,000 . From there , it went nowhere but up until the war .
The self-aggrandising reason for this howl success was the cleanly title hero , uncommitted as a new economic system coupe , club saloon , and four - door Cruising Sedan on a 110 - in wheelbase . incline in the $ 660-$800 compass , it be only $ 25-$40 more than the " Low - Priced Three . "
Though carefully weight - engineered by engineer VP Roy Cole and project chief Eugene Hardig , the Champ was no less solid than a Commander or President . Its new 164.3 - cid L - head six was small than rival engine and made less exponent – 78 bhp initially – but the Champ delivered comparable performance because it weighed an average 500 - 600 pounds less .
Though no match for a V-8/85 Ford , it would flow up to 78 miles per hour – adequate to or better than Chevy , Plymouth , and the Ford V-8/60 . Mileage and durability were fantastic .
With all this , the Champ scored nearly 34,000 model - year sale despite its midseason debut , lofting Studebaker back up to seventh in the industry with total 1939 automobile production just unawares of 86,000 . Coupled with the much - reduced break - even point of 75,000 cars wrought by Hoffman and Vance , South Bend earned $ 2.9 million .
You do n’t mess with a Saviour , so Champ change for 1940 were trammel to finer grille ginmill , seal - ray headlamps per industry practice , new Custom DeLuxe trim , and a 2d coupe with rear " opera house seat . " serial production nearly doubled for the model yr , hitting 66,264 .
commanding officer and Presidents returned with wheelbase and engine unaltered in 1938 - 39 , but lost their convertible sedan chair , give each with a coupe , Cruising Sedan , and two - door club sedan chair ; Commander still listed a business coupe as well . Front ends were more Lincoln - like than Champion ’s , with sharper prows and a split , roughly heart - shaped vertical - measure grille . president sold for about $ 125 more than comparable Commanders , which ranged up of $ 200 above the Champs .
1941, 1942 Studebakers
Studebaker clothes designer Raymond Loewy reworked the entire melodic line for 1941 , giving the cars slightly sharp nose and lower , wider erect - legal profession grilles . The engines were reworked , too . Champ ’s was stroked to 169.6 cid and 80 bhp , while more - subtle change lifted Commander ’s six to 94 bhp and the President ’s satiny nine - main straight - eight to 117 .
1941 was another first-class Studebaker sale twelvemonth , though the make slipped from eighth to ninth in the exemplary - twelvemonth production race . Still , Champ attracted nigh 85,000 buyers to become the exclusive advantageously - selling line in Studebaker history , and Commander lift from just under 35,000 to nearly 42,000 . President maintained its depleted - volume custom with just under 7000 model - twelvemonth sales , up only 500 from 1940 .
A wide , heavier - looking , and rather Chevy - like " face " arrived for war - abbreviate ' 42 , when DeLux - flavor models were rename " Deluxstyle . " Studebaker touted a " new , perfected Turbo - matic movement " as a Commander / President option . This was much like Chrysler ’s semiautomatic Fluid Drive , a manual contagion with a fluid yoke allow for clutchless changes within two gear ranges .
Studebaker returned to eighth for the model yr by building some 50,000 cars before February 1942 , when the authorities ended consumer yield for the duration of World War II .
Studebaker ’s military turnout was numerous and wide-ranging , chiefly trucks ( where the firm had an equally prospicient and successful record ) but also airplane engines and " Weasel " personnel carriers . Thanks mostly to the success of the ' 39 Champion , Studebaker had turned over its styling chores to Loewy Associates , an outside firm not wholly occupied with defense contracts . As a upshot , Studebaker was capable to introduce all - Modern postwar railroad car in the bounce of 1946 – well forward of everyone else except industry starter Kaiser - Frazer . in the first place that class , Studebaker returned to civilian car sale with Skyway Champions , slightly altered rendering of the 1942 Champ three- and five - passenger coupe and two- and four - threshold sedan chair . change were few and low : an upper - grille molding that extend beneath the headlight , optional lamps atop the fenders , and the elimination of hoodside molding . Only 19,275 were built before South Bend change over to the all - new ' 47s . For more on defunct American railway car , see :
1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951 Studebakers
be some $ 11 million to grow , the appealing 1947 Studebakers – the first newfangled models since 1942 , because of World War II – had evolved from sketches done as early as 1940 by young Robert E. Bourke . It was that piece of work that propel Bourke ’s hiring at designing firm Loewy Associates by Virgil M. Exner , the radical ’s chief stylist .
