Studebaker was lofty to be " First by Far With a Postwar Car , " but after three years on the marketplace , its vehicles very much needed a distinctive new look for their carried - over dead body . In fact , the 1950 - 1951 Studebaker origins were as a counterpoint to the post - warcar , when celebrate styling consultant Raymond Loewy make up one’s mind his staff should look to the heavens for intake .
Perhaps no automaker is more identify with a single design than Studebaker with its 1950 - 1951 " bullet - nozzle " cars . The spunky South Bend independent did n’t fabricate the " spinner " front last – the 1948 Tucker and 1949 - 1950 Ford used exchangeable themes , as have several European models . Studebaker ’s styling differed mainly in arcdegree .
Ads call it " The Next Look , " implying it would start a trend . It did n’t , but that weigh little to company executives , who were contented to chalk up sales unmatched in Studebaker ’s previous 48 yr of automobile output and in any of the next 16.Studebaker styling in this stop was handled by Raymond Loewy , who was established by the early Thirties as a top - flight of stairs industrial designer of everything from lip rouge to locomotives . His first production car were for Hupmobile : the 1932 2d - serial line , follow in 1934 by the " AeroÂdynamic , " which was influential but not a commercial success .
Loewy signed his first Studebaker contract in 1936 ; the 1938 models were the first credited to his firm . With slews of clients , Raymond Loewy Associates hire many designers at its New York military headquarters , including Clare Hodgman , Virgil Exner , and others who did most of the actual prewar styling work for Studebaker .
As his business acquire , Loewy increasingly became a manager and a tireless self - promoter , read reference for undertaking irrespective of whether he himself put playpen to paper . In the later Thirties , Exner was sent to arrange up store at the Studebaker factory and strike it off with applied science frailty president Roy Cole . The two were soon collude to undermine Loewy ’s influence in South Bend . Exner felt his gaffer did n’t give designers enough credit ; Cole think Loewy charged too much for his service .
When Studebaker contracted Loewy Associates to design all - new 1947 modelling , Exner and Cole worked up their own proposal in mystery – with the advantage of engineering parameter not made available to the " official " Loewy team . It was this design that management ultimately chose and enter in mid 1946 . Studebaker was two years ahead of the contention – " First by Far With a Postwar Car , " as advertizement blared . To Exner ’s mortification , advertising credited Loewy with the new styling . Loewy promptly can Exner for his treachery and interchange him with Bob Bourke , Exner ’s subordinate and admirer . Bourke , who made significant share to the ' 47 designing , would head Loewy ’s South Bend studio apartment into 1955 , after which Studebaker and Loewy parted company . hoi polloi loved the 1947 Studebakers , the little - alter ' 48s , and the modestly update ' 49s . Though the fresh styling concealed mostly prewar mechanical conception , finish were made to improve seniority and reliability .
For instance , the downhearted - price Champion had arrived in natural spring 1939 with a lightweight lambert - headspring six of 164.3 cubic inches . This went to 169.6 cubic inches and 80horsepowerfor 1941 - 49 , then added five horsepower . The costly Commanders used a great six dating from StudeÂbaker ’s 1932 Rockne . By 1949 , this engine was up to 245.6 cubic inches and 100 horsepower .
The 1947s did enclose stronger unexampled box- surgical incision frames , self - adjusting / ego - centeringbrakes , and " black light " instrument - dialog box illumination , but hold back " planar " front suspension , a Studebaker staple fiber since 1935 . This still used a transversal semielliptic leafage spring clamped to the box section of the front cross penis , but was modify to lower the center of gravity . Shocks continue Houdaille double - activity hydraulics , but the 1947s reach a smooth ride through more - even weight statistical distribution . A two - piece driveshaft with center universal joint eliminated the rear floor tunnel . The 1947 - 1949 models were a great sales achiever , lifting Studebaker to eighth in the U.S. industry with a market place share of 4.12 per centum . yield was at track record degree . So were corporate profits – $ 27.56 million in calendar 1949 alone . thing look great , and were about to get even in effect . The bullet train - nose idea had been on Bourke ’s drawing board since 1940 - 1941 , when he first sketched several elements of the eventual 1950 Studebaker . Chief among them was a protruding nose with flanking pontoon pilot suggesting the front of an airplane .
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1950 Studebaker
Public reaction is what matters in the auto diligence , and " The Next Look " 1950 Studebaker , featuring the company ’s touch " hummer - nozzle " feeling for the first prison term , was a winner – more popular than even the 1947 . Sales began in August 1949 , nearly a month in advance of other 1950 elevator car .
