Studebaker

US/ CDN, 1902 – 1966

(1) Studebaker Corp, South Bend, Indiana, 1902 – 1954

(2) Studebaker-Packard Corp, South Bend, Indiana, 1954 – 1964

(3) Studebaker Corp of Canada Ltd, Hamilton, Ontario, 1964 – 1966

The brothers Henry and Clem Studebaker opened a blacksmith’s and wagon-building shop in South Bend in 1852, horse-drawn vehicles of their construction serving in both the American Civil War and World War 1, and production continuing until 1919. Their first Studebaker cars were electrics, made in modest numbers from 1902 to 1912: these Studebaker carwere joined in 1904 by the Model-C petrol Studebaker car, a typically American 16hp flat-twin with amidships engine, 2-speed gearbox, and chain drive. This Studebaker carwas followed a year later by a vertical 4 on more European lines, this Studebaker car was selling for $3.000. For the next few seasons, however, Studebaker electred to act as selling gents for Studebaker cars built to their order, and their more expensive offerings of Studebaker cars were built by Garford of Elyria. The cheaper machines were the EMF and Flanders built by the Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Co, and these two makes accounted for 9.700 Studebaker cars in 1910. 1913 saw a brace of Studebaker cars made at South Bend, both with sv monobloc engines, dual ignition, and electric lighting and starting: the 3-speed gearboxes on the Studebaker cars were mounted in unit with the back axles, and the 6-cylinder Studebaker car was claimed to be the first such car to retail in the USA for less than $2.000. In 1914 there was a smaller, 15/20hp Studebaker car with 3.2-litre 4 with coil ignition only. Studebaker sold over 45.000 Studebaker cars in 1915, and their sixth position in 1916 US sales was matched by a seventh place in 1920. 1919 was the last year for 4-cylinder Studebaker cars, and the 1920 Studebaker cars, while retaining separate gearboxes, abandoned the transaxle layout. Studebaker carmodels available were 6s of 4.7-litres and 5.8-litres, the latter establishing a line of really large 6-cylinder Studebaker cars which survived until 1928. An inexpensive 3.3-litre Studebaker Light 6 joined the range in 1921, and 1923 Studebaker cars had all-metal bodies with welded steel pressings. Balloon tyres were standardized on Studebaker cars in 1925, in which year contracting-type hydraulic front wheel brakes were an option: open Studebaker cars were made with permanent tops of the ‘California’ type and detachable side-curtains. Front wheel brakes were standard on the Studebaker carin 1926, but the Studebaker carcompany reverted to mechanical actuation in 1927, in which year a ‘compact’, the Studebaker Erskine, was marketed. Studebaker cars went after stock-car records in a big way in the later 1920s, an outstanding performance of a Studebaker car being 25.000 miles in 25.000 minutes. The 1929 range Studebaker cars consisted of two 6s, the ‘Studebaker Dictator’ and ‘Studebaker Commander’ (at $1.265 and $1.495 respectively), and a brace of straight-eights of 4-litres’ and 5.5-litres’ capacity. Pierce-Arrow was acquired by the Studebaker car company in 1928, but regained its independence five years later. In 1930 Studebaker cars, with Plymouth, pioneered the free wheel, offered initially on 8-cylinder Studebaker cars alone, but available throughout the range by the latter part of the year, when the cheapest Studebaker car, the Light 6, could be bought in England for £295.

Another compact Studebaker carappeared under the Rockne nameplate in 1932. Special versions of the ‘Studebaker President 8’ distinguished themselves in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Cliff Bergere’s Studebaker Special finishing 3rd, while in 1933 6th to 12th places were filled by similar Studebaker cars. Studebaker cars went into receivership in 1933, but came back strongly in 1934 with an unattractively-styled three-model range of Studebaker cars – the 3.4-litre ‘Studebaker Dictator 6’, the 3.6-litre ‘Studebaker Commander 8’, and the 4.1-litre ‘Studebaker President 8 ‘, all with synchromesh, free wheel, and X-braced frames. Subsequent evolution of Studebaker cars followed accepted American lines: transverse independent front suspension, automatic overdrive, and hydraulic brakes once more in 1935: a hill-holder (modernized version of the sprag) in 1936: headlamps half-faired into the wings of the Studebaker car in 1938: and column change in 1939, when Raymond Loewy became responsible for the Studebaker car Corporation’s styling. 1939 was also the first year for one of America’s longest-lived modern economy cars, the 2.7-litre 6-cylinder sv ‘Studebaker Champion’ selling at $765. Fluid couplings was available on the 1942 Studebaker car range, which included Studebaker cars last straight-8s. The revolutionary post-war ‘coming or going’ style with wrap-around rear window on Studebaker cars was launched by Loewy on the 1946/ 1947 Studebaker cars with 2.8-litre and 3.7-litre 6-cylinder engines. Sales climbed to 239.000 Studebaker cars in 1949, and the inevitable ohv V8 – a relatively small one of 3.8-litres – replaced the bigger 6 in 1951 Studebaker cars. Studebaker car companys answer to the big battalions was the low and elegant line of the 1953 Studebaker cars, which unfortunately became more cluttered down the years, and finances were not impoved by the merger of the Studebaker car company with Packard in 1954. An interesting departure was the sporting ‘Studebaker Hawk’ coupé powered by Packard’s V8 engine and Ultramatic transmission in 1956: 1957 versions had blown Studebaker car engines, the only example of a factory-equipped super-charger (save the 1954 Kaiser) since the Graham. The Studebaker car company managed to get their ‘Studebaker Lark’ compact sedan tooled and into production in ten months in 1959, and this descendant of the old sv ‘Champion’ was the only Studebaker car now offered with the exception of the ‘Studebaker Hawk’. The small 6 Studebaker car achieved ohv at long last in 1961, and 1962 saw the exciting fiberglass-bodied ‘Studebaker Avanti’ coupé with disc brakes on the front wheels, a 4-speed gearbox, and optional supercharger. The Studebaker car annexed 29 stock-car records, including a flying mile at 168.15mph, but neither this nor the continuing ‘Lark’ range could save Studebaker cars. A wide choice of Studebaker car models – two 6s and three 8s – was listed for 1964, but early in the season South Bend stopped making Studebaker cars, and production was transferred to the Canadian plant which had been assembling Studebaker cars since 1912. Even as an ‘import’, the Studebaker car did not sell well: the last examples of the Studebaker car marque had 3.2-litre 6-cylinder and 4.7-litre 8-cylinder Chevrolet engines, but even these were abandoned in the spring of 1966. Production of the ‘Studebaker Avanti’ was continued on a small scale by an independent factory in South Bend.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS 