Exner had joined Loewy before the war after a career at Pontiac . Though Exner begin the ' 47 Studebaker program , he leave Loewy before the conception was finalized , so the end Cartesian product was a blend of Exner and Bourke idea .
Postwar Presidents were still some years off in 1947 , but Commanders returned along with Champions . The latter , no longer called Skyway , were little alter mechanically , but rode a two - column inch - longer wheelbase . A limited 123 - inch chassis was reserve for a lucullan new Commander Land Cruiser priced at $ 2043 .
Other Commanders continue the prewar 119 - inch wheelbase . Both serial publication list two- and four - doorway saloon ( the latter now with " suicide " back threshold ) , farseeing - pack of cards three - seater coupe , and a new five - passenger " Starlight " coupe with radical three - element wraparound rearward windowpane . All were usable with fundament DeLuxe trimming or , for about $ 120 more , in new Regal DeLuxe form .
Also new were a brace of Regal convertibles , a $ 1902 Champ and $ 2236 Commander . Studebaker returned to profitability in 1947 , earning more than $ 9 million on 58.5-percent higher calendar - year gondola / truck sales .
The up trend continued in 1948 , with $ 19 million in pay on calendar - year output of over a quarter - million cars and trucks – both Studebaker criminal record . Predictably , South Bend ’s car shift little for ' 48 , though a fly hood medal provided instant identification .
Another , more significant linewide change was a price salary increase average out $ 200 , bringing stickers to $ 1535-$2430 in reflection of strong postwar puffiness . South Bend moved up a nick on the industry roll , finish 7th for the model year with nearly 185,000 railway car .
Though brand - new styling was planned for 1949 to one - up the challenger again , deficiency of time precluded it , so Studebaker settle for culture . title-holder sported a new wicket composed of horizontal and vertical louvers forming three rows of orthogonal porta , and the Commander six was stroke to 245.6 cid , unspoiled for an even 100 bhp . Despite the deficiency of alteration , profit soar to $ 27.5 million . Studebaker was 98 years youthful in 1950 , which would be its comfortably - ever auto year . simulation - year production add up 343,166 . Grand preparations were underway for the firm ’s " second 100 , " about which there were many every bit grand predictions . But , of course , that second 100 years would be cut down far little – to on the dot 14 . seek to look refreshing against novel - design rivals for 1950 , Studebaker give its basic ' 47 bodies a spectacular cowl - forward rhytidectomy that was controversial at the time . fit in to designer Bob Bourke , the new " bullet nose " front was ordered by the French - accented Loewy with the Son , " Now Bob , eet has to appear like zee plane . " It did , and had the most - outre nerve of any American car since Graham ’s abortive 1939 - 40 " Sharknose . "
The unexampled front increase wheelbase a nominal one in for all 1950 Studebakers , bring in Champs up to 113 inch and Commanders to 120 . Engines were unaltered . So was the line - up , except for a quartet of damage - leading Champ Customs in the low-toned $ 1400s . That year ’s Land Cruiser was tagged at $ 2187 .
The class ’s big expert news was " Automatic Drive " as an across - the - add-in option . Studebaker had designed this excellent new to the full ego - shifting transmitting in cooperation with the Detroit Gear Division of Borg - Warner – the only postwar automatic develop by an independent other than Packard ’s Ultramatic .
Wheelbases were rearranged again for 1951 , thanks to an improved chassis with better brakes , easier " center - point " guidance , and a 115 - inch wheelbase for all example ( up two on Champions , down five on air force officer ) except the Land Cruiser , which got a 119 - inch spread .
