Postwar Studebakers

jljac

That image is from my web site at the Family of Craftsman page. http://stude.net/craftsmen.html My Grandfather was getting his 30 year service pin then. The men in the image probably had the same seniority and were in their 40s-50s.

While you view the pictures, you can hear a sound clip from a movie which describes the celebration and tells how Studebaker will never be in the graveyard of automotive failures because of the pride the workers have in the company. Here is an image of the luncheon that went with the service pin in the administration building.

uplanderguy

One of only 873 '66 Daytonas built, and one of only 620 V8's.

Nice black vinyl bucket seat interior. I'm happy.

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?54011-Finally-PIX-Bill-Pre- ssler-s-new-66-Daytona

fintail

Neat car, looks almost new, I wonder how many have survived.

uplanderguy

Thanks. While the '63 and '64 Studes are my very favorites (still could get Studebaker performance engines, still made the Hawk, Avanti, trucks, and convertible), I do think the '66, with its GM engine, flanged rear axle, and five-inch wide wheels which will readily accept a 205, will be beneficial down the road when it needs repairs. Total '66 model year Stude production was only 8,935 units. Survivors are anybody's guess. I was at a Studebaker meet in Tallmadge, OH Saturday where there were 146 Studes, and only one other car besides mine was a '66.

fintail

I'd guess survival rates are higher than other years (as I call it, '60 Edsel syndrome), but your car in its specific color and option spec is probably one of only a few left. Original colors etc? I assume it has been refurbished at some time.

imidazol97

Here's a Studebaker a little older than your '66. This one I really like:

lemko

Nice! Somehow, the front end of the 1966 Studebaker reminds me of a 1967-68 Chevrolet truck:

uplanderguy

Lemko, I have heard other people say that too, about the '66 Stude and '67 Chevy truck!

jljac

The car in your image is a 1955 model but built before January 1955. The early 1955s had the roof a different color only. The 1955s after December 1954 had the paint scheme similar to a Chevrolet where the roof color extended down to the trunk and included the tops of the rear fenders. Examples of the paint change are below.



Do not be distracted by the faux Speedster second from right. All Speedsters were hardtops, not coupes. That one is a coupe painted to look like a Speedster.

uplanderguy

That bodystyle still looks great today, doesn't it? That's a '55. If I had a '53 or '54 Stude (similar), and it was bone-stock, I'd look to always park it at a show next to a '53 or '54 anything else. The difference between it and other domestics of the same year, is beyond dramatic.

jljac

I always liked the 1955s and thought they looked more expensive than the 53s and 54s. In 1955, Studebaker gave up on the "European look" and went back to the airplane theme with the front end and the side chrome that look like jet contrails. They sold sold much better than the 1954 models.

At the time the 1955 was being styled, this was the front line fighter of the US Air Force.. the F-100 Super Sabre. I see that influence in the front "grille" opening of the 1955s plus they put a Flying Wing in the opening too. Such a neat car for 1955.


Two Commanders meet in Anaheim below

uplanderguy

Neat pic, thanks for posting. My friend, a former Stude dealer, has always said that the '55 was a well-built car and incorporated many quality improvements over the '53 and '54.

jljac

As I said in an earlier post, the 1955s were much better cars in many ways. More power, more options (electric windows & seat, 4 barrel carburator) better electrical wiring and instruments and better bumpers that continued to be used through the end of the Hawk line.

I took the picture of my Commander with the 1927 Commander No. 6 around 1992 when that Commander was in a coast to coast tour by the old timers. It may have been the Cannonball Baker coast to coast race. I kept tack of the progress and when the old Commander arrived in Anaheim, I went there and took many images of the two cars together in a Disneyland Parking lot. I believe that was the Commander that went 25,000 miles in 23,000 minutes in 1927 with Ralph Hepburn at the wheel. It says so at the bottom of the door.

