Studebaker – CARS-YDSE.com

1954 Studebaker Commander

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At the risk of getting too much of a good thing, I am posting yet another Studebaker, this time a 1954 Commander. To me this car is a fantastic example of Studebaker styling leadership. The car was first released in 1953 when most of the US car companies were selling bathtub shaped vehicles that were at least 1.5 times as big. Unfortunately, this was not rewarded by growing sales. The notable exception to this was Chevrolet’s release of the Corvette in 1954, the same model year this car was released.

I don’t think these exhaust pipe extenders are original.

I found this information on the net.

The sleek European styling of the 1953-1954 Studebaker Commander Regal Starlight/Starliner was matched by equally nice interiors trimmed mainly in vinyl or (for 1954 only) cloth, both color-keyed. There was also a slightly less posh DeLuxe-trim version of the fixed pillar Starlight offered in both years.

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NOTE – Some of you who look at my site often may also recognize the street setting this car was photographed in. It is the same place I photographed this 1957 Golden Hawk last year. In fact, I have a suspicion that the owner of both of these cars is the same; just a guess. Click on the picture for a link to the related post.

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1953 Studebaker Pickup Truck

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This is a 1949-1953 Studebaker truck. I was amazed to see it just a few blocks from our home in San Francisco. It’s in great shape, given its age. It could actually be a 1949-1952, I can’t tell but I went with the 1953 because it was the newest of the basic design. Note the split windshield.

The fact is the truck division had become stagnant. Though the reasons for this are somewhat unclear, it may have been the result of president Paul Hoffman’s departure, which ironically came just as the 1949 trucks were being introduced in May 1948. Hoffman was a strong proponent of the truck division and without his support and encouragement, it quickly fell on hard times. Additionally, Studebaker was struggling in its automobile division.

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1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk, Wow!!!

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I was walking in the one of San Francisco’s biggest tourist areas, Fisherman’s Wharf, and spotted this sleek 1957 Golden Hawk. To me, it still looks like more modern design than most of the other cars of its time. After all, this car is 53 years old. From what I have read, it was not very well engineered and had a very heavy front end that hindered its handling and kept sales figures down. Too bad for Studebaker that went out of business a few years after the Golden Hawk was discontinued.

Just look at the front of this car, very neatly done for a ’57.
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Here’s a little history on the Golden Hawk.

From 1956 to 1958, Studebaker’s top-model was the Golden Hawk, which was available only with the Paxton supercharged 289 cubic-inch overhead valve V8 that offered 275 horsepower at 4800 RPM. There was a Flight-O-Matic automatic transmission and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. The hardtop versions of the Golden Hawk, Sky Hawk, and Flight Hawk were based on the original 1953 Starliner body.

The five-passenger Gold Hawk was Studebaker’s sports car putting it in competition with Chevrolet’s Corvette and Ford’s Thunderbird.

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1962 Studebaker Lark Station Wagon

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This car and the photos are a bit different than the others in this collection. I know the person who owns this car and he sent me these pictures in 1999. I believe this car to be a 1962 Studebaker Lark station wagon. Also, these photos are over 10 years old so please excuse the quality.

The 1962 and 1963 Studebaker Lark

Turning his attention to the upcoming 1962 and 1963 Studebaker Lark models, Stevens — sensing that the public had tired of the car’s stubby appearance — stretched the wheelbase of all four-door cars to 113 inches.

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Avanti, Ever Seen One?

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I love this car. It was introduced the same year as the Jaguar XKE and I still think its a great looking car, way ahead of its time. This shot was taken in July of 2003 and it looks very “Cool” even in 2009.

The Studebaker Avanti was a sports coupe built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, USA between June 1962 and December 1963. Designed by a team of stylists employed by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, the Avanti featured a radical fiberglass body design mounted on a modified Studebaker Lark convertible chassis. After the closure of Studebaker’s factory in December 1963, The Avanti model name, tooling and plant space were sold to two South Bend Studebaker dealers. They introduced a slightly modified version of the car in 1965 under the brand name “Avanti II”, but neither it nor subsequent models assembled by a succession of entrepreneurs had any lawful connection with the Studebaker Corporation or its brand name.

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1953 Studebaker 2 Door

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Back in 2002 I ran across this car on Market Street but did not have my camera. I was really disappointed because it was in such great shape and such a rare car. About two weeks later, I spotted the car on 18th street just a few blocks from our house. This time I was ready. I hope you like this rare coupe.

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A 1962 Compact Car

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In 1959 Studebaker introduced the Lark as a compact car. I saw this quote on the web.

“This 1962 lark is being built for a wife to take cruising. The Lark was a “compact” car built between 1959 and 1963 by The Studebaker – Packard Corporation. The Studebaker Lark was a car design that used the core body and panels of the full-sized 1953-1958 Studebaker models. The car was built as a compact car, achieved by reducing the front and rear overhangs and shortening the wheelbase.”

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A Fairly Rare Car

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This is a 1958 Studebaker President. It was produced right near the end of the Studebaker/Packhard auto company went out of business a few years latrer. This was a fairly rare car just parked on a city street. I snapped this one in Palo Alto on the same trip as the 57 Chevy below.