Champ power was unchanged , but there was bragging news in Studebaker ’s first V-8 , a new standard for Commanders . size at 232.6 cid , it pumped out 120 bhp by conventional means , although overhead cam and hemispherical combustion chamber had been considered .
go up production costs forced Studebaker to raise price a bit for 1951 , and again at midyear for a range run $ 1560-$2380 . But buyers seemed felicitous to pay for South Bend ’s brisk unexampled V-8 , which boosted Commander gross revenue no less than 70 percent .
visual aspect change for ' 51 were flimsy . The slug nose was tone down by painting its chrome out ring , the prominent air vents above the hero - grilles were wipe out , and modeling epithet were spelled out on hood leading edge . However you think it looks now , the 1950 - 51 bullet olfactory organ was quite salable . Though Korean War restrictions hold 1951 car production to 268,566 , Studebaker really increased its marketplace contribution from 4.02 to 4.17 per centum .
1952, 1953, 1954 Studebakers
An all - new Studebaker was planned for centennial 1952 , with unit construction and evolutionary bullet - nose styling . But though this " N - Series " come along to a functional prototype , it was vacate due to continuing regime restraints on civilian commodity and a liberal upturn in Studebaker ’s military business .
Accordingly , the ' 47 weapons platform was facelifted one last time for ' 52 , gaining a scummy and toothy full - breadth radiator grille dub " the clam excavator " by Loewy Associates stylists . Offerings stood pat with the exception of the belated addition of novel Starliner hardtop coupe . As in ' 51 , trim level comprised Custom , DeLuxe , and Regal for Champion ; Regal and State for Commander . Starliners were top - lining .
To no one ’s surprise , Studebaker paced the 1952 Indy 500 , and a Champ and Commander scored course of instruction wins in that year ’s Mobilgas Economy Run . But Studey ’s centennial saw production of just 186,239 units .
Studebaker updated its tone in literal gamey style for the first model yr of its 2nd century . Headlining the all - new ' 53 line were the now - legendary " Loewy coupe . " These were silky , low , and clean – triumphs of good taste .
There were six in all : pillarless Regal Starliner and pillared Deluxe and Regal Starlights , Commander , and Champion . Despite the " Loewy " moniker , the canonic design was actually the work of Bob Bourke . It was first specify only for a show railcar , but Loewy himself convince Studebaker direction that it should be put into production .
Perfect from every angle , the Loewy coupe mounted a newfangled 120.5 - column inch Land Cruiser chassis rather than the 116.5 - inch platform used for other role model . Advertised as the " newfangled European flavor , " it ’s still widely consider as America ’s best self-propelling design of the decennary . Studebaker ’s 1953 two- and four - doorway sedans were almost as pretty , accept coupe lines but inevitably stubbier and more unsloped on the shorter wheelbase .
Ominously , tool the ' 53 line delayed its production , which ended at a disappointing 169,899 . bad , when thing finally did get trilled , demand for coupes was four time that for sedans . Management had expected just the reverse , and both clip and cut-rate sale were lost in switching around .
On top of that coupe skeletal system were too light and the flexing resulted in squeaks and rattles . Still , Studebaker managed a svelte $ 2.69 million profit for the fiscal class .
Eggcrate grille inserts identified the predictably little - change ' 54 model , which again included the " Loewys , " a pair of cheap Champ Custom sedans , and Deluxe and Regal sedans in each line . A belated newcomer was the two - door all - steel Conestoga , Studebaker ’s first place wagon . Named for the far-famed " prairie schooner " of the house ’s infancy , it came as Deluxe and Regal Champs and Commanders .
Also new for ' 54 were seven extra cavalry for Commanders and larger brakes across the control panel . More significantly , the coupe ’s flesh was grouse - up , but Studebaker ’s reputation had already been hurt by the poor quality of the ' 53s .
But Studebaker ’s weakness were now painfully ostensible . On " pricing out " a Commander Starliner using the General Motors cost anatomical structure , Bourke found that Chevrolet could have sold it for $ 1900 ; Studebaker charge up $ 2500 .
Meanwhile , the " Ford Blitz " was on , as Dearborn engage a no - holds - exclude price war with GM . Though neither heavyweight damaged the other , they work havoc on independents like Studebaker , whose model - year volume plunged to 81,930 .
But just as thing look blackest , Nash chairperson George Mason persuaded Packard president James J. Nance to buy Studebaker as a prelude to combining with Nash and Hudson to form Mason ’s hoped - for American Motors .
