Point of interest: In 1957 the state of Nevada went looking for a high speed interceptor for the highway patrol, they settled on the Studebaker Golden Hawk. Lots of people tried but, mighty few were successful in outrunning it!
My uncle had v8 Lark ex Police car, Melbourne Australia. Nearly 1500 Studebakes were either imported here or assembled from CKD kits. There were ute ambulance & tow truck variants. The Lark had some moderate motorsport success downunder... Studys had a look all of their own. Something lost in today's endless curves. Great vid. Cheers
When I was 16 I owned a '57 Chevy with a 220 hp 283, I added a Carter AFB carb and a floor shift. I jacked the rear of the car up high which was the thing back then, added wide tires on back and a set of chrome slot wheels. I thought she was tough for a poor boy to own. One night as I was leaving my home town there was a red Studebaker in front of me. I downshifted to second gear, opened up that AFB carb and started to pass this Studebaker. All of a sudden that Studebaker left me in his dust. I could believe I got left behind by a Studebaker. What I didn't know at the time was that this Studebaker was a Golden Hawk! The man who owned it was the same age as my dad, and a well known racer. This Golden Hawk had the superchared engine with a four speed transmission. I learned my lesson that night... don't mess with a Studebaker unless you want to get left in it's dust,
@@victordeming9068 I couldn't keep a chevy engine together without a blower. A blower would just make it blown faster. Besides the Studebaker had a supercharger which is different from a blower. I had many Chevys in my youth and none of them held together very long. Looking back now I realize my friend who always owned Fords never had one minute of engine trouble. Just sayin'.
I had a 1940 Commander for five years and our family owned two Avanti for about 12 years. Glad I had the experience of driving some Studebakers. Nice video. 👍
Just before I sat down to watch this video, I walked back in from my garage, where I was gluing the vinyl covering to the rear package tray over the back seats of my 1963 Avanti. The interior that I am almost done with is the last thing I have to redo before it's ready to go back out on the road. I bought the thing several years back, and it ran (though not well), and it had peeling paint and a dingy, sun-damaged interior (especially the dash). It now looks almost like a brand new car, and I can't wait to take it out on the road again. Even with the peeling paint and thrashed interior, it got a lot of admiring comments wherever I drove it. Now that it looks shiny and new again, I expect it will get even more attention. It's a shame the car didn't reinvigorate the Studebaker brand the way it had been intended to. But at least the company went out with a bang instead of a whimper.
Back in 1963 the Avanti was about $200 more than a Corvette. The best way to admire a Chevrolet Corvette is by looking in your Avanti's rear view mirror ! You are a lucky man sir !
Options included "kerb feelers" I was howling! (protect the White Walls during parallel parking) *Then they stumped me with a "275 bhp" V8 (no clue, gotta look it up).* Studebaker slammed all competition in Automotive Body Design, period. Odd to me that the companies with most attractive design, (USA and Middle-class car group) suffered management and ultimately lost out to "The Big 3". (Reference doesn't include Rolls Royce, Bugatti, and Mercedes-Benz, served the high-end market) The Avante was a great design. They had what it takes but couldn't manage "the Corporate Dance".
Another line from that Muppet movie that always got me was Fozzy bear sitting behind the wheel, and saying," A bear in his natural element,... A Studebaker!" that line always crack me up. The timing of that pause just made the joke perfect.
