Postwar Studebakers

uplanderguy · December 2024

You can see in the one profile pic of the '64, it has the slide-out beauty vanity compartment with mirror. Standard on the car in '64; it was optional on my '66 and my last car didn't have it.

benjaminh · December 2024

@uplanderguy

Why is it that you no longer own a Studebaker? I missed that story.

A bit difficult to read, but it looks like this one has only 300 or so miles?

uplanderguy · December 2024

Well, I consider myself an amateur historian of sorts, and can wash and polish and drive with the best of them, but aren't a mechanic in even the slightest sense of the word. I was getting frustrated even having trouble finding a place that would grease my Stude.

Wife said if I wanted a Corvette, to get one! Since the '62, I haven't really wanted one....until the C8. So I took the jump! So far, so good.

uplanderguy · December 2024

Always loved this factory postcard. My favorite four-door Studebaker...'63 Cruiser, which they advertised as a "limousette".

imidazol97 · December 2024

@uplanderguy

I notice that some 50s Studebakers have a chrome ring around the headlight and parking lamp. Others have body color paint. I see the red 1950 Studebaker above the trunk of the Studebaker Museum car has chrome (I believe), while the one in Collection 21 has painted trim. I looked at the Studebaker 1950 brochure and the cars all have painted rings around the headlights.

What cars got the chrome rings?

PS. Comanche Red is in the color chart for Studebaker 1950, but tomato red is not. Was it a spring color?

uplanderguy · December 2024

I have seen the deeper red in the first pic, but not the second. My best guess is that the convertible is a non-factory-authentic repaint.

Chrome versus painted headlight rings on the ‘50–mid year change to chrome. I remember reading that at some point.

benjaminh · December 2024

uplanderguy said:
Always loved this factory postcard. My favorite four-door Studebaker...'63 Cruiser, which they advertised as a "limousette".

If it's easy to look up, what was the length and msrp of that 63 Cruiser?

I wonder how that would compare with a Mercedes sedan of that year, or a mid-size Oldsmobile.

uplanderguy · December 2024

Base MSRP for a '63 Cruiser was $2,595.

Wheelbase was 113"; overall length 188"; shipping weight 3064 lbs. 15-inch wheels and tires.

Broadcloth interior was $72 extra and worth every penny. Seating like a Cadillac, in a compact.

imidazol97 · January 2

Courtesy Studebaker Museum facebook

sda · January 2

@uplanderguy

https://youtu.be/x-0W5qGHhwo?si=gnHNE-ErBFwN5JQx

sda · January 2

very nice

uplanderguy · January 4

I love Gran Turismo Hawks, thanks for posting. Though, that's pretty steep IMHO.

I love originality, and this car has it, but there are two things I wish this car had but it doesn't.

One is the optional tach--I can't stand that lopsided instrument panel without it!

The other is, I wish it had the floor-mounted Avanti Powershift automatic (PRND21), instead of the column-shift Flightomatic (PNDLR).

Still, very nice car. "Classic", as Stude used in describing it. But I can't think of another Big Three '53 car that with a facelift would still look good ten years later. Such is the basic beauty of the '53.

uplanderguy · January 10

A couple months ago, maybe, I posted the pic of the 100-mile 1966 Studebaker Commander four-door sedan in Plum metallic, that was purchased by the same fellow who bought my '66 Cruiser. The Commander was the third-from-last Studebaker built.

A friend of that fellow posted this pic, showing details of the original purchase of the car by Harrah's for $2,000 in April '66, a month after production ended. Harrah's also bought the second-from-last Studebaker new, an Olive Green metallic Wagonaire. It was purchased from a dealer in NY state.

I can only assume Harrah's got in touch with someone at South Bend or Hamilton, Ontario to determine what dealers got those cars. The very last Studebaker built was sent to South Bend to be driven by a Stude exec, who did exactly that for three years and 19K miles before it was gifted to the City of South Bend.

imidazol97 · January 15

What is this?

bhill2 · January 15

Well, it look like an early Lark with a rear-mounted VW engine (and possibly drivetrain) transplant. The question is why? Does it replace the 6 it's badged as having? I want to see what's now under the hood. If there is a front wheel drive setup there that would make it an impromptu 4-wheel drive ATV. Inquiring minds want to know.

uplanderguy · January 16

That's a Porsche engine. The car is at the Studebaker National Museum.