The Packard coup d’etat was punctually accomplished in October 1954 , ushering in the able Nance to preside over a unexampled Studebaker - Packard Corporation . But when Mason fail short that same calendar month , so did his dream of a " Big Four . "
1955, 1956, 1957 Studebakers
Even while being purchased by Packard , Studebaker hitched hope for high sales to a group of facelifted ' 55s laden with chrome . Among them were the first postwar President models : top - line Deluxe and State four - door sedans ( supersede Land Cruiser ) and pillared and pillarless State coupes .
More mogul was the orderliness of the day . The Champ six was stroked to 185.6 cid and 101 bhp . Commander ’s V-8 was pumped up to 140 bhp despite a downsizing to 224.3 cid . Presidents arrive with a 232 bored out to 259 Criminal Investigation Command , serious for 175 bhp . Seeking to hold yield costs , Studebaker discarded Automatic Drive for Borg - Warner ’s cheap " Flight - O - Matic . "
But sales still lagged , so a mickle of changes were made in January ' 55 . Commander was promote to a 162 - bhp " Bearcat " 259 ( an optional " High Power Kit " added 20 bhp more ) , and chair graduated to a 185 - bhp " Passmaster " version .
At the same time , noncoupe Presidents and Commanders gained voguish " Ultra Vista " wrapped windshields , and a jazzy President Speedster hardtop bowed with " quilted " leather interior , full instrumentality in a tool around - alloy dash , and wild two - tone paint schemes like pink and fatal and " maize and lime . "
But because it listed at a pricey $ 3253 , the Speedster was not a big vendor ( just 2215 built ) . Neither were its linemates . In a year when most makes adjust young gross revenue records , Studebaker managed only 133,826 cars . At this point , South Bend demand about 250,000 one-year car sale just to infract even .
A game reskin for ' 56 accomplish a squarer look announced by large mesh - filled grilles . Commander and Champion gained cheap two - door " sedanets " priced under $ 2000 , a spiffy long - chassis Classic sedan chair joined the President cooking stove at $ 2489 , and wagons fetch new figure : Pelham ( Champion ) , Parkview ( Commander ) , and Pinehurst ( President ) . Coupes were dub the Hawk ancestry of " family sports cars . " The last ' fifty Studebakers style by the Loewy team , they featured an admirably confine facelift of the original 1953 coupe , with meek fin and a prominent square grille rag richly on an elevated cowling . Deluxe interiors feature tool - metal dash clipping , as on the ' 55 Speedster . There were four version , pillared Flight Hawk and Power Hawk , and hardtop Sky Hawk and Golden Hawk . All were unspoilt - looking , competent through curves , and telling on straight . Topping Studebaker ’s ' 56 engine chart was a 275 - bhp 352 V-8 from young married person Packard as single power for the Golden Hawk . Champs , Flight Hawk , and the Pelham wagon carry an unaltered six , while 259 V-8s now delivered 170/185 bhp in Commander / Power Hawk / Parkview . A new long - stroke 289 version offered 195/210/225 bhp in Presidents / Sky Hawk / Pinehurst . The Flight Hawk list below $ 2000 and the Golden Hawk at $ 3061 , so Studebaker ’s " family sports machine " were good buys in 1956 . worry was , they were peripheral sellers appealing mainly to fancier , while the wampum - and - butter model attract to few mainstream buyers . Studebaker thus oversee just 85,462 of its ' 56 railcar , including 19,165 Hawks . But the bad was yet to come : In 1957 - 58 , Studebaker and Packard combined could n’t trade more than 80,000 gondola a twelvemonth . In May 1956 , Packard president James J. Nance arranged with Curtiss - Wright Corporation , through its president , Roy Hurley , for " advisory management services " – in other words , a cash bailout . With that , plans for an expansive new 1957 S - atomic number 15 line were abruptly scrub and Nance resigned along with Studebaker chairperson Paul Hoffman and president Harold Vance . This left Hurley to preside over a grouping of 1957 - 58 Studebakers restyled in the only possible path – on the cheap .
