Marque: Studebaker - Company History & Models - Cars By Brand
Studebaker
The Studebaker brothers Henry, Clem, Jacob, Peter and John Mohler (of German origins) built up the largest wagon making business in the world during the late 1800s, and were based in the town of South Bend, Indiana. Their fi rst car produced in 1902 was electric, but petrol engined cars followed in 1904, which were ostensibly horseless buggies. Their first cars were built in Detroit, while the wagon…
Studebaker 1955 President Speedster
The forerunner of the successful Hawk series of cars, the post-war President portrayed an interesting front bumper/ grille design known colloquially as the ‘fish-lip’ for obvious reasons! Studebaker did indeed offer some pretty garish colour schemes that included Pink and Black and possibly the most lurid being Lemon & Lime. The President Speedster pillarless coupe was actually a show car at the start of ‘55, but ended up as a limited production run, and boasted plenty of chrome and brightwork. Power came from a 259ci V8 engine rated at 185bhp, with power steering and brakes as standard equipment.
The Speedster model offered a diamond quiltedpattern leather trimmed interior and an attractive tooledmetal appliqué dashboard, with white on black instrument gauges. Only 2215 President Speedsters were produced in ‘55 making them quite a rarity nowadays and a good performer too. Motor Trend Magazine reckoned it was a fun car to drive.
Studebaker Avanti Coupe
The last in a long line of models for Studebaker was yet another superb offering from the Loewy Design Studio, with Avanti which meaning ‘Forward’ in Italian. The car was based on a Lark convertible chassis and built using a GRP body.
This four-seater GT adopted a distinctive frontal aspect styling with no grille. The air intake was via a duct located beneath the front wing. There was also a curious curve on the driver’s side of the bonnet, that acted as a kind of sight for the driver, the same way as a marksman’s aim looking down the barrel of a rifl e! Power came from a Paxton supercharged 289ci V8 engine, with a high lift camshaft and four-barrel carburettor. The Avanti also sported front disc brakes, the first caliper discs to be used in US car production. The interior featured white on black Stewart Warner instrument gauges that were illuminated by a soft red light.
Initial production delays associated with the GRP body moulds could not have come at a worse time and many potential buyers no doubt opted instead to purchase Chevrolet’s Corvette Sting Ray.
The Avanti was doomed, with only 3834 built in 1963 and 809 in 1964. However, the moulds and production rights were later purchased and the model made a come back as the Avanti II with limited production continuing up until the early 1990s.