Here is another nice image of old Commander No. 6 I took at the Studebaker Museum in 2002 when it was located in the old Studebaker dealership building. Roll Studebaker. . . . roll.

wevk

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/the_rise_and_fall_of_sly_stone_qijyKoYzmAq- er1PA0YogSJ/0

uplanderguy

"It's a family affair". We're a very exclusive bunch you know!

jljac

Finally, they made a 1955 Speedster and it is nice. https://www.danburymint.com/diecast/prod/267/Limited-Edition-1955-Studebaker-Pre- sident-Speedster_9884-0010.aspx

This paint scheme was sometimes informally known as "egg & olive." Last year I got the 1953 Commander for a Christmas present. The 1955 costs more, probably because of the chrome and details (such as fog lights and three' tone paint scheme. Check out the other Studes at the site too.

uplanderguy

Very nice, thanks for posting, I had not heard of this release. They must sell some Studebakers, as they continue to release them. I wish, wish, wish they would do a '64 Gran Turismo Hawk, half vinyl top, R2, Bordeaux Red or Jet Green, dark interior. A guy can keep wishing. If I had $50K I'd be looking for the best example of that very car in the world--a real one.

Mr_Shiftright

This car looks pretty good...price is a little high but not too bad...offer's around $5500 should take it.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/2613858023.html

jljac

The Speedster is a very recent release. I have the entire Danbury Mint Studebaker collection, except for the bullet-nose 1950, which I have from other model makers. My 1950 convertible is dark gray rather than yellow. The Packard Hawk is awesome.

I am surprised that they released the Speedster before the GT Hawk because the GT Hawk is better known.

uplanderguy

Looks nice in those small pics, and I believe it's under-market even at the asking price, but...I believe he's selling it for someone else or just bought to make a quick 'turn'--the guy doesn't even know how to spell "Studebaker".

Mr_Shiftright

In my opinion, definitely market or over market. High retail for this type of car. It's not easy to sell a 4-door late 40s car of any stripe.

Wasn't Land Cruiser sort of top of the line?

uplanderguy

Yes, the Land Cruiser was the top sedan model. It was the longest-wheelbase postwar Studebaker... it was 123", four inches longer than the Commander 4-door sedan. A bit before my general period of interest, but those cars have luxurious interiors, a handsome instrument panel, one-piece curved windshield and 'suicide' rear doors.

bhill2

Yes, the Land Cruiser was the top sedan model.

Didn't they keep that name for the top of the line model all the way through 1958 (after which they went with the Lark for their sedans)?

uplanderguy

Didn't they keep that name for the top of the line model all the way through 1958 (after which they went with the Lark for their sedans)?

They used "Land Cruiser" for their long-wheelbase top-of-the-line sedan, through the 1954 model year. They used "Commander" for their V8-powered sedan line through the 1958 model year (included a two-door hardtop in 1958). In '61, a long-wheelbase Lark 4-door sedan with luxury trimmings was introduced and called the "Lark Cruiser". In '63 this was just called the "Cruiser", and it continued to be their most luxurious 4-door offering right up 'til the end (1966). The '66 Cruiser is very luxurious, with cloth trim looking like out of a Caddy. The '63 Cruiser with optional broadcloth upholstery is also very luxurious--Cadillac Fleetwood-style seat trim.

bhill2

In '61, a long-wheelbase Lark 4-door sedan with luxury trimmings was introduced and called the "Lark Cruiser". In '63 this was just called the "Cruiser", and it continued to be their most luxurious 4-door offering right up 'til the end (1966).

Ah, that's what I was thinking of. Thank you, sir.

uplanderguy

Dick Van [non-permissible content removed] loaned his sharp, bone-stock white '63 R1 Avanti to the L.A. Museum of Art for their display on design in California, 1930-65:

http://www.giantrobot.com/martin/california-design-1930-1965-living-in-a-modern-- way-at-lacma/

uplanderguy

I wouldn't have suspected it, but check out the photo from the rear, about halfways down this post:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?55026-What-kind-of-car-is-- this

Not normally a big fan of Avanti II's, but this color and the Magnum 500 wheels look sharp to me. (I like the larger front wheel openings and forward rake of the Studebaker Avanti better.)

The rear window of the Avanti was the single largest piece of glass installed on a domestic car in '63.

jljac

The rear window of the Avanti was the single largest piece of glass installed on a domestic car in '63.

I believe that the rear glass window in the Avanti was the largest installed on any production vehicle up to that time. This caused problems in the early Avantis because of the fibergalss body. If the roof and body panels were not joined exactly right, the back window might blow out at speed.