Curtiss-Wright had injected a lot of money and also some management talent into Studebaker in late 1956. C-W bought this '59 Lark new and did the engine transplant in New Jersey. I'm only guessing, but by that time news was probably already out about the Corvair.

You've got me wondering about what's under the regular (front) hood, now. I've seen the car a dozen times probably over the years. Honestly, I tend to walk right past it, since I'm a purist so far as a car was built on the assembly lines.

uplanderguy · January 20

‘63 ad I saw today. Too bad it’s not color.

‘

uplanderguy · January 24

Nice '64 magazine ad. This was from "LIFE" or "Look" as I remember. With that oval badge on the front fender, that Cruiser is Avanti powered.

imidazol97 · January 24

That pic makes me nervous. It looks like the Cruiser driver is pulling out into a moving stream of traffic with the black bug coming at speed.
Is that a green 1960 Ford going the other way?

imidazol97 · January 24

uplanderguy said:
That's a Porsche engine. The car is at the Studebaker National Museum.

Curtiss-Wright had injected a lot of money and also some management talent into Studebaker in late 1956. C-W bought this '59 Lark new and did the engine transplant in New Jersey. I'm only guessing, but by that time news was probably already out about the Corvair.

You've got me wondering about what's under the regular (front) hood, now. I've seen the car a dozen times probably over the years. Honestly, I tend to walk right past it, since I'm a purist so far as a car was built on the assembly lines.

I saw the pic in a Lasalle Cadillac newsletter. They had done a tour of Elkart area. So makes sense South Bend museum.

uplanderguy · January 25

That is indeed, I think, a green '60 Ford.

Hopefully if that Cruiser is supercharged, he'll be able to whip in front of that Beetle, LOL.

I like Avantis, but I know they are polarizing. The Cruiser I think has aged gracefully. I can't say that about all 1964-model cars.

fintail · January 25

The green 60 Ford looks like a Galaxie with its flat back glass.

uplanderguy · January 30

1964 or 1965 photo of the Service Dept. of Carl E. Filer Co. in Greenville, PA, my hometown. Shows all three car lines they handled then--Simca, Studebaker, and M-B.

They actually also sold Sunbeam later. Hard for me to imagine. Hope they got a little buzz from "Get Smart", LOL.

uplanderguy · January 30

Interesting ad for leather in cars. Car is a 1957 Golden Hawk 400.

Michaell · January 30

Posted in the Colorado Cars & Coffee FB feed this morning:

uplanderguy · January 30

'61 Hawk. I didn't like these for a long time, but they have slowly grown on me. The fins were outdated, but I think you could proudly still park it against any '61 domestic full-size two-door sedan and not be embarrassed. First year for four-speed and bucket seats in a Hawk.

I'm fond of that green, whatever Studebaker called it. May be my favorite color that year.

Thanks for posting!

fintail · January 30

uplanderguy said:
1964 or 1965 photo of the Service Dept. of Carl E. Filer Co. in Greenville, PA, my hometown. Shows all three car lines they handled then--Simca, Studebaker, and M-B.

They actually also sold Sunbeam later. Hard for me to imagine. Hope they got a little buzz from "Get Smart", LOL.

Almost certainly the MB is a W111 (6 cyl) fintail.

uplanderguy · January 31

Someone donated 1925, 1926, and 1931 high school yearbooks to us at the Greenville, PA Historical Society. We have a complete collection already so I tried to give them to the local senior center. They're out of space. I hated to throw them out. On a whim I tried the current high school library. They will take them when I'm in town on Monday.

I found this small ad for the Stude dealer, the very first year he was a Stude dealer.

uplanderguy · February 1

Factory photo I’ve not seen before. ‘63 Lark Daytona Wagonaire.

uplanderguy · February 2

Almost certainly the MB is a W111 (6 cyl) fintail.

Were some fintails fours or eights?

fintail · February 2

uplanderguy said:
Almost certainly the MB is a W111 (6 cyl) fintail.

Were some fintails fours or eights?