Hundreds of dealers sent glowing wire describing declaration day : " Showroom push to capacity . " " Public acceptance best ever . " " Huge crew , all check Studebaker still lead the way . " " Showing a definite flop , showroom hold 100 people , need room for 500!“For all this hoopla , the 1950s were identical to the 1947 - 49 models except for the bullet nose , small-scale trimness , and vertical instead of horizontal taillights . However , the fresh front ending total an inch to wheelbase , taking Champions to 113 , Commanders to 120 . Both lines again offered two- and four - door sedans , aconvertible , and a five - passenger Starlight coupe with its distinctive bird’s-eye rear window .
maven also listed a three - passenger business coupe . Commanders again include a top - line Land Cruiser saloon , now on a 124 - inch wheelbase , with spare rear - seat legroom and rear - door vent windows . All models offered DeLuxe and surplus - cost Regal DeLuxe trim save the convertibles and Land Cruiser , which were Regals only .
The Champ ’s Regal package , priced at $ 79 , included stainless - brand rocker - panel and window moldings , wool upholstery in position of pile textile , front floor carpet instead of a rubber covering , and a fanciersteeringwheel with chrome saddle horn half - ring . In Commanders , the $ 124 pick substituted epicurean nylon - cord upholstery .
All models carry on on 15 - in wheels , but commandant were heavier , so they amount with 7.60 tires on six - inch - across-the-board lip versus 6.40s on five - in - wide wheels . commanding officer also had 11 - column inch plaster cast - ironbrakedrums , while Champions used nine - column inch drums . lend in March 1950 were Champ Custom sedans and coupe with no hood ornament or rearward fender shields , paint rather than chromed headlamp / taillight rims , and only a modest rotund tree trunk handle / twinkle assembly . They looked spartan , but at $ 1,419-$1,519 , they were among the most low-priced full - size cars around . Studebaker was aim traditional low - priced leaders Chevy , Ford , and Plymouth , and thus push Champ Customs with the cagey catchword " It ’s 4 To See Instead of 3!“All 1950 Studebakers vaunt a new duple - A - arm frontsuspension , with Champions sport vasiform shocks mounted inside new " prospicient - travelling " curlicue springs . air force officer had somewhat different geometry to handle their extra weight and retained lever - action shock . Champs used an antiroll torsion cake in front ; commander add a rear bar , plus center - point steering . But the big engineering news show was Automatic Drive transmission . DevelÂoped conjointly with the Detroit Gear Division of Borg - Warner , it became available for Land Cruisers in previous April 1950 , then spread to other example as yield increased . Automatic Drive was superior to most competitive automatics in several ways .
First , it was air - cooled , so it did without costly , complex water - cooling . It also allowed push - starts if needed , did not " creep " the car forrard from a occlusive if the gadget driver released the Pteridium aquilinum , and included a hill - holder that prevented rolling down an incline at idle . Selecting Reverse at more than 10 mph mechanically put the transmittance in Neutral to preclude terms .
StudeÂbaker was the only independent besides Packard to develop its own automatic transmission . Ford Motor Company wanted to buy Automatic Drive for its 1951 line , but Studebaker decline , thus overlook a chance to make considerable extra money . This transmission continued through 1954 , after which Studebaker switched to the less - costly Flight - O - Matic . requirement for the bullet - nose ' 50s proved so strong that Studebaker added a third fracture at its large South Bend factory and ran its Southern California and Hamilton , Ontario , assemblage plants at or near content . A 14 - month model " year " ( July 15 , 1949 , to September 27 , 1950 ) produced 343,164 cars – the most for any fomite in Studebaker ’s long account . By the destruction of 1950 , party use was up to 25,000 , a peacetime record .
The dealer reckoning grew too , swelling from 2,628 in December 1949 to 2,851 a class later . Net sales totaled $ 477,066,000 . After - tax profits were more than $ 22.5 million . And Studebaker ’s market plowshare , which had improved every yr since 1936 , reached a new high of 4.25 pct ( or more than 5 percent include truck sales event ) . With that , Studebaker could again take to be America ’s most successful sovereign vehicle Almighty . Some analyst get down speculating that the Big Three might before long be the Big Four . Studebaker had a terrific follow - up to blockbluster 1950 : a mod new V-8 . Like the trendsetting 1949 Oldsmobile and Cadillac engines , it was a light , compact , and efficient overhead - valve conception . engine driver result by Stanwood Sparrow began work in 1948 , with developing manoeuver by railway locomotive specialist T. S. Scherger . The result was another StudeÂbaker sole among the freelancer , and years ahead of the Chevy , Ford , and Plymouth overhead - valve V-8s . Arriving as touchstone for the 1951 Land Cruiser and Commander , the Studebaker V-8 was an oversquare design with 232.9 three-dimensional inch on a bore and shot of 3.38x3.25 inches . Horsepower was a lively 120 despite a conservative 7.0:1 contraction ratio .