For that reason, in 1963 Chevrolet took a more conservative approach by putting a two-piece rear window in the Corvette Sting Ray.

uplanderguy

You know, I'm in the minority, but I think the split-window was one of the dumbest things Chevy could have done. P**s-poor visibility and "Buck Rogers" looks, IMHO. Of the Sting Rays, I like the horizontal flow of the front-fender vents, and the early wheel covers, so a '64 is way more attractive to my eyes, although probably the least-expensive Sting Ray today.

berri

The 63 Sting ray was a knock out style outside and inside. The split rear window may have been inconvenient and was quickly replaced, but I also think using it in the debut was smart marketing because it was an attention grabber. To this day people think of that vintage Sting Ray and the split window, even though only a small fraction of production had it. As a driver I agree with you, but as an enthusiast I guess I'm on the other end.

jljac

I like the looks of the split window Sting Ray, but the style was not completely original. Here is the 1934 Czech Tatra.



Chevrolet was not the only automaker who was influenced by the Tatra. The original VW beetle was also a split-window Tatra copy and VW eventually paid Tatra millions of deutschemarks for copying it too closely. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_(company)

uplanderguy

While I can't say that Chevrolet and Bill Mitchell would have been swayed by the beauty of the Tatra (!), I think the similarity in that part of the roof is indeed unmistakable. Even though I think it's dumb on the Sting Ray, it surely looks better there than on the Tatra!

jljac

I was only pointing out that ideas that might seem new or innovative have been tried before. The split rear window on the Sting Ray is an example of that. The rear window was bit of a retro style.

The rear visibility on the Tatra was terrible, and the cars were dangerous to a point where German officers were ordered not to be driving them during WWII. But they were very aerodynamic, ahead of their time in styling and led to the first VW Beetle.

berri

The rear windows on that Tatra look like a panel truck. I still think the Sting Ray design lent itself to the split windows and looked better with them, but I also understand their impracticality from a driver's POV.

As for windows, and since this is a Studebaker froum, I've never really cared for reverse slant rear windows and thought they hurt the Avanti styling a bit (probably why I lean toward the Hawk GT instead). I thought they looked even worse on the 67/68 full size Mopar coupes.

uplanderguy

For some reason, I can handle the reverse-slant windows on the Avanti because of the forward rake ('going downhill' look) and the huge rear window. Not a fan of the same-style quarter windows on Gremlins or Cougars, and I hadn't really even though of them on the big '67 and '68 Mopars but you are right. Those cars have a flat rear window and enormous 'C' pillar, where the Avanti has a wraparound rear window. But of course, to each his own. I would love an Avanti, original model. The thing that bothers me most about the styling is minor...when an R1 model was purchased, there was no emblem at all on the front fender. My eyes are always drawn right there. They should've put a small emblem there even with the base engine.

uplanderguy

..but one that's not often shown:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.garyzcarz.com/images/studebaker/s- tudebaker-31.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.garyzcarz.com/studebaker.htm&usg=__fF8GPeI- lsmgB9SgtUUhtCHfrqIk=&h=374&w=500&sz=53&hl=en&start=11&zoom=1&tbnid=NO2SafxdMHVr- rM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=130&ei=L9CITrOiN6SusQKBh5GbDw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dstudebaker%2Ba- vanti%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1

I like Studebaker, especially in the early '60's, and I do think they did a lot with what they had. AMC didn't even offer a V8 of any size in its Classic series 'til mid'63, and did not even build two-door hardtops in their Classic or Ambassador lines until '64. This while Studebaker was offering supercharged engines, disc brakes, full instrumentation, a fiberglass-bodied coupe, a luxury coupe, a full line of sedans and wagons, and a full line of trucks.

But I'll admit that I prefer a Gran Turismo Hawk to an Avanti too.

uplanderguy

Well, I was trying to post a link to the third thumbnail at the bottom--rear 3/4 view--but that's not what came up.

uplanderguy

My favorite Studebaker of all models and model years:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2759/4260981186_29da44b60f.jpg

The '64 doesn't have the large metal applique on the decklid--it's got a smooth, plain decklid which I like better.

I have a contemporary auto magazine review of the '64 Hawk. They conceded that the basis for the car was the '53 Loewy coupe, but added "...such is the intelligence and beauty of the '53, that the '64 Hawk is a highly attractive automobile". I agree totally.

