Studebaker Commander

The Studebaker Commander is the model-name of a long succession of automobiles produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) and Studebaker of Canada Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). Studebaker began using the Commander name in 1927 [{http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/default.aspx?carID=7213&showID=32 Conceptcarz.com] ] and continued to use it until 1964, with the exception of 1936 and 1959-63. The model-name was applied to various positions in the company's product line-up from year to year.

History

The 1920s

Until the appearance of the 8-cylinder President in January, 1928, all Studebaker cars of the 1920s were sixes. There were three basic models--the Light, the Special and the Big Six, developing 40, 50 and 60 bhp respectively. The first Commander in 1927 was a continuation of the mid-range Special Six, with a 226 cubic-inch (3.7-litre) engine. Their inbuilt durability and toughness gained them great renown under world-wide conditions. The 1928 GB Commander was a descendant of the Big Six, being powered with a huge 354-cu-in (5.8 litre) engine. In October, 1928, three Commander sixes lined up at the Atlantic City speedway to challenge the 15,000-mile speed record (64.25 mph) held by the much higher-priced Auburn straight-eight Speedster.

"They not only accomplished that but then went on to establish new records up to 25,000 miles. The two sports roadsters averaged better than 65 mph and the sedan, which had flipped on the icy boards during one of the night runs and had been hurriedly repaired, averaged almost 62 mph."

After this, the three cars were closely scrutinised, part by part, and it was established that they were strictly stock automobiles, identical in every respect to those available at any Studebaker showroom. [Charles Betts "Studebaker as Gladiator", in Automobile Quarterly, Vol X, No 3, 1972, p. 239]

These sixes were the last descendants of rugged cars designed for poor roads in the early 20th century--loaded with torque and massively strong in construction. They were not suited to the higher cruising speeds which were made possible by better roads in later years. [Maurice D. Hendry "Studebaker: One can do a lot of remembering at South Bend" in Automobile Quarterly, Vol X, No 3, 1972, p. 259]

1930s

In 1935, the Commander was dropped from Studebaker’s product line, only to be reinstated in 1937 when the name was applied to Studebaker’s least expensive range formerly known as the Studebaker Dictator. In 1939, Studebaker introduced the Champion, and again the Commander line was positioned as the midrange vehicle.

1940s

Immediately following World War II, Studebaker dropped its President models, and the Commander again was elevated in the line up. Studebaker also again rolled out an extended wheelbase model of the Commander, the Land Cruiser.

1950s

The 1950 car pictured here is similar to the Commander but is actually a Champion. The Commander had a distinctive bumper, carried over from 1949, longer front fenders and large headlight bezels as well as a distinctive jet-style hood ornament.

In 1955 Studebaker reintroduced the President name for its premium models and 'Commander' was applied to the mid-range products. The Commander line was extended with the introduction of a lower-priced Custom sub-series, being basically a Champion with a V8 engine. Studebaker placed the name on hiatus at the end of the 1958 model year.

1960s

In 1963, Studebaker again resurrected the Commander name for the 1964 model year, applying it to the next-to-lowest-priced Lark model, the Challenger being below. 1964 Studebaker Commanders are easily identified by their single headlight arrangement. The 1965 Commander shared the dual-headlight system of the Daytona and Cruiser.

Trivia

* A specially-painted Studebaker Commander was used in the film "The Muppet Movie". One of these now resides in the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend.
* The bullet-nosed models were the inspiration for the Rover P4.
* A specially-modified shovelnose was owned and driven by Mike Grell's fictional mercenary, Jon Sable (in "Jon Sable, Freelance").
* A purposely made-up Commander was used in the movie "The Mask" as a loaner for the character played by actor Jim Carrey
* A Studebaker Commander was restored and used by Physical Phil in the ABC series October Road.

Toy reproductions and model kits

AMT, a plastic model kit company, made a 1/25-scale "Trophy Series" plastic kit of the 1953 Starliner coupe which has been reissued many times. The kit has very good scale appearance, and has poseable steering and an opening hood. There are optional customizing parts, including (in most issues) parts for a Chrysler Hemi-powered Bonneville racer with a chopped top, and for a sleek custom version with a custom grille and tail lights.

Revell offered a 1953 Commander pillared coupe drag car called "Miss Deal". The kit, which has been reissued a few times, represents a heavily-modified drag race car with a tubular racing chassis, a Chrysler Hemi engine, and a fiberglass body and does not offer a stock building option.

Notes

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