Some have likened the engine to a humble Cadillac V-8 . Indeed , the two were close in forcible size . But there were substantial differences . The StudeÂbaker locomotive engine used solid lifters instead of hydraulic , camshaft driven by gear rather than chain , established instead of " slider " pistons , and lock rather than " floating " Walter Piston peg .
It was also 54 pounds lighter than the Caddy engine . Both put spark plugs above the exhaust manifold paper for easy access , a lineament lacking in the recent Ford and Chevy overhead - valve V-8s . Studebaker engineers did n’t overlook fuel efficiency with their V-8 . In the 1951 Mobilgas Economy Run , a Commander bring home the bacon Class B with a 28 - mpg average . A Land Cruiser posted 27.6 – intimately three mpg better than the previous year ’s Commander Six . ( The Champion , with an unchanged six , managed 28.6 mpg , exceed for all full - size cars entered.)The novel V-8 Commander was not a muscle simple machine , but " Uncle Tom " McCahill termed it " a rip - roar , blaze - for - leather performer that can belt out the starch out of practically every other American car on the route . "
His overdrive - outfit test model clocked 0 - 60 miles per hour in 12.5 seconds and reached nearly 100 mph . After drive two more ' 51s , McCahill conclude , " The new engines are swell . Comfort , performance , and lastingness are excellent , and I believe Studebaker people are due for one of the biggest years in their history . "
1951 Studebaker
All 1951 Studebakers bear a smaller , flatware - hue spinster with a painted or else of chrome passementerie tintinnabulation , plus expectant chrome - plated diecast lattice in position of the miserable , deep - set twin intakes of 1950 . A support carapace between the bumper and fender replaced the previous tubular bumper mounts .
sedan adopt the one - firearm windscreen previously allow for Starlights , convertibles , and the Land Cruiser , plus one - piece rear windows . Taillamps were exposit and the decklid hold was redesigned . A few model public figure changed . Champion now offer Custom , DeLuxe , and Regal trimming . Commanders regrouped into Regal and State modelling below the company ’s flagship Land Cruiser . More importantly , the compact V-8 reserve Commanders to portion out the Champion ’s shorter frame and front " clip , " trimming seven inches of wheelbase , 10 inches of overall distance , and 205 Egyptian pound from the 1950 translation . Land Cruiser perish to a 119 - inch wheelbase .
Though this alteration save considerable tooling expense , there was another reason for it . As sales frailty Chief Executive K. B. Elliot told dealers in an October 1950 bulletin , the aim was to narrow the Champion / Commander monetary value interruption , thus encourage six - cylinder prospects to splurge for a V-8 . As a resultant , the former year ’s $ 348 ranch between the top - trimming Champion and Commander four - door shrunk to $ 111.All 1951s used an improved " Miracle Ride " chassis with wider and stronger front control blazon , all - circular tubular shocks , and softer new four - folio rearward spring widened 43 pct ( to 2.5 inches ) from the previous five - leaf springiness . champion also adopted centre - full stop steering .
As before , three - upper pillar - fracture manualtransmissionwas standard . Overdrive monetary value $ 87 , Automatic Drive $ 190 . Studebaker pioneer the Benny Hill - bearer in 1936 , and this remained received for Commanders and the Land Cruiser . title-holder buyers paid $ 12.50 for this convenience . Though model - twelvemonth sales were down substantially at 268,565 , the 1951 run was little than 1950 , and the government had curbed civilian production on account of the widen Korean conflict . But as the sale stave hoped , Commander sales better from 23 percent of the aggregate to 48 percentage as buyers responded to the new V-8 and lower prices . Unquestionably , 1950 and 1951 were the peak year for Studebaker motorcar cut-rate sale , gain , and employment . But fashion is volatile , and the slug - nose models were soon forgotten . By the mid Eighties , though , they were back in style as collectorcarsand as Fifties icons for movies , museum display , and advert campaigns .
As one author put it , " they were so far out , they were in . " Modern auto may be unvoiced to secernate apart , but you’re able to still tell apart a bullet olfactory organ a block forth and know it ’s a Studebaker – just as South Bend intended .
The author gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Fred K. Fox of the Studebaker Drivers Club .
1950-1951 Studebaker Specifications
Selected SpecificationsGeneral
Powertrains
- Standard . Transmission selection included overdrive and , from mid 1950 , Automatic Drive three - speeding torque - converter reflex .
Suspension , Brakes , Tires , and Wheels
