Postwar Studebakers

uplanderguy · March 2013

Although I'm mostly interested in '60's Studebakers, my understanding is that Studebaker, in conjunction with B-W, developed their "Automatic Drive" in 1950, that had a lock-up torque converter like Packard's Ultramatic of the year before. I have read in more than one place that Ford wished to buy the Studebaker "Automatic Drive" but that Studebaker wouldn't sell--a dumb idea! By '56, when Studebaker's fortunes were failing, they began to buy B-W automatics (called "Flightomatic" by Studebaker) 'off the shelf', so to speak.

When the Avanti was introduced, supposedly Studebaker worked in conjunction with B-W to come up with a 3-speed automatic that could be shifted manually through three forward speeds (quadrant PRND21). Supposedly that was an Avanti exclusive at the time of introduction--summer '62. Later, in the '63 model year, that trans was offered in Larks and Hawks too.

Hope this helps a little.

texases · March 2013

Yep, helps a lot. Thanks!

uplanderguy · March 2013

Here's some info from wikipedia that's basically the same as I said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Drive

jljac · March 2013

I agree with everything Uplanderguy said about the Studebaker Automatic drive that it developed with Borg Warner. My 1955 Commander has one of those and I wrote an earlier post about all the reasons I like it. Three speeds, starts in first gear, excellent gas mileage, air cooled etc.

It was too expensive for Studebaker after their sales decreased, so they switched to the Ford automatic in 1956, but then the very same transmission that Studebaker developed with Borg Warner showed up in Mercedes Benz cars until approximately 1962. It was used in Jaguars too.

uplanderguy · March 2013

A Cruiser, here it is:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Studebaker_Cruiser.jpg

Options include white vinyl top, disc brakes, factory air, transistorized ignition, and 50/50 split front seats. It has a beautiful black brocade cloth interior with rear-seat center armrest.

Immediately given to a Stude exec in South Bend to drive (although was built in Hamilton, Ontario), in 1969 Studebaker Corp. gave the car to the city of South Bend. It had just under 20K miles when I last looked inside of it.

jljac · March 2013

I read a story in Turning Wheels last year that said that Studebaker employees in Canada knew the end was near when management did not replace the stamp in the press that made the trunk lids after it wore out. The employees believed that production would stop then they ran out of trunk lids and that is what happened. Studebaker kept building cars after 1964 until they had to make a major investment.

uplanderguy · March 2013

I remember reading that article too. The '64-66 does have a complex trunk lid shape from the rear--multiple bends and surfaces. I don't ever remember Newman and Altman having '64-66 trunk lids, when they had '62-63 coming out the you-know-what, and earlier lids as well.

jljac · March 2013

I got two interesting E-mails from my Studebaker website at www. Stude.net over the weekend.

The first one I received is about the Studebaker-Mercedes Benz connection. It is worth seeing. http://johnstraub.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-mercedes-studebaker-connection.html Many great photos and it seems like an interesting site. I will check it out more when I have the time.

The second one was from a girl named Gina who claims to be a descendant of Clem Studebaker and is seeking information about the Studebaker family. I sent her info about a web site that is all about Studebaker family http://www.studebakerfamily.org/

fintail · March 2013

Neat article! Love the 300SL assembly pics, swoon.

I like the look of this dealership a lot, I could see my fintail there:

And speaking of assembly line pics, I like this one - somehow makes me think of the opening sequence in "Christine":

bhill2 · March 2013

And speaking of assembly line pics, I like this one - somehow makes me think of the opening sequence in "Christine"

Fin, you have a truly twisted sense of humor. I respect you for that.

jljac · March 2013

I like the movie Christine a lot and have a lot of sympathy for the guy who bought that car. Christine was the inspiration for the slide show I made about my Commander. Go to the bottom of this page and click on James Dean Road To Cholame Slide Show - http://stude.net/commander.html

berri · March 2013

...except shouldn't that be Kristine or Kristina over there?

uplanderguy · March 2013

I've seen that '63 photo of the dealership before...thinking it's in S.C. I could enjoy owning every car that's visible in that pic! Particularly, I'd love that black Gran Turismo Hawk. That badge at the bottom of the fender indicates Avanti power, either R1 or supercharged R2, very rare even then and desirable today.

fintail · March 2013

I think that movie got to a lot of us.

