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The Studebaker that Woulda-Shoulda-Coulda
Reaganite Republican ^ | 30 December 2013 | Reaganite Republican

Posted on 12/30/2013 11:32:59 AM PST by Reaganite Republican


Like most independent US automakers in the 1950s, Studebaker -at that point already in business for over 100 years, producer of Conestoga wagons that conquered the American west, and an automobile manufacturer since 1905-
was simply unable to compete with the Big Three's economies of scale, access to capital, and profit-crushing price wars. The result was companies like Nash, Hudson, Packard, and Studebaker being forced to seek a merger in order to survive...


So as Mitt Romney's old man did when he created AMC/Rambler out of Nash and Hudson, Studebaker teamed-up with ultra-luxury Packard, consolidated manufacturing, and eliminated redundancies. Yet the new Studebaker-Packard corporation wasn't able to save the Packard nameplate for along, as all they could afford to come up with was a gussied-up Studebaker sedan with a Packard pimp-kit tacked on... the Packard mystique was promptly squandered,
and sales
tanked. A recession in '58 twisted the knife, and Packard was gone.

Also in a death-spiral of ebbing consumer confidence and tumbling sales, Studebaker salvaged itself as an automotive brand for awhile with a similar cost-effective niche approach to what AMC's: make a medium-large car into a roomy compact by lopping-off some length on both ends and installing existing powerplants  (who's tooling had long been paid-off). 

Both AMC -with the Rambler- and Studebaker -with the 1959 Lark- beat the Big Three to the compact segment (Corvair, Falcon, Valliant) and posted substantial sales/profits by being first-to-market when many were looking at imports after growing weary of the sheer mass of standard Detroit 'dinosaurs'
(as Romney tagged them).



With it's nearly full-size interior with seating for six adults, the compact
Lark was an instant hit, and Studebaker sales were up 250% in '59 because of it. Soon the company hired an engergetic 'car guy' -Sherwood Egbert- who (along with racing legend Andy Granatelli) continued to improve and cleverly restyle the Lark, which was basically a 1953 platform that remained -albeit annually updated- right up until the end of Studebaker automobile production in 1965. 

Egbert also brought the world the handsome, innovative, and advanced Studebaker Avanti (designed by genius Raymond Loewy)- and in fact planned a whole family of 'Avanti II' sedans/etc to take advantage of the new, sporty family image. But production problems and persistent cash shortages doomed what was indeed a promising product in the Avanti... alas, this was Studebaker's last shot at remaining a serious player in the auto business.

When 'hot' motors developed for the Avanti -inc. top one with Paxton supercharger- were made available in the Lark, you had what may have been the first factory 'muscle car', even before the famed Pontiac GTO: the Lark Daytona ran a 289hp supercharged V-8 and did 0-60 in 8.9 seconds...
an impressive figure in 1962.


The company went-on selling STP oil treatment, Clarke floor machines, Franklin home appliances, etc up until it was all swallowed-up in yet another merger. By the mid 70s, Studebaker was a $1B/year company.. but the last Studebaker autombiles were 1966-model sedans built in Ontario in 1965, and only ~19,500 where screwed-together in that last year of production. Automotive historians largely blame the company's high price of labor and low (union) productivity for the demise of the huge Studebaker works at South Bend, Indiana.

Yet Studebaker had some very interesting stuff on the drawing board when they withdrew from the automobile business. My favorite would be the Studebaker Sceptre Coupe, which was intended to be a 1966 model. One was made as a non-running prototype to entice the investors that never materialized... this was to be the new Studebaker styling theme that would carry them into the Seventies.

Note that Studebaker at the time was the sole licensed US importer of Mercedes-Benz cars in the late 50s/early 60s, and seeming influenced by Benz, they stressed a new 3-pointed Studebaker star and attached Mercedes-style grilles to some models. The 1962 Sceptre prototype pictured below uses the symbol extensively on the hood, grill, wheels, seats, steering wheel, etc. The car also featured futuristic 'light tubes' front and rear, specially developed by Sylvania-


Pics at Reaganite Republican...