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Austro-Daimler

Austria, 1899 – 1936

(1) Österreichische Daimler Motoren AG, Wiener-Neustadt, 1899 – 1934

(2) Steyr—Daimler-Puch AG, Wiener-Neustadt, 1934 – 1936

Austria’s most famous motor car, the Austro-Daimler, was born when Daimler of Cannstatt established a factory in Vienna for the manufacture of about 100 of its Daimler cars annually. The Austro-Daimler was a copy of its German parent. In 1906 the Austro-Daimler concern became a separate financial entity, and a year earlier, Ferdinand Porsche had replaced Paul Daimler at Wiener-Neustadt as director. A new era began, for Porsche was a designer with original ideas. He did not exercise them at once; the two 1909 Austro-Daimler models for sale were large well-made fours with side valves in a T-head and a choice of chain or live-axle drive. World-wide fame came to the Austro-Daimler company with their 1910 models, especially the Austro-Daimler 22/80ps model originally designed to win the Prince Henry Tour of that year. It accomplished this very convincingly. The five large valves per cylinder – one inlet, four exhaust – were actuated by a single overhead camshaft. A combination of well-shaped combustion chambers and light reciprocating parts made for an engine of an efficiency never before seen in a catalogued, non-racing car. Its 5.7-litres produced 95bhp. Even Porsche, however, felt that so much power could not be safely transmitted by a live axle, and chain drive was used initially. The Austro-Daimler 22/80’s small brother, the Austro-Daimler 16/18ps, had a side-valve L-head engine. After it had swept the board in the Austrian Alpine Tour of 1911, the Austro-Daimler 16/25ps Alpine variant was also for sale. In 1914 the range consisted of these three cars, the sv Austro-Daimler 20/30ps, and the luxurious Austro-Daimler 35/60ps also with side valves. Both Austro-Daimler and Daimler sold the Lohner-Porsche, the name given to the electric and petrol-electric cars designed by Porsche before he went to Wiener-Neustadt. The Vienna Austro-Daimler firm was Austria’s largest manufacturer of motorcars.

Immediately after World War 1 a few cars were assembled in Liège from pre-war Austro-Daimler parts by M. Klinkenhammers, and sold under the Alfa-Legia. On their home ground the company returned to high-grade fast tourers. As well as the old ‘Austro-Daimler 16/18’ and ‘Austro-Daimler 20/30’, they made the new Austro-Daimler AD617 for sale, a 6-cylinder car of 4.4-litres with a single overhead camshaft, that was succeeded in 1923 by its development, the Austro-Daimler ADV17/60ps for sale, which was the same but for its front wheel brakes. Four years earlier, Porsche had maintained his reputation for really exciting design by producing the Sascha-type Austro-Daimler, a 1100cc – later 1½-litre – racing voiturette. Its four cylinders, like the six of the Austro-Daimler AD617, were of aluminium, with detachable steel liners. There were two overhead camshafts, however, and dry sump lubrication. The power output was 50bhp. Four-wheel brakes were, of course, fitted.

Although Porsche left Vienna in 1923 to return to Daimler, he was mainly responsible for the new ADM type, which was offered alongside the Austro-Daimler ADV17/60 from that year. The Austro-Daimler ADM1 was basically similar, but had a smaller engine of 2½-litres, and its rounded radiator was a departure for the hitherto traditional Austro-Daimler V-shape. It was sold in sports from in 1925 as the Austro-Daimler ADMII. After 1926, the old Austro-Daimler ADV17/60 was dropped and the ADM engine was enlarged to three litres by increasing the bore. This Austro-Daimler ADMIII in sports form developed 100bhp at 400rpm, and could do more than 100mph. Porsche’s successor, Karl Rabe, designed the even more advanced ADR type. Its tubular backbone chassis and swing-axle independent rear suspension so resembled that of the Tatra that legal action was taken against Austro-Daimler. The Austro-Daimler ADR was available in sports or normal form. At first, the Austro-Daimler ADR used the old ADMIII engine, but the Austro-Daimler ADR6 Bergmeister of 1929, one of the most glamorous Austro-Daimler built, had a new 3.6-litre power unit providing 120bhp. This car was made until production ceased shortly after the Steyr-Daimler-Puch amalgamation in 1934. The Austro-Daimler ADR8, the firm’s first and last 8-cylinder car, designed for more formal bodies, had disappeared in 1933 after a life of three years.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com