I was 18 in 1957 and my dad bought a 1955 studebaker president which was salmon color. It was FAST. It had power steering, power breaks and a nice radio. I loved driving it, but I think he thought that I would get killed, so he sold it and bought a boxey Rambler. I was sad, but am probably alive because of his wisdom. How I would like to drive one of then again! God bless you all! 😊🙏
Our Studebaker dealership was just inside Brooklyn on the Queens border New York City. It was the very early 1960's and the Lark was the biggest seller. But us kids hung around the dealership for one thing...The Avanti which blew everyone's minds at the time!!! it was supercharged and instantly set a bunch of USAC records at Bonneville. Guys who had them absolutely DID go 120 to 130 at like 3 AM on the deserted Long Island Expressway. You could get the Lark and still get the Hawk with the hot cam and the Paxton supercharger. Several rich kids got Avantis for graduation presents! Wonderful memories
My parents were born in South Bend. My grandfather worked for Studebaker for 20 years. My uncle later became the editor of the union magazine called the Spotlight. During WWII, the company made trucks like it said in the documentary. Every ten minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week for 3+ years, a truck would pass my grandparent's home on the way to train facilities a couple of miles away. Most all were sent to Russia. Just read an article about how so many trucks were supplied to help with the war, to this day, small trucks in Russia are referred to as "Studes". That's how many were sent. My father gave me his '47 Commander as my first car and bought a '54. The '47 didn't have a "bullet nose" but did have Loewy's design and was first to be made fun of by comedians for a profile in which you"couldn't tell which way you were going". Finally, I was in the south end zone of Notre Dame Stadium when Studebaker had a big show announcing the Hawk line in 1956. Bob Hope headlined the entertainment. I can still remember my reaction and that of the entire audience when the Golden Hawk exited the north tunnel and drove onto the field. The response was electric.
10:35 80 miles per hour was borderline supercar performance in the late 1930s, rivaling more powerful and far more expensive cars. Its power-to-weight was better than anything else in its price class, and the Champion six engine had more total main bearing and rod bearing area than mist eights.
I got stopped one night and the cop asked "what year is this"? I said; '53, he said "You mean '63, they didn't make cars like this in '53" -so I just handed him the registration.
On an opposite tack, I was stopped in my 1968 International Harvester 1300 4x4 pickup, cop asked what year, told him 1968, he said "Nobody's made a body like this since 1955", so I handed him the registration. Orphan drivers' problems.
I remember the Studebaker cars from the late 40s and early 50s . They were designed so that you couldn’t tell if they were coming or going. I also remember seeing the tv show “Mr Ed the talking horse. The show was sponsored by Studebaker for a while.
We had a bullet nose Champion. It had a yellow light in the center. It would only run with the heater blower on! Later we had a Lark. Always loved the design of the Hawk and Avanti.
Thanks for posting this. Growing up in the early 1960s my grandmother had a 4 door Champion, she took us everywhere as my mother did not drive. Lots of memories flooding back with this video.
Dad and Mom bought a brand-new '51 Studebaker Champion when he graduated from college. A dozen years later, I learned to drive in that beauty. I still have the original title and a few photos. I wish i had the car too.
I was asked by a customer to restore a little four wheel 'buggy' for him over here in the UK.On lifting the floor mat I found a small brass plate telling me it was a Studebaker! I owned American cars at the time but had no idea Studebaker started with horse drawn vehicles.I guess it was about 1880/90s era.Turned into a bit of labour of love but looked nice in dark green with gold lining.
Just makes me want to go back in time, take that Company's CEO position, and "Show them just how Talented They Really Were!" *That would have been another "Era and Industry Oddity" a Female CEO, would have been Company President back then. The Packard Story is also sad. That company also had quality and forward thinking Automotive Design. *I could have inspired that Company, tuned it to "run like a Rolls Royce" and acquired Mechanical Engineers that would create engines that were: "Reliable, Low Maintenance, and Maintenance Friendly" Fast is easy. That Studebaker "S" emblem is Timeless. Imagine watching a whole other story on Studebaker...
During high school in the late 1960's I drove a '54 Studebaker Champion wagon for a while. It was an amazing car for the era. I would like to still have it.
My great uncle, Egbert, Grandpa's youngest brother, retired from stude in 1962 @ age 62. They gave him a small school bus, only had a driver's seat, as a retirement gift. He turned it into a motor home, & he & great aunt Edna along with his older sister whose name was also Edna, traveled around the country. I stopped to visit with them in South Bend in 1983. I wanted my wife to meet them.