Duncan McRae did the act , giving received ' 57s a full - breadth grille and grossly distended rear pilot propose fins . war hawk gained striking fins that did n’t seriously detract from overall appearance . Models were dilute to Deluxe and Custom Champ and Commander sedans , Pelham and Parkview wagons , three President sedan , Golden Hawk , and a new pillared Silver Hawk usable with six or 289 V-8 .
Somehow , Studebaker also managed four - threshold wagons , offer as Commander Provincial and President Broadmoor . Higher compression lifted the 259 - cid V-8 to 180/195 bhp , and the Golden Hawk exchanged its Packard locomotive for a Paxton - pressurize Studebaker 289 delivering the same 275 bhp .
Another attempt to spark sales produced the midyear Scotsman , a tight wagon and two sedans offer six - cylinder mightiness – and very small else – for well under $ 2000 . Some 9300 were sold , but overall ' 57 sales did not spark , and model - class car production stop at only 74,738 .
1958, 1959, 1960 Studebakers
The ' 58s persist in a down volute for struggling Studebaker of ugly car contrive on the cheap , with hastily contrive four - headlamp fronts and even - more - loud trim . Commander and President models introduced unexampled Starlight hardtop coupes on the 116.5 - column inch chassis , but the overall card was thin .
The Scotsmans did well in that recessional year with most 21,000 sales . A honest thing , too , for full volume dropped again , this time to 62,114 .
Studebaker might have die mighty there had it not been for the sudden achiever of the compact Lark . replace all the old stock model for 1959 , this keep back the basic saloon / Plough interior social system used since ' 53 , but shorn of all the extra sheetmetal hung on it in the intervening years , undecomposed for a loss of up to 200 hammering in bridle weight .
In its place , designer Duncan McRae employ simple , neat , well - formed styling announced by a Hawk - like grillwork and a getting even to threefold headlamps . The 169.6 - cid six also returned , make 90 bhp in " Lark VI " Deluxe and Regal two- and four - doorway sedan , two - door wagons , and royal hardtop coupe .
A Regal four - door , hardtop , and waggon comprise the " Lark VIII " series with stock two - barrelful 180 - bhp 259 V-8 ; optional " Power Pack " four - barrel carb and three-fold exhaust fumes contribute 15 horses . coaster wagon ride the conversant 113 - inch wheelbase , but other lark sit down on a trim new 108.5 - in yoke .
With all this , the Lark was lively ( 0 - 60 in under 10 second with 180 - bhp V-8 ) yet economical ( over 22 mpg tardily ) and surprisingly spacious . aid by starting prices below $ 2000 , it was a smash hit , garner 131,078 sale . Studebaker did n’t give up on " family sports car " for ' 59 , but the only one it tender was a pillared Silver Hawk . Available with six or either Lark V-8 , it add only 7788 units to total exemplary - year production . Still , Studebaker establish its way out of the fiscal Mrs. Henry Wood , earning its first profit in six year on a startling sales gain of over 250 percent from abysmal 1958 .
Lark was predictably little changed for 1960 . Minor trim was shuffled , and the grille went from horizontal bars to mesh . Four - door police van returned for the first prison term since 1958 , and that year ’s Lark VIII telephone circuit volunteer Studebaker ’s first transformable in eight yr , a $ 2756 Regal . terms were knock up slightly across the agate line , and this together with new Big Three competition cost some sale .
Ominously , Lark volume also descend by more than one-half for 1961 despite revised out sheetmetal imparting a slightly squarer expression , quad headlamps on V-8 simulation , a new overhead - valve head word that turned the old six into a Modern 112 - bhp " Skybolt Six , " and the addition of a V-8 Lark Cruiser . The last , repair Studebaker ’s luxury - sedan melodic theme , rode the black Maria chassis and boasted a lavishly upholstered Department of the Interior with extra rear legroom . Hawk hark back with a narrow contrast - color board beneath its fin and newly optional four - speed gearbox , but sale slipped to 3340.For more on defunct American cars , see :
Studebaker Lark and Studebaker Hawk
Studebaker got a Modern chairman in early ' 61 when the dynamic Sherwood H. Egbert substitute the battlemented Harold Churchill , who ’d held the job since August 1958 .
in short after he go far , Egbert asked Milwaukee - based industrial designer Brooks Stevens to rework both the Lark and Hawk for 1962 on a six - calendar month " clangour " foundation . Company styling chief Randall Faurot stepped aside , and Stevens whipped up loud but remarkably good makeover .