Note the long-hood/short-deck styling. Compare to, say, a '64 Pontiac Grand Prix. It's short-hood/long-deck!

fintail

When I think split window, this is what comes to mind (pic is from a 1939 German magazine)



Regarding the Tatras, the coolest had no rear window at all:



Definitely one of these in my garage if I ever hit a powerball.

berri

I like Studebaker, especially in the early '60's, and I do think they did a lot with what they had

Oh, you were just a big Mr. Ed fan! Seriously, I think both Studebaker and Rambler/AMC did a lot with very limited budgets in the late 50's and early/mid 60's. I don't think its a coincidnce that Dick Teague did some work for both of them. I didn't care for the first few years of the Lark, but thought they then turned the looks of that car around very well on a limited budget. At AMC, the Marlin was a bomb, but really, a management created one just like the Exner's "forced" downsized 62's. The Marlin was supposed to be a smaller coupe until the last minute. I know you don't like the Rambler wagons, but they sure were ubiquitous in the Chicago suburbs and probably helped keep Rambler afloat into the 60's. I thought the last few years of Studebaker wagons looked good, but you didn't seem to see a lot of them on the road.

berri

That Tatra is sleek for its age, but I'm not sure whether that is in a sexy or villianist way.

fintail

Definitely villainist. I don't mind that at all. I'd have no problem with a lot of "evil" cars :shades:

uplanderguy

Oh, you were just a big Mr. Ed fan!

I did like it when I was a kid. That show must have been set in outside of South Bend, for every car and truck was a Studebaker!

By '63, AMC was a notably larger company than Studebaker, so there were a lot more Rambler wagons than Wagonaires. I know people always compare Studes to AMC's, but I think Studes are way-more interesting (personal opinion). My Dad wouldn't have owned either.

jljac

I did like it when I was a kid. That show must have been set in outside of South Bend, for every car and truck was a Studebaker!

Studebaker sponsored the Mr. Ed TV show from the beginning and many commercials exist including one with Zsa Zsa Gabor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46GOuo4J6Yk

Here is the opening for the first pilot show, opened with Studebaker Larks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIODFk19DgM

uplanderguy

I always chuckle when Zsa Zsa gets out of the '63 Lark Daytona Hardtop and the door doesn't latch...just like mine, forty-five years later !

jljac

Here are two good more commercials from the Mr. Ed TV show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ7aOR9E9IM (Mr. Ed stars) AND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFl23P30bNA&NR=1 (features Wagonaire with kid and dog in the back (not legal now) plus Skytop Lark and Avanti. Note: If the kids and dogs fell out the back they would be run over by a boat. Try to explain that to the insurance company.

jljac

Oh, you were just a big Mr. Ed fan!

You spoke too soon. He's baaaack!!! http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118043924

I hope they have some Studebakers in the movie.

imidazol97

There were only two Studebakers that I caught at a cruise in today at the cemetary/mortuary in Cincinnati. That's out of hundreds of cars. Uplander probably knows both of these cars!

This was the first cruise in with a live singing group with their own instruments (no karaoke) who could make the songs enough like the old songs to be just as enjoyable as records.

This convertible is really sweet. I would like to have taken a ride in it. Beautiful. :shades:



This needs a little more work. This one brings back memories because it is farmer blue or green. So many of the cars in the rural area where I lived were this color group. I guess it didn't show dust from the gravel roads and the fields? Or was it that many of the farmers had a liking for these colors are years of black and the WWII era cars.

uplanderguy

Thanks for posting! The convertible is a '62 and the other, a '59 (first year for the Lark). The '62 was a handsome refresh I think; the car was made longer and more luxurious inside. I think fintail would probably agree that Studebaker's sales agreement with M-B during that period resulted in some Mercedes "bends" on the '62 and '63 Larks. I had a '63 Lark Daytona with factory cloth sunroof and Avanti power until about three months ago.

imidazol97

I anticipated that you'd say you'd seen both cars at a Studebaker gathering somewhere.

I keep thinking how nice the convertible looks even though a couple style items are dated. It still is attractive and my impulse thought was that I'd like to own and drive that car.

Both of those are Cincinnati owned. I have the windshield sheets pictured.