A HS friend's Dad had 2 of the early 50's bullets, and later my friend was given one of them. I was amazed at the 30 mpg gas usage at the time when all the other cars I knew about got 15-16 mpg. The 30mpg could be chalked up to an economical 6cyl engine and an overdrive transmission plus the Dad being an aircraft design engineer who know how to tune an engine. They were great cars.
I always wanted one that beautiful and different refreshing look but could never afford one but l look back and see dedicated people collecting them and thank them for saving American history the studibaker
I had a Studebaker, bought it used in Australia in 1958. It was designated as a Studebaker Commander light 6 1938 model. It was right hand drive, dark green with fawn leather interior. Mechanically it had the gear shift protruding from the dash, if you wished turn a knob on the dash and change gears clutch less, you could also change to overdrive in that mode. It was a heavy car just a fraction over 2 ton's and surprisingly economical . It was a sheer delight to drive very firm on the road. Also it was one of the few cars that from a standing start at the 30 MPH sign at the bottom of the Lithgow gap hill, go over the top at 30 MPH in top gear all the way.. It also had a Hill holder, if you applied the foot brake on an incline the car stayed there, no need to put the hand brake on, to take off again just engage the gear and take off, it unlocked the hill holder automatically, Two problems with it everywhere you went, people would come and want to go over it, The other was it continually chewed out the front engine oil sea. When I finally could not source the oil seals I reluctantly had to sell it. I had no history of the car before I bought it and none after I sold it. I wished I still had it and the 1924 Rugby (blue seal motor)Tourer I traded in on the Studebaker.
This is amazing, they totally miss the second salvation of the company in 1953 when Raymond Lowry designed the legendary Starlight Coupe ultra aerodynamic design which instantly became a landmark of the fifties automotive world...
My family had a long connection with Studebakers. My dad John McKusick who owned a Los Angeles machine shop made Studebaker speed equipment under the name STU-V in the 50''s to 60's. My first car in 1963 was a '51 four door Commander V-8 with the lock-up Borg Warner automatic transmission. Driving to Laguna Beach to go skin diving, at 6 am on the brand new 605 freeway it really did go 100 mph, blowing smoke out the back. That summer I rebuilt the engine (under my dad's guidance). Fifty seven years later, I still fix my own cars and I still look for the differences in how each car is designed and engineered. My dad said he thought Studebaker was a company that operated with integrity. What does that mean? The '51 V8 was soundly designed with mechanical lifters, a rigid engine block, self adjusting brakes (in 1951) and no tricks (yeah, let me tell you about the Torx bolts in a '93 Mercedes crank pulley, and I dread working on my son's Lexus automatic trans.). These days, my surviving vehicle is a 313,000 mile Dodge Caravan, the Mitsubishi V6 doesn't need rebuilding but like my neighbor points out I just smile and throw parts at it. Hello all you Studebaker owners, best wishes that you enjoy your well built car.
The so-called bullet cars were known as salt-shakers, not bullet cars. The 1953-55 cars were quite special. The 1963 Gran Turismos sold well. Studebaker did the first econo box, the Lark. The pickups were legend. Partial documentary.
In regards to the man who bought the Golden Hawk, If he could buy a new car and then put on 120,000 miles on it with only having to add new breaks and tires by the time that he sold it, I'd say that was mighty fine automobile. Better for sure than any low to mid-market product that GM was putting out at that time.
Studebaker was well respected in Canada with Canadian operations. Actually the Canadian plant held on after the US plant closed. If ever their was a company that should have survived it was Studebaker. The Studebaker car seemed up to the Canadian winter challenge. A true feather in Studebaker's cap, so to speak. Car companies have their ups and downs. Don't let them see you sweat and don't quit.
The Hawk always impressed me back in the day. The Avanti with it's small 289 blew away everything on the road in 1963 and even the Lark Daytona with it's 283 could blow away many cars. No, you don't dare raise your nose at a Studebaker ! This video made my day.
1967 Studebaker Cruiser in plum color with the white vinyl top was our family car, then my brother drove it until he went to college, then I drove it until I graduated in 1980. Funky little car with a small block Chevy 283cu.in. engine, full reclining seats, and an oval steering wheel. I would love to have it back and be able to restore it to like-new condition. A lot of great memories in that car.