I will never look under the front of a car with its hood up, and brace my hand on the overlap area where the hood closes :shades:

fintail · March 2013

Does it only get oldies stations? I only listen to oldies in my car :shades:

fintail · March 2013

That works. Thinking of that, I don't really have a name for my car, I just call it "fintail".

berri · March 2013

I only listen to oldies in my car

Probably because so much of today's rock is either discordant rap or depressing new wave sorrow. Current rock 'n roll gave away the dominant market share to Nashville and Austin because of that.

fintail · March 2013

I like 80s new wave, but it goes best in a period car. 80s MB SEC, yes.

In the modern car I will listen to music up into the 90s, but I am already an old fuddy duddy, and not much newer popular music gets me going. I do listen to some modern electronic music. Old car doesn't usually get out of the 70s, and works best with 60s of course - music from 1960-66 or works well in my car.

berri · March 2013

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't really categorize today's rock as New Wave. It was more of an 80's/90's thing (although in the 80's I preferred the power rockers). Today's rock is just too whiny and everything seems to often just be down on something. Country rock meanwhile has moved over to more upbeat and easy themes like rock in the 60's. The 60's was an interesting era musically. Doo-Wop and Rockabilly then Surfer then Motown and British Invasion and finally underground and psychedelic came onto the scene. A lot of changes in a relatively short period of time

jljac · March 2013

The 60's was an interesting era musically

I will never forget seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show in February 1964. I was in sixth grade thinking about holding a girl's hand and they were singing about it. WOW, the look, the hair, the suits, the sound and the great music all in one package. It was not just one guy singing a song somebody else wrote supported by a back-up band. There were so many things to see when they performed. My sister switched the choice of her favorite Beatle on a regular basis and had a great collection of Beatle cards that were sold like baseball cards.

Because we have so many TV and radio stations today, we will probably not have a nation-wide shared experience like that again for any one musical group or person. They broke up during my final year of high school, so they were my sound track for my teen age years.

Returning to cars, the radio in my Studebaker Commander still works and it has never been repaired . . .or if it was repaired, that happened before 1979 when I got it. I also have an old refrigerator that was made during the Beatles era. I only keep it as a back-up to see how long it lasts and because it keeps ice cream at exactly the right temperature. Not too hard, not too soft. The old ones are so much more durable than the new ones.

My family had a natural gas powered refrigerator that we got from my grandmother and it was still working when we got rid of it about 15 years later. We never had to worry about the electric power going out with that baby!

fintail · March 2013

Luckily, with satellite radio and digital music players, I can just kind of avoid most of the whiny modern stuff. I don't feel like I am missing much. Pop music might have kind of peaked in the 60s, maybe similar to cars.

My first car, a 66 Galaxie, went well with Motown. The fintail works with stuff up until the early British Invasion, IMO.

fintail · March 2013

My grandparents bought the house where my grandmother still lives, new, ~50 years ago. At that time, they bought a fridge for use in the garage, which is still there and works fine. The house has several original appliances too, but the wall oven and fridge finally started going out a few years ago,and were replaced. I bet we won't see that service life out of new stuff.

My fintail has a Becker Europa made in 1964 (at the time, MBs didn't have factory installed radios, they were usually a dealer installed option), I had it refurbished a few years ago, it works fantastic.

berri · March 2013

You certainly won't get that kind of life out of today's appliances with their Chinese crap parts. That's the fallacy to the government inflation CPI statistics. The price may not be rising a lot, but if it lasts half as long - that's unrecognized inflation. At least today's cars are much better built and longer lasting.

berri · March 2013

I always liked those fintail coupes; very distinctive looking - but I'm thinking Dion and the Four Seasons might play better in something slathered in chrome - just kidding!

fintail · March 2013

I associate some cars and music - for me, Four Seasons are definitely a 62-64 Impala.