All but one series of W110 (single headlights) fintails (a second gen car badged "230") are 4 cylinder - diesel or gas. The "230" badged car is on a 4 cyl platform but with the base I6 engine. All W111/112 fintails (those with stacked headlights or large composite lights) are I6 cars. MB didn't have a V8 at all until the W100 600 "Grosser" limo in 1963-64, and it was a fantastically expensive limited production car. Normal V8 production didn't begin until MY 1968 with the 300SEL 6.9 (another expensive car with a limited production run) and the 3.5 badged cars for I think MY 1970.

uplanderguy · February 3

Thanks for the explanation.

bhill2 · February 3

Fin, I have never been able to turn down a chance to be a PITA. You said "All W111/112 fintails...are I6 cars." Wasn't the 280SE 3.5 a W111?

fintail · February 4

bhill2 said:
Fin, I have never been able to turn down a chance to be a PITA. You said "All W111/112 fintails...are I6 cars." Wasn't the 280SE 3.5 a W111?

Yes that's a W111 but technically not a fintail

. The coupes have kind of nubs of fins and are related to fintails, but the term fintail is usually used for sedans

bhill2 · February 4

fintail said:

bhill2 said:
Fin, I have never been able to turn down a chance to be a PITA. You said "All W111/112 fintails...are I6 cars." Wasn't the 280SE 3.5 a W111?
Yes that's a W111 but technically not a fintail . The coupes have kind of nubs of fins and are related to fintails, but the term fintail is usually used for sedans

OK, I'll buy that. Well played.

fintail · February 4

bhill2 said:

fintail said:

bhill2 said:
Fin, I have never been able to turn down a chance to be a PITA. You said "All W111/112 fintails...are I6 cars." Wasn't the 280SE 3.5 a W111?
Yes that's a W111 but technically not a fintail . The coupes have kind of nubs of fins and are related to fintails, but the term fintail is usually used for sedans
OK, I'll buy that. Well played.

And technically you are correct

As Stude and MB have a real link, here's another guide:

First series sedans:
W110 - 190 and 190D, gasoline and diesel 4 cyl , 1961-65
W111 - 220/220S/220SE - I6, late 1959-65
W112 - 300SE normal and LWB - I6, 1961-65

Second series sedans:
W110 - 200 and 200D gasoline and diesel 4 cyl, 230 gasoline - I6, 1965 (overlapping with first series) - early 1968
W111 - 230S I6, 1965 (overlapping with first series) - early 1968

Coupes and cabrios:
W111 - 220SE, 250SE, 280SE - all I6 save for late 3.5 V8 cars, 1961-71. Approximate dates - 220SE 1961-65, 250SE 1966-68, 280SE 1969-71, but for these and all others production did not align perfectly with traditional model years, and some can overlap into the next year.
W112 - 300SE - I6, 1961-65

bhill2 · February 5

fintail said:

bhill2 said:

fintail said:

bhill2 said:
Fin, I have never been able to turn down a chance to be a PITA. You said "All W111/112 fintails...are I6 cars." Wasn't the 280SE 3.5 a W111?
Yes that's a W111 but technically not a fintail . The coupes have kind of nubs of fins and are related to fintails, but the term fintail is usually used for sedans
OK, I'll buy that. Well played.
And technically you are correct

As Stude and MB have a real link, here's another guide:

First series sedans:
W110 - 190 and 190D, gasoline and diesel 4 cyl , 1961-65
W111 - 220/220S/220SE - I6, late 1959-65
W112 - 300SE normal and LWB - I6, 1961-65

Second series sedans:
W110 - 200 and 200D gasoline and diesel 4 cyl, 230 gasoline - I6, 1965 (overlapping with first series) - early 1968
W111 - 230S I6, 1965 (overlapping with first series) - early 1968

Coupes and cabrios:
W111 - 220SE, 250SE, 280SE - all I6 save for late 3.5 V8 cars, 1961-71. Approximate dates - 220SE 1961-65, 250SE 1966-68, 280SE 1969-71, but for these and all others production did not align perfectly with traditional model years, and some can overlap into the next year.
W112 - 300SE - I6, 1961-65

Hey thanks, Fin. I can use this!

sda · February 22

Not a Studebaker, but super sharp. Paging @andre1969

https://youtu.be/ywL9RDkrsrA?si=y8l9hYvWRi8cmC-u

imidazol97 · February 22

This pink beauty is from a Studebaker museum Facebook page I believe.

Post in small town fb where I grew up. Belonged to someone there.