I'm from the seventies and I love cars! Studebaker is also a brand I appreciate. The cars are unique, charming and good looking. The only Studebaker I don't care much about is the Avanti, but I can't deny it's a classic!
Studebaker imported and sold Mercedes Benz cars for a time in the 1950s and 60s. The Onan Company that makes power generation equipment was a division of Studebaker for a while in the 60s
I remember my dad telling me about my grandfather who was a airforce pilot who owned a 1950 studebaker champion starlight coupe and every day when he'd come back from his job and pick up my dad he would try to get the thing flying going around 90mph
My Dad's and Mother's graves are in the Erskine circle where the mausoleum of Albert R. Erskine is located. Also my great-uncle David's grave is next to theirs. My Dad was a crewman on a voyage in 1928 of the USS Steel Inventor, a United States Steel ore ship. Going to Rio de Janeiro it carried a load of 1928 Erskines, a short-lived Studebaker brand. I used to have a Studebaker buckboard. It was stolen by the sellers of a former lodge that I was buying. Somewhere I have a photo of the brass nameplate.
@voitdive You show yourself to be a very un-worldly person. Motor Trend magazine voted the 53 Commander the most beautiful design of the 50's, and the 63 Avanti the most beautiful design of the 60's. But, of course you know better than a national magazine and their vast readership.
@voitdive You really should say the least possible, obviously. "Bought". Another of your brilliant conclusions? Studebaker was long out of production when the Motor Trend National poll was conducted. Yes, Avanti was still being built in limited numbers, but I doubt they "bought" off everyone in the United States. Suggestion: invest in a mirror.
My girlfriend had 52 Studebaker in 1967. The heavy duty house paint on it was all that kept it together. What a wreck it was, but it ran, only very slowly. Buck
Great video. Thank you for sharing. I miss some comment about 1940-1942 President 8, Commander 6 and Champion 6. One uncle, the main Studebaker Dealer in Chile said these were the best Studebaker built until 1950. The Power Matic semi automatic transmission of 1942 was also very important.
It's interesting how these less popular brand of automobiles had the most advanced technology. Most economical and most powerful engines available yet it just didn't catch on. AMC had similar issues. The 343 V8 in the Rambler Rebel gave my dad's '67 Cougar with 390 a real run for the money. I guess styling may have had something to do with it.
I want a 66 Stude Daytona with the 283 in it. Such a neat little car and it’s a shame they didn’t survive into the 70’s. I bet they could’ve built some neat ,muscle cars and cool compacts
@@bradjohnson9986 Yes and no. The Metropolitan was a joint venture between Nash-Kelvinator and the British Motor Corporation. This meant off-the-shelf BMC mechanicals paired with a Nash designed bodyshell.
The Victorian State Police in Australia bought about 300 US built, right hand drive, Larks . The production line fitted steering column was sourced for the the British Motor Corporation (now also defunct).
My all time favorite car was the 1955 Studebaker Golden Hawk. What a great looking car. I almost bought a Hawk many years back. It had this huge engine, a 4-bbl carb and 4-on-the-floor tranny; that 4-on-the-floor was a rarity way back then. Sometimes I wish I did get it. I would have needed to get it repainted because the pain job it had was pretty bad.
Probably 56 which was the first year of the Golden Hawk. That year it had the Packard V8 which was something like 371 ci. The next year they were supercharged stude motors.
So many people say they don't build them like they used to. Well folks, you are probably not going to like this but after owning some post WW2 models as a used car dealer I learned that the late 50's to 60's made cars that did only two things consistently and that was to burn oil and rust. Amazing this junk sold up until 1966. The Avanti was a exception being made of fiberglass so no rust and the V8's I think came from GM.
The only time the Avanti had a Chevrolet engine in it was when the rights to make it were sold to former Studebaker dealers Newman and Altman. The actual Studebaker-built Avantis were sold with their legendary in-house 289 cu. V8. You're also right about that other comment, I don't like it.