For a MB, a W111 fintail sedan or coupe is slathered with chrome. The most flamboyant postwar design the company has had. The coupe is a 1961 car and sedans were new in 59, so they are of the period.

I like the song "Telstar" to go with the fintail, a very modern and high tech piece, just like the fintail was.

jljac · March 2013

I associate some cars and music - for me, Four Seasons are definitely a 62-64 Impala.

For the Chevy Impala think of, She's Real Fine My 409.

When Paul McCartney released Helen Wheels around 1973, I thought he was singing, "Yellow Wheels" which I associated with my yellow 1960 Lark which in turn led to me painting the 1955 Messerschmitt yellow when I was in the Army in Germany.

I had a portable 8 track player in the Messerschmitt and used to play that song loud and often during trips. As good traveling songs, I also liked Born to Be Wild, Baby Driver and, (after a few beers), that Creedence Clearwater Revival song that goes, Theres the Bathroom on the Right.

fintail · March 2013

409 makes me think of a bubbletop for some reason. I don't know what would fit in a Messerschmitt - maybe WW2 German music :shades:

Most 1960-early 70s popular music is good for driving in a vintage car. Although I imagine the fintail's original owner listening to Perry Como or similar.

berri · March 2013

Funny, I always thought of the Four Seasons as a GM band too, although a bit more upscale say Pontiac or Olds. Since they're from NJ I wonder if in real life they were Lincoln people though? Now Dion - that's gotta be a big finned Caddy!

Telstar is a neat instrumental from that time era - maybe 1962 (although I believe the band was actually UK).

jljac · March 2013

Sorry, but I don't a connection between the 409 song and any type of foreign car. My Schmitt motor only has 198 cc's. I wish it had 409 cc's.

The 409 song a drag racing song from Little Deuce Coupe, one of the great car albums of all time Listen here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_w0XPPBRw

fintail · March 2013

Yes, I know what a 409 is :P - I meant a "bubbletop" like a 61 Impala, not a microcar.

fintail · March 2013

For some reason I see the fullsize GM hardtops big in the NY/NJ area in the mid 60s, and I imagine the Four Seasons were huge then and there, so it fits for me. Dion makes me think of Christine, as I think one of his songs was used then.

Telstar was maybe the first successful electronic/synthesized piece, ahead of its time.

bhill2 · March 2013

I don't know what would fit in a Messerschmitt - maybe WW2 German music

Well, the Beatles performed in Germany quite a bit during their early years. Some of the performances were in German. That might work. Probably depends on the age of the Messerschmitt.

fintail · March 2013

Oh yeah, I've heard the German Beatles songs. Those would work for the fintail, too. I've also heard German Supremes songs.

jljac · March 2013

Sorry, I never heard of a Chevy being called a "bubble top." Schmitts are often called "bubble tops" or "bubble cars. "

If an American car had that title, it should be the 1955 or 56 Ford Crown Victoria, but only half the roof was a bubble, not the whole thing.

fintail · March 2013

These, due to their curved roofline, curved and thin pillars with huge glass area, are nicknamed "bubbletops" (62 Bel Air sport coupe, too)

The Fords are "glasstops", IIRC.

jljac · March 2013

I like most Beatles songs, but the German versions are pretty bad, especially Sie Lieb Dich, Ja, Ja, Ja." (Note: Dich is pronounced "dick'")

In the the defense of the Beatles, some German songs were even worse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_suche_Dich. No way I did I drive around around paying that one when I was in Germany. :lemon:

jljac · March 2013

Somehow, that red 1961 Chevy with the big back window looks similar to something I have seen before.