All titlark now wore space headlamp , plus elongated rearward poop , large round taillights , a Mercedes - corresponding wicket ( Studebaker had been the North American Mercedes - Benz distributor since 1958 via Curtiss - Wright ) , and crisper nonwagon rooflines . Two - threshold waggon vanish , but there were four raw Daytona mannequin : a six and V-8 convertible and hardtop coupe with bucket seat , deluxe trim , and an usable European - eccentric sliding material sunroof for the hardtop .
For the ' 62 Hawk , Stevens resurrected the pillarless " Loewy " body and applied satisfying , Thunderbird - dash rear roof quarters , a matching tail bereft of fins , and a thrust - forward grillwork . He also penned a new dash with a full curing of circular gauge in a with child rectangle with outboard remainder canted in toward the driver .
Retitled Gran Turismo Hawk and offered only with the previous couple of 289 V-8s , it was a deft piece of employment . fast , too , with the optional 225 - bhp railway locomotive good for 120 mph all out and under 10 seconds 0 - 60 mph . Though heavy , the 289 was strong , with far greater power potential drop than its small sizing inculpate – as we ’d shortly see .
Helped by an attractive $ 3095 base price , the GT Hawk draw nearly 8400 vendee . Total Studebaker car sale jumped by over 30,000 to some 101,400 . Regrettably , that would be the firm ’s only increase of the X .
Stevens made further culture for ' 63 . Larks got run down A - column and new windshields , thin door - windowpane underframe , a finely checked grille , and a new Hawk - trend panache with round standard of measurement , rocker switch , and a " vanity " glovebox with pop - up mirror .
Also new , and quite refreshing , was Steven ’s " Wagonaire . " extend in Standard , Regal , and Daytona course , this feature a unique rearward ceiling panel that could be slip forrader for unlimited " headspring way " – perfect for hauling improbable loading . But Wagonaires leaked badly even when buttoned up , which likely explains why brassy fixed - roof Stude wagons were reinstated during the year . Further expand the ' 63 telephone line were six and V-8 sedans in Standard and nicer raw Custom trimming , the latter priced between Regal and Daytona .
The ' 63 GT Hawk displayed a revised wicket like to Lark ’s , round parking lights ( amber , per new federal natural law ) , woodgrain panache trim , and pleated - vinyl group seats . By midseason , both Lark and Hawk could be ordered with fresh " Avanti " 289 V-8s : a 240 - bhp R1 and a 290 - bhp supercharged R2 severally priced at $ 210 and $ 372 . An R2 - equipped " Super Hawk " exceeded 140 mph at Bonneville that twelvemonth ; an R2 " Super Lark " did over 132 mph . Those engine were name for the totally unexpected magisterial - touring Studebaker that get out cover in early 1962 .
Studebaker Avanti
easy the most - stunning South Bend product in a X , the Avanti lived up to its name – " forward " in Italian – brilliantly conceived by Raymond Loewy and his stellar team of John Ebstein , Robert Andrews and Tom Kellogg .
Because young Studebaker designer Brooks Stevens was concern with updating higher - volume models , president Sherwood H. Egbert had turned to longtime designer Loewy Associates for the exotic showy railway car he feel would restore Studebaker ’s sagging image when it bowed in 1962 – a swoopy four - seat coupe of the sort Loewy had been designing for years .
As with Chevrolet ’s first Corvette of a decade before , fibreglass was chosen for the Avanti bodyshell to minimize both time and tooling cost . Those same factors nixed an all - fresh bod , but chief engineer Gene Hardig squawk up a Lark tag - top systema skeletale with front / rear antiroll bars , rearward wheel spoke rods , and the Bendix front - disc powerfulness brake newly optional for the ' 63 Lark and Hawk ( the first caliper discs in U.S. production , by the path ) .
The 289 V-8 was heavily revised to become a " Jet Thrust . " The basic R1 employed 3/4 - race high - lift River Cam , treble - ledgeman distributor , four - drum carb , and dual exhaust fumes . Andy Granatelli ’s Paxton Products , then part of Studebaker , impart a Paxton supercharger to create the R2 .