Back in the 60s had a box studbaker lived in Norwood Ohio winters were real bad sweep snow that car never failed to start no matter the temperature. Fantastic car wish they made the. That good now. Solid , reliable car.
@Jaciee87 A multitude of factors. Big Three marketing, an overly-powerful labor union, and management that did not even want to be in the auto industry anymore by 1959. Studebaker cars themselves were NEVER poorly built.
At the turn of the 20th Century they actually transformed the company to the future, yet eventually they still lost it all--essentially. The 64's were a nice redesign, but too little too late. I remember so well the sadness I felt when they announced the ending of US production before the 64 model year would typically close out.
Started driving dads 48 Studebaker pickup had to stand on the seat to see out the windshield probably 4 1/2 yrs old took it up the pasture lane around 2 tight corners and turned the key off in front of the house thank god for granny low that was 63 yrs ago! Next year had it figured out how to start it and take lunch out to dad in the field.dad would be in jail if we would try that now!
The advent of the final Studebaker models; Lark Wagonaire, Avanti, and the all-new Hawk Gran Turismo, sure decline any hints that the company was sinking in the quicksand. The Avanti might have made it on its' own, and double triumphed by consequently saving the company, if Stude had chosen the superior method of blown fiberglass application, instead of the troublesome layering method, which took doggone long to cure before many left South Bend, amongst an extremely high demand and waiting list. By early 1964, everyone had given up waiting for the new Avanti, and turned to amongst news from Ford about to unleash their all-time best seller, the exciting new Mustang, which put its' horseshoes on Avanti, as it did Corvair. Meanwhile, Hawk GT bombed in the birth of the Riviera, and because Thunderbird was still doing good. The Lark models were being shied away from by prospective buyers who had more confidence in what competing Valiant, and Falcon models had to offer.
I think the 1951 V8 232 engine, as well as the 1950 Studebaker Automatic Drive automatic transmission, deserve a special comment for its quality and advanced technological level. I would have focused mostly on the more objective technical aspects than on the aesthetic aspect, about which there is nothing written.
they were way ahead in both tech and design. self adjusting brakes 10 years before anyone else. hill holder, I still miss the stick with over drive... on and on.
My dad had a Commander and an Champion at one point and then we had a 1957 President I learned to drive on that one when I was 14 got my license at 16 I would love to own one thanks for the videos it takes me back to a better time ❤️
My grandfathers first car in 1917 was a new 1917- 7 passenger BIG Studebaker, side curtains, spare on the back, was driven till 1927 and he bought a new 1927 7 passenger Buick
I had a friend years ago who had '50 Starlight Coupe. It was a runner, but it needed a resto...bad! Even had the little after-market propeller for the bullet. Wonder if he ever got that project finished. Sure hope so...those are really cool cars.
Im Workin on a 48 stud land cruiser barn find (my first car) and so far it's a wonderful car so I decided to find he history of the cars and the Company And so far the more I learn the more I love it.
@@emjayay The '56 Golden Hawk had fiberglass fins. In '57 they were steel. And '53 Commander had 120 HP, while the '57 GH had more than twice that at 275 HP. About the only thing it shared with the '53 is the cabin.
The Hawk models of the mid fifties were the most attractive vehicles ever produced, but the rest of them looked like aweful junk. I only knew of one person who had ever bought one and likely second hand at that as they probably depreciated pretty heavily with limited demand. For a time when they first came to the US Mercedes used Studebaker-Packard dealerships to sell their products until they ceased production.
I was born in 1950. The first car I remmeber my dad driving was a 1950 Champion, exactly like the one featured, same color and everything. We had a couple Larks, but dad was smitten by the Avanti.... he'd go on and on about them, buy models, making slot cars with Avanti bodies. Upon his retirement, he finally got an R2. Dad was very frugal, didn't like V8 cars. So, his ride stayed and collected dust in the garage. He never drove it. I took it out one time when he was gone. It ran like crap. Apparently, he didn't want to spend the money to get it running well either.... but he had his Avanti.