Oh year, I remember now.

texases · March 2013

Also "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand"...

fintail · March 2013

The C-pillar/rear window/rear windshield relationship on those reminds me of these:

fintail · March 2013

Haha yeah I can hear that, the songs are on youtube too. The Supremes in German is also kind of brutal, it's as bad as my spoken German :shades:

uplanderguy · March 2013

I don't know why, but in the '63, '64, and '66 Studebakers I owned, I thought pre-Beatles early '60's pop or easy listening seem to fit the cars...like "Ramblin' Rose" by Nat King Cole, for instance. There was a 1983 PBS special on Studebaker twenty years after its U.S. demise, that at the hour's end featured a '63 Lark Daytona convertible driving away while Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" played. I thought that was cool and time-appropriate.

fintail · March 2013

That's probably more realistic music for most old cars - young people didn't generally buy new cars, so new music probably wasn't usually listened to in them. IIRC, the fintail's first owner was in his 60s when he bought the car, and was a doctor - probably wasn't listening to the Beatles or the Four Seasons. Something like Herb Alpert would probably be edgy for him.

Speaking of Christine from earlier, it's on TV here now.

jljac · March 2013

I thought pre-Beatles early '60's pop or easy listening seem to fit the cars

In the winter of 1963-64 President Kennedy was killed, then Studebaker quit auto production in South Bend, so the when the Beatles arrived in February they were some welcome relief from a pretty depressing winter.

That PBS show you mentioned is Studebaker Less Than They Promised. I have it on bootleg VCR, but I have not seen it on DVD. Here is the book that went with the movie.
http://www.amazon.com/Studebaker-Less-Than-They-Promised/dp/0897081293\

Speaking of Studebaker music, once when I was going through an old abandoned Studebaker dealership I found a record with the label Record for Studebaker Dealers laying in a pile of wet junk. It had Mr. Ed singing his TV show theme song (he was a horse, of course) and one called The Pretty Little Filly With the Pony Tail on the B-side. It also had two Studebaker advertising songs including the one below.

I know most old timers at this site may have already seen and heard this, but there are always new members who may have missed it. http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/JLJac1/media/11LarkShowKathyKylie-1.mp4.html

jljac · March 2013

I was looking for this. The opening music and production line scene for Christine to the song "Bad to the Bone.' Worth seeing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WOUaBckzw

Hard to imagine that the kids of today will not remember what a flashy, nice car the Plymouth was.

uplanderguy · March 2013

That PBS show you mentioned is Studebaker Less Than They Promised

Yes, that's it, a takeoff on their old slogan "Always Give More Than You Promise".

Pretty amazing that twenty years later, talk of the shutdown could still bring tears to the eyes of former employees.

jljac · March 2013

The title of the PBS production Studebaker Less Than They Promised is misleading because the content proves that the opposite was true. The employees interviewed had mostly nice things to say about working at Studebaker, which began as the Studebaker Brothers' blacksmith shop in 1852 and grew like a huge family in South Bend for approximately 111 years.

Here is the amazing story of Studebaker employee named Frank Kwilinski who received a 60 year service pin for working at Studebaker and is featured here http://thestudebakerwheel.com/employee_pins/employee_pins.htm . Part of the article says this:

You see Mr. Kwilinski was the individual who had completed the longest continuous tenure of any employee in the auto industry. He had started at Studebaker on May 4,1886 in the paint department of the carriage works and by the time of the banquet he had been on the job for 60 years. When he later retired on October 31, 1950 his remarkable record stood at 64 years, 5 months and 27 days. It is likely a feat that has not been approached in the industry.
=====================================================

Studebaker gave its employees service pins every five years of service. I am proud to have all 8 of my grandfathers pins for 40 years of service. I will be getting my 45 year Studebaker Drivers Club pin this year. (I joined in 1968 when I was 15 years old before I had a drivers license.) A photo of those pins is at the beginning of this site at Message No. 10. I plan to beat Franks record by getting a 65 year pin. Roll Studebaker. . . . . .Roll!!!!

lemko · March 2013

My Cadillacs have names. The 1989 Brougham is "Cyndee" and the 2007 DTS Performance is "Black Beauty." The others are anonymous.

lemko · March 2013

I'd say early 1990s was "grunge" like Nirvana and Alice in Chains.

lemko · March 2013

When I drove my 1968 Buick Special Deluxe, I always played music like the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds, The Beatles, etc. because it seemed to go with the car as a flashback to the time when it was new.

lemko · March 2013

The fintail makes me think more of Shirley Bassey singing "Goldfinger."

Postwar Studebakers

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