______________________________________________________________________


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  AllPar   CarType.com   Stude100   How Stuff Works   
Automobile Quarterly   CarStyling.ru   Autopaedia


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Business/Economy; History
KEYWORDS: autos; cars; design; studebaker
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To: Impala64ssa

The company really was run by ‘car guys’ at the end, inc. Andy Granatelli, later CEO of STP (a Studebaker subsidiary)


21 posted on 12/30/2013 2:12:19 PM PST by Reaganite Republican
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To: eCSMaster; AnAmericanMother; Dr. Bogus Pachysandra; Impala64ssa; Jeff Chandler

The late 1950’s Golden Hawk with the supercharged 289 was indeed fast. It was not quite as fast off the line as most Corvettes, but it blew by all of them on the top end.

The speedometer was printed to 140 mph but that wasn’t the end of it. And, with its aerodynamic design it would hug the ground all the way up. Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately) the one I am familiar with came with a three-speed gear stick on the steering column.


22 posted on 12/30/2013 2:17:25 PM PST by frog in a pot ("To each according to his need..." -from a guy who never had a real job and couldn't feed his family)
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To: SunkenCiv
over-engined

Blasphemy!

23 posted on 12/30/2013 2:23:27 PM PST by Disambiguator
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To: SunkenCiv
I think the Avanti sedan looked pretty good:


24 posted on 12/30/2013 2:27:48 PM PST by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: frog in a pot

I seem to remember the Hawk doing 149mph, on the salt flats.


25 posted on 12/30/2013 3:14:16 PM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: Reaganite Republican

I seem to recall a study (academic?) about one of the principal (immediate) causes of Studebaker’s bankruptcy many years back and the blame was focused upon the UAW. By the 1950s the UAW had an almost unbeatable strategy for their 3 year cycle of union contract negotiations. They would focus upon one car company and strike it to force a favorable contract that would then be applied to the rest of the industry. It would appear that Studebaker over its 100 year history had employed a rather family-oriented and generous attitude towards their workers. In the 1950s, Studebaker’s wages to both labor and management were amongst the highest overall in the industry.

This works when the company and union are only working with each other. In this case, the UAW was more interested in an INDUSTRY WIDE labor wage and in 1962, the UAW struck various Studebaker factories to gain the advantage of establishing a ‘sweetheart’ contract that they could turn-around and push to the other car companies. If it destroyed Studebaker, well that was less important than benefitting all of the other union workers. A demonstration of how ulterior motives can wreak havoc upon even the best intentions.


26 posted on 12/30/2013 3:18:08 PM PST by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: PLMerite

I think the Avanti sedan looked pretty good:

Nice clean lines and very good looking. I'd be happy to consider buying it if it were available today!

27 posted on 12/30/2013 3:20:44 PM PST by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: UriÂ’el-2012

Replace the front cannon-target target sight with a Mercedes 3-way deal and it almost looks like a 60’s “concept” MBZ!


28 posted on 12/30/2013 3:39:31 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (At no time was the Obama administration aware of what the Obama administration was doing)
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To: Reaganite Republican

The Sceptre Coupe looks a lot like the Thunderbirds of the era. It is a shame it was never produced.


29 posted on 12/30/2013 3:39:54 PM PST by Clay Moore ("In politics, stupidity is not a handicap." Napoleon Bonaparte)
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To: SES1066

“Nice clean lines and very good looking. I’d be happy to consider buying it if it were available today! “

Me, too, but we’re late by about 22 years.


30 posted on 12/30/2013 4:52:54 PM PST by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: Jeff Chandler
Well, yeah, but try that with a 289.

It was a great little engine and it was possible to work on it yourself.

My dad and his mechanic conspired to do all sorts of bizarre things to it though. They put a Maserati fuel injection system on it - ran great but if you popped the hood you weren't QUITE sure what you were looking at . . .

31 posted on 12/30/2013 5:47:38 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (Ecce Crucem Domini, fugite partes adversae. Vicit Leo de Tribu Iuda, Radix David, Alleluia!)
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To: frog in a pot
Oh, yeah, that's the other thing. TWO forward speed automatic transmission. "rrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRR-ANG! rrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRR-ANG!"

It's a wonder we never ripped it right out of the car in the "after school speed trials".

32 posted on 12/30/2013 5:50:54 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (Ecce Crucem Domini, fugite partes adversae. Vicit Leo de Tribu Iuda, Radix David, Alleluia!)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra
I seem to remember the Hawk doing 149mph, on the salt flats.