Studebaker museum page fb. Beautiful

bhill2 · February 22

OK, I have a question. What is that deck extension behind the tailgate for?

https://us.v-cdn.net/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,width=1600/https://us.v-cdn.net/5021145/uploads/editor/go/awv9qzimo5m6.jpg

ab348 · February 23

I suspect it was a necessary thing to allow the trendy finned rear quarter panels to work with the old station wagon body, which was shorter.

texases · February 23

Looks like they left off the “Continental “ spare.

ab348 · February 23

texases said:
Looks like they left off the “Continental “ spare.

All Stude wagons of that vintage had the same awkward rear bumper/tailgate configuration.

Good luck trying make a continental kit work with a swing-down tailgate.

imidazol97 · February 23

1964 Daytona
Only convertible black w blue interior built in S. Bend.

uplanderguy · February 28

That is my friend Ed’s ‘64 convertible. He lives in Akron. It is indeed the only black with blue interior ‘64 convertible made in South Bend. The national club magazine had a chart of all those cars which showed the combinations built.

I like ‘64’s. I think the looks have aged well, although they lost the nod to M-B the ‘63 had.

uplanderguy · February 28

I've posted various photos of Carl E. Filer Co., my hometown Stude, Packard, M-B, and Simca dealer before. Here's a '56 Packard Caribbean they sold.

uplanderguy · February 28

I had heard that the lettering over the building survived in the loft of the barn of the Filer house on the outskirts. I contacted the current owner, who bought the house and 51 acres from the Filers 48 years ago, and he said "Come on out". I did this last Monday.

I would like the signage, but in total it's about 14 feet long, not practical to bring to my house (current owner didn't want them but said they haven't moved in 48 years since he bought the place). My idea was, with the help of a short article in the local paper (they're always looking for 'filler', as they publish five days a week in a town of 5K), I'd try and sell them for $100 (probably all the money, and maybe not even that, I don't know) and donate the proceeds to the historical society there, of which I'm on the Board.

The current owner is a super nice fellow who currently owns a '63 Impala, '57 Thunderbird, and '30 Model A.

As per the photos below, the signage, three or so parts, are behind stacks of wood which meant I couldn't get all that upclose to them. A few letters need reglued, but he believed the pieces were all there. As it sits, "FILER" is first, "CARL E." is somewhat behind it, and the smaller "co" is to the right, on its side, barely visible in the pics.

Since my goal was to sell for not much money, and with minimal fuss, I decided to pass.

That said, I think it's neat they survive.

fintail · February 28

uplanderguy said:
I had heard that the lettering over the building survived in the loft of the barn of the Filer house on the outskirts. I contacted the current owner, who bought the house and 51 acres from the Filers 48 years ago, and he said "Come on out". I did this last Monday.

I would like the signage, but in total it's about 14 feet long, not practical to bring to my house (current owner didn't want them but said they haven't moved in 48 years since he bought the place). My idea was, with the help of a short article in the local paper (they're always looking for 'filler', as they publish five days a week in a town of 5K), I'd try and sell them for $100 (probably all the money, and maybe not even that, I don't know) and donate the proceeds to the historical society there, of which I'm on the Board.

The current owner is a super nice fellow who currently owns a '63 Impala, '57 Thunderbird, and '30 Model A.

As per the photos below, the signage, three or so parts, are behind stacks of wood which meant I couldn't get all that upclose to them. A few letters need reglued, but he believed the pieces were all there. As it sits, "FILER" is first, "CARL E." is somewhat behind it, and the smaller "co" is to the right, on its side, barely visible in the pics.

Since my goal was to sell for not much money, and with minimal fuss, I decided to pass.

That said, I think it's neat they survive.

I bet a hipster flipper picker type would love to find letters in that nice art deco font, I bet you could get a bit for that.

uplanderguy · February 28

A guy on his blog (below), some years back, noted that in the '40's Studebaker's preferred font for dealer interior signage was also this same font. He calls it "Broadway". Amazingly, the one exterior shot of a dealer he showed there, was Filer's. I will say this....decades ago I posted a handful of photos of Filer's and any that show up anywhere now are because I posted them back then and they've been shared around online. Not complaining, just stating.

http://www.studegarage.com/sign.htm

uplanderguy · March 1

RE.: Those mid-fifties Stude wagons--I like the trim size of them, not 'chubby', but I never got that overhang in back.

I think the best-looking ones are the '57 Packards with roof rack...they all came with blowers too.

Worst-looking one? '58 Packard!

Postwar Studebakers

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