Studebaker Commander
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The Studebaker Commander was an automobile 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 the 1920s and continued to use it until the company's demise in 1966 with the exception of 1936 and 1959-63. The model held various positions in the Studebaker hierarchy, and in some cases changed its role in the Studebaker line-up from one year to the next.
In 1927 the Commander name was assigned to Studebaker’s middle series. That vehicle range was formerly known as the short wheelbase Big Six models. (Also in the late 1920s long wheel base Studebaker Big Six vehicles were renamed the Studebaker President, and Standard Six models were rechristened the Studebaker Dictator.)
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.
Following World War II, Studebaker dropped its President models, and the Commander again was elevated in the line up. Studebaker also rolled out an extended wheelbase model, the Land Cruiser.
In 1955 Studebaker reintroduced the President moniker to denote its premium model range and Commander was shifted to mid range model. The Commander line was extended down in price with the introduction of the Custom sub-series, basically becoming a Champion with a V8 engine. Studebaker placed the name on hiatus at the end of the 1958 model year.
In 1963, Studebaker again resurrected the Commander name for the 1964 model year to denote the next to lowest-priced Lark model, the Challenger being on the bottom. 1964 Studebaker Commanders are easily identified by their single headlight arrangement. For 1965 the Commander shared the dual headlight system with the Daytona and Cruiser thus making it easy to discern the 1964 model from the 1965.
[edit] 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-modifed 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.
[edit] Toy Reproductions & Model Kits
AMT AMT, a plastic model kit company, made a 1/25th 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 taillights.
Revell 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.
[edit] References
- Maloney, James H. (1994). Studebaker Cars. Crestline Books. ISBN 0-87938-884-6.
- Kimes, Beverly R., Editor. Clark, Henry A. (1996). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1945. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-428-4.
- Langworth, Richard (1979). Studebaker, the Postwar Years. Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-87938-058-6.
- Gunnell, John, Editor (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-096-3.
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