Great memory! And that speed would have been possible for a weekend amateur who drove the car to the salt flats. Would not be surprised to hear of routine 150+ mph with a professional tune and competition tires.

The 140 mph designation was, of course, somewhere in the 4-4:30 area of the 1957's gauge. There were a few times during the very early hours of the morning on recently constructed, long and straight California freeways out in the middle of nowhere when I was able to get the needle vertical (yes, I was alone). Never had the speedo calibrated but calculated that even with error I was moving right along.

Pretty sure the magic was in the supercharger plus the fact that the faster one went the smoother the handling.

33 posted on 12/30/2013 6:16:28 PM PST by frog in a pot ("To each according to his need..." -from a guy who never had a real job and couldn't feed his family)
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To: Reaganite Republican

I want to find an AMC Marlin and a Studibaker Avanti. I think Avanti were last made in 2010.


34 posted on 12/30/2013 7:59:11 PM PST by ExCTCitizen (MerryChristmasAll)
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To: frog in a pot

“the faster one went the smoother the handling.”

The same with my ‘91 Lexus. At about 90, it just settled down and got better. I chickened out at about 140 though.


35 posted on 12/30/2013 9:41:40 PM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: AnAmericanMother
The Avanti had a higher top speed than the D501, which probably topped out below 140MPH. It was quick, though, 106MPH quarter miles in the low 13s, 0-60 in 7.6 seconds. Not bad for a car that size.

The D-501 was powered by a 354-cu.in. Hemi with dual Carter WCFB four-barrels, 11.0:1 compression, special cam and intake, 405 ft-lbs of torque, over one horsepower per cubic inch.


36 posted on 12/31/2013 12:47:56 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Obamacare: You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.)
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To: frog in a pot

” It was not quite as fast off the line as most Corvettes, but it blew by all of them on the top end.”

I doubt that, the 57 Corvette that we won every SCCA race we entered in 57 was clocked at 154 in the back straight at Riverside Raceway.


37 posted on 12/31/2013 1:20:10 AM PST by dalereed
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To: dalereed
” It was not quite as fast off the line as most Corvettes, but it blew by all of them on the top end.”

I doubt that…

O.k., but then you were not sitting next to me.

And, let’s run the comparison on equal terms. I was speaking of an auto driven on a daily basis operated by an ordinary driver (amateur?) with an engine and supercharger that may have been out of tune, with factory suspension, a front-end that might be a bit out of alignment and tires that weren’t balanced for high-speed, on ordinary “take what you get” roads (albeit carefully selected).

Further, my experience was like taking candy from babies because ALL of the street ‘vettes in my experience had quick rear end ratios and not fast rear ends intended for the top end as did the Hawk I drove. Those ‘vettes rarely got above 120’ish and they soon gave up.

On the other hand, it is likely you trailered your ‘vette to the race track (at least in the late 50’s?). You certainly had removed unnecessary weight, beefed up the suspension, fitted it with competitive tires checked them for precise air pressure and condition, and gave it all a last minute tuning.

Bottom line: you have your memories and I have mine. And, they are all good.

Happy New Year!

38 posted on 12/31/2013 11:39:52 AM PST by frog in a pot ("To each according to his need..." -from a guy who never had a real job and couldn't feed his family)
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To: AnAmericanMother
My dad and his mechanic conspired to do all sorts of bizarre things to it though. They put a Maserati fuel injection system on it - ran great but if you popped the hood you weren't QUITE sure what you were looking at.

Pictures? What became of the car? Is it still out their?

39 posted on 12/31/2013 11:42:57 AM PST by taildragger (The E-GOP won't know what hit them, The Party of Reagan is almost here, hang tight folks....)
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To: AnAmericanMother
Oh, yeah, that's the other thing. TWO forward speed automatic transmission.

Right, after your “state of the art” two speed auto and my three on the steering column we went on to better things.

Later, I had a ’68 GTO convertible with four on the floor. Even later, I bonded with a young and large thoroughbred gelding. The first time I had the guts to let him run as fast as he wanted he seemed to change gaits several times and I had vivid flash backs to the GTO. He seemed as quick as the GTO, and with an English seat that definitely got smaller as he accelerated it was one of the times I realized how quickly it could all end.

Happy New Year!

40 posted on 12/31/2013 12:08:47 PM PST by frog in a pot ("To each according to his need..." -from a guy who never had a real job and couldn't feed his family)
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