Studebakerentered the fifties riding gamey . The one - clip wagonmaker had been " first by far with a postwar railroad car , " the striking and dart 1947 models that attracted client in turn unheard of in South Bend , but the next - coevals 1950 - 1951 Studebaker Commander would be the end of the line for the effective times .
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Despite trade union movement trouble , cloth shortages , and the drain of heavy investments for new - modeling development and unexampled facilities , Studebaker built more than 191,000 cable car and trucks in 1947 , earning more than $ 9 million in net profit .
The undermentioned year , volume swelled to nigh a quarter - million unit , profits to a record $ 19 million . Things attend even well in 1949 as sales jump 30 percentage , to about 305,000 fomite , and profits leaped above $ 27.5 million .
But trouble were brew . Though still popular , Studebaker ’s " New Look " 1947 styling had n’t changed much , and by 1950 it no longer look so new . Not so the competition , whose first postwar models had arrived in force , mostly for 1949 .
South Bend again hoped to move out front with brand - fresh styling that yr , but it was check by internal disagreement between the Raymond Loewy adviser team and an in - house faction head by interior decorator Virgil Exner , engineer Roy Cole , and product manager Ralph Vail . Studebaker also needed to respond to Big Three initiatives like high - compression V-8s , automatonlike transmissions , and " hardtop convertibles . "
Ultimately , Exner go for Chrysler , Cole and Vail were diffused , and engineers continued knead overtime on the aforementioned innovations . Meanwhile , Loewy staff member Bob Bourke , who ’d help shaped the 1947 , came up with one of chronicle ’s most outre face - lifts : the ill-famed " bullet nozzle " 1950 - 1951 Studebaker . It result from a personal directive by the French - born Loewy : " Now , Bob , eet has to look like zee aeroplane . "
It did , but the record express it might have turn out well . And though Studebaker called it the " Next Look , " nobody rushed to copy it . Still , the new bullet train - nozzle styling helped Studebaker cod the crown of the postwar marketer ’s market to another volume record : over 343,000 cars . Alas , it would never again do so well .
Besides that outrageous front , the 1950 Studebakers boast an redundant inch in wheelbase , reshaped rearward cowcatcher , and redesigned instrument board . More substantial was a switch to front coil springs , kick out an archaic single transverse foliage .
The large-minded reach of Champion and Commander coupe , sedan , andconvertiblesoffered since 1947 pull in four closed Champion Customs ; starting at $ 1,419 , they returned Studebaker to the low - price area for the first time since 1939 .
A half - point compression boost added five horsepower to the old Champ six ; Commander ’s big six win 2horsepowerto 102 . As befit its higher place , Commander rode a 120 - inch wheelbase , seven inches longer than the Champ , and prices swan from $ 1,871 to $ 2,328 for a Regal DeLuxe convertible security .
Spring 1950 get Studebaker ’s most important postwar engineering advance yet : " Automatic private road . " A line - wide option developed in concert with Borg - Warner ’s Detroit Gear Division , it was the only machinelike transmission designed and progress by an independent other than Packard .
And several features made it one of the best anywhere : no - sliptorque - converter ; a safety that preclude in - gear starting and damage should turn back be accidentally pick out on the move ; no - creep operation ; and a " hill - bearer " that kept the cable car from rolling backward down an incline . Ford wanted to purchase Automatic Drive for its cars , but Studebaker refuse to deal – in retrospect , a serious mistake .
To get word about changes or the 1951 model year , continue to the next page .
For more information on cars, see:
1951 Studebaker Commander
The big ammo for 1951 arrived as the much - needed overhead - valve V-8 , exclusive to the 1951 Studebaker Commander . Besides being a fineengineand the first modern V-8 from an independent , it put Studebaker at least three years out front of Chevrolet / Ford / Plymouth .
Its greater compactness prompted a five - inch cut in Commander wheelbase . Rising product cost dictated putting the Champion on this platform , too , so it inherited the Commander ’s newfangled - for-1950 nerve centre - point steering and coil - over front shock .
Otherwise , the 1951s were much like the 1950 Studebakers . The " smoke nose " was toned down a bit by painting its large , chrome outer mob ; series were renamed and garnish reshuffle ; Commanders got improved electricwipers(optional on Champions ) ; and toll run up a fiddling . The foresightful - wheelbase Commander Land Cruiser sedan , alone on a four - inch - longer wheelbase , remained the pridefulness of the South Bend fleet at $ 2,289 , although the Commander Stateconvertibleoutpriced it by a few clam .
With less exercising weight and nearly 18 percent more horsepower , the V-8 Commander get a mild sensation . Gushed tester " Uncle Tom " McCahill : " This powerplant transforms the maidenly Studie of recent days into a rip - bellow , underworld - for - leather performer that can belt the amylum out of practically every other American motorcar . … "
Still , a Commander won its socio-economic class in the 1951 Mobilgas Economy Run , averaging 28 mpg with overdrive over 840 miles . Commanders were highly respected cars of their day for long - aloofness travel , especially the V-8 Land Cruiser . Of course , at just $ 75 below a Buick Super , they had to be .
Nonetheless , an abbreviate model class and the beginning of government - ordered production cutbacks ( due to the Korean dispute ) hampered Studebaker outturn , which drop to below 269,000 unit for 1951 , 124,280 of them Commanders .
South Bend was still cod somewhat high-pitched and some of its most memorable car lay ahead , but the farseeing , slow slide to obliviousness had already begun . Ultimately , being " first by far " would be Studebaker its life .
To check out 1950 - 1951 Studebaker Commander specifications , cover to the next page .
1950-1951 Studebaker Commander Specifications
The 1950 - 1951 Studebaker Commander was known mostly for its bullet olfactory organ , but performance was surprisingly pleasant .
Specifications
1951 Engine : L - headway six , 245.6 cid ( 3.31 × 4.75 ) , 102 bhp
1951 locomotive : ohv V-8 , 232.6 cid ( 3.38 × 3.25 ) , 120 bhp
Transmission:3 - speed manual of arms ; overdrive and 2 - speed “ Automatic Drive ” ( from mid-1950 ) optional
Suspension front : upper and lower A - arm , helix springs
Suspension rear : live axle , semi - prolate leaf springs
Brakes : front / rear drums
1950 Wheelbase ( in.):120.0 ( Land Cruiser 124.0 )
1951 Wheelbase ( in.):115.0 ( Land Cruiser 119.0 )
Weight ( lbs.):3,215 - 3,375
Top speed ( mph):85 ( 1951 100 )
0 - 60 mph ( sec):16 ( 1951 13 )