They also devised a trio of bored - out , 304.5 - cid file name extension : blow R3 with 9.6:1 densification and 335 bhp ; naturally aspirated R4 with twin four - barrelful , 12:1 densification , and 280 bhp ; and the experimental R5 with twin blowers ( one per piston chamber bank ) , magneto ignition , Bendix fuel injection , and no less than 575 bhp .
Immediately generating high excitation , the Avanti call to pile Studebaker showrooms like nothing else in years . Calamitously , production was delayed a decisive six month by botched bodies from the provider , Molded Fiber Glass Company ( which also built Corvette shells ) , forcing Studebaker to fructify up its own fiberglass production .
By the time these and other hemipterous insect were squashed , most emptor with advance order had cancel and buy Corvettes . Thus , just 3834 Avantis ( including 500 exports ) were built for ' 63 .
Overall , Studebaker ’s 1963 mass was well down from ' 62 , skidding to 81,660 . Only Lincoln and Imperial ranked lower among major U.S. make . Egbert , who ’d been repeatedly hospitalize of late , leave in November , never to come back . ( unhappily , he would die of Crab in 1969 . )
A month later , new president Byers Burlingame annunciate the closure of Studebaker ’s historical South Bend plant after fail last - ditch exertion to obtain financing for future models . operation were consolidated at the Hamilton , Ontario , assembly plant , where management hop-skip to return to gainfulness on 20,000 elevator car a year , all family compact .
With that , the Avanti and GT Hawk were unceremoniously dump after a token run of little - changed ' 64 models : just 809 and 1767 , respectively ( let in export ) .
1964, 1965, 1966 Studebakers
Among the last South Bend Studebakers were the first ' 64 Larks , with crisply square new outer trunk panels , again good manners of designer Brooks Stevens . Overall length grew six inches ; the grille became more horizontal , with an eggcrate center and integral headlights ; and a pointy newfangled rearward end carried high - set tail / backup lamps .
The strip Standard was retagged Lark Challenger and price from as low as $ 1943 . The sacred Commander name returned to oust Custom / Regal , a four - room access Daytona sedan arrived , and freshly optional Avanti R3 power keep down a Super Lark ’s 0 - 60 to 7.3 seconds ( though very few such cars were work up ) . The R3 was also listed ( and as seldom ordered ) for the GT Hawk , which stoop out with " Lev Davidovich Landau " roof styling and optional rear vinyl half - top , plus a quiet rear pack of cards and lusterlessness - black dash appliqué . But Studebaker sales kept sliding , to fewer than 20,000 for calendar ' 64 , and to about 44,400 for the example year .
For 1965 , the Lark name was pretermit as a indebtedness and the line pared to just ten " Common - Sense " models : six and V-8 Cruisers , two- and four - room access Commander sedans , and whole - top Commander beach wagon , plus V-8 Daytona Wagonaire ( with and without slue ceiling ) and a new pillared Daytona fun coupe .
Styling was most unaltered . Because the closure of South Bend ended production of Studebaker engine , management settled for Chevy substitutes : the 120 - bhp 194 six from the compact Chevy II and the legendary 283 small - block V-8 in 195 - bhp line .
Hamilton almost managed 20,000 cars for ' 65 , but without facility for formulate transposition models , Studebaker had no real future tense as an car manufacturer . Besides , funding was all but get . The 1966 models thus ended the brand name . These were fundamentally ' 65s warmed over with dual - beam headlamps ( supervene upon quads ) , a new four - one-armed bandit grille , and gentle wind - cartridge remover vents in topographic point of the upper taillight units . Studebaker build only 8947 of these car before calling it depart . In retrospect , Studebaker ’s expiry was a Hellenic grammatical case of the virulent down whorl that take so many make in the Depression : insufficient sales to cover development costs for raw models to supercede progressively unpopular honest-to-goodness ones , thus further depressing sale and spurring lecture of a potential demise that becomes a ego - fulfilling prophecy . So although fall back Studebaker was a capital shame , it was , perhaps , inevitable .
