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1915 Series ED6 |
1931 President |
1939 Commander |
1948 Champion |
1950 Commander |
1954 Champion Starliner |
1955 President |
1958 President |
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1960 Lark |
1962
Lark
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1963 Avanti
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1964 GT Hawk
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1965 Wagonaire |
1966 Cruiser |
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Studebaker began making transport vehicles in 1852, but did not make self-propelled vehicles until 1902.
While there were attempts at prestige vehicles over the years (the President, the Hawk, and the Avanti), Studebaker was best known for economical cars with a sense of style. It is ironic that Studebaker was known best for their trend-setting designs, as they did not have a styling department in the company.
Engineering was the department responsible for design, but for the period of 1939-1954, Lowey Studios (headed by Raymond Lowey) was contracted to provide Studebaker with style. Lowey did more than just set the look of the cars; he emphasized light weight as a way to achieve economy. The economy car niche was one that Studebaker would exploit a number of times when the company fortunes were on the wane (1939 and 1959 in particular).
But Studebaker had more to offer than just economy. Studebaker engineering was on par with the best of the rest, and produced items such as the "Hill Holder" clutch (to prevent roll-back at stops on grades), black-light instrument panels, and supercharged engines that produced over 1.1 hp per cubic inch. While Studebaker cars had many fine attributes, the company paid out the highest labor rates in the industry, and in the end the company was not able to make a profit building automobiles.
Today the Studebaker Corporation lives on as part of
Studebaker-Worthington, a business equipment leasing company that was acquired in Feb. 2001 by State Bank of Long Island.
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Did You Know?
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The first Studebaker automobile was built in 1902.
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The only Studebakers of 1902-1909 were electric cars.
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The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was bought by Studebaker in 1928.
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The Pierce-Arrow division was sold by Studebaker in 1933.
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The "Hill Holder" clutch was introduced in 1936.
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The official designer for Studebaker from 1939-1954 was Loewy Associates.
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The 1964 GT Hawk still used the basic body of the 1953 Starliner hardtop.
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