Great heart warming vid!!! Boomer ('57) so the last car style maybe a Lark was the first i had as a toy though read about the Avanti. Rock guy, too and loved Steve Miller singing "....55 Studebaker going for broke..." in Number 5's "Going To Mexico". Also a cool memory of a black Golden Hawk from the late '50s drawing the shortest straw (well, it had the most gas) in '75 to go to Winterland to see Great Fatsby era Leslie West. He was great. Elvin Bishop not so much. Car was parked on site and we had to bounce a Bug out of our way to leave. i cherish this memory.
My dad loved a Studebaker ! Have two now, one a 39 4 door suicide doors grandpa bought in 1961 its a basket case but it has a very good body & have the title to the car ! One 41 champion looks very good & can drive it ! M/S took my mobility 15 years ago can't fool with them, hopefully one day they 'll spark our sons interest who knows ! ✌
@voitdive There were also quite a few ugly designs be Italian design houses. For example certain Ferraris from the 1980's onwards. Lada Samara, Hyundi Pony, a selection of post Miura Lamborghini, never liked the Countach, but it does look impressive! And not forgetting the brilliant car designer that saved Standard-Triumph and later BMW (Neu Klass via one of Glas's design projects that fell into BMW's hands) Giovanni Michelotti… the Reliant Scimitar SS1 which was not one of his finest designs. In other word's we can all have off days/a bad day in the office… etc. But I guess saying that a certain Italian cars are ugly is against the rules. You can't say that!
You are so right in proclaiming Raymond Lowey as the 'forgotten genius'. Many do not realize that Raymond was also credited for the design of the logo of SHELL Oil, a modern locomotive design as well as an updated telephone style & the ubiquitous coke bottle. Then there's the '53-'55 Studebaker Starlite coupe (Predecessor of the HAWK series) and the impressive AVANTI, which was touted as the fastest stock production car in AMERICA @ that time, 172mph; it also broke numerous world speed records on the Bonneville salt flats. Mr Lowey also designed the Interior of the SuperSonic TransAtlantic Jet, the "CONCORDE". DJ-IN-TX
Hamilton, Ontario, my hometown. Hamilton Police bought some as a goodwill gesture near the end. A kid when they went under. Still remembered in city lore.
my husband bought me a 65 red studerbaker as first i did not like it. it was spotless and drove like a dream. i kept it for a while and sold it for quite a bit of money
My grandfather worked at Studebaker, and made really good money. Before they went bust, he decided to be a poor farmer. I don't think there was any kind of pension and since he started working there before Social Security, both he and my grandma went to work at a factory, while still farming, so they'd get full SS
It's British so the Glaring Omissions are more understandable. Glaring Omission #1: a 1950 Bullet Nose is featured without once mentioning that the front-end treatment was a restyle to a body that debuted in 1947. For 1947 Studebaker's catch phrase was "First by far with a post-war car" Glaring Omission #2: they mention earlier management and the merger with Packard but don't mention the three-year management contract of 1956 with Curtiss-Wright or that they were the American importer for Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, and DKW automobiles. Glaring Omission #3: they did not present a 1959 Lark which beat the Big Three to the market with a smaller car by a year and provided enough profits to allow the company to stumble on for a few more years. Glaring Omission #4: it jumps from the Hawk of 1953 to the Avanti introduced in 1962. The Avanti was akin to the Battle of the Bulge. A wildly optimistic gamble of scarce resources that didn't require a crystal ball to foresee it being a strategy that if it failed would hasten the end.
My dad Had a 1958 Studi. by the time he got rid of it in 1975 (only because he was rear ended and could not find replacement parts). He put 312000 thousand miles on it. He was military and travel from Florida up to Fairbanks Alaska and back 6 times. 7th time we stayed in Fairbank. He always bragged that old gray mare only had one major repayment part the alternator. Good memories traveling the county in that old wagon with my brother and 2 sisters.
