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Fake Design
Was the 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti a fatal mistake?
(EXPANDED FROM 4/22/2022) The 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti has been described by historian Patrick Foster as “one of the most beautiful automobiles ever to grace the road” (2008, p. 138). Even so, the premium-priced sporty coupe […]
History
How often did renaming a car fail to help it sell better?
(EXPANDED FROM 6/8/2022) A few years ago Karl Ludvigsen (2022) wondered whether some cars that were renamed should not have been. For example, he noted that Ford might have benefitted by keeping the Cortina name […]
History
Could Studebaker have come out of the 1970s as successful as Jeep?
(EXPANDED FROM 4/23/2021) A few years ago our story on Brooks Stevens’s redesign of the 1964 Studebaker generated enough debate that I decided to further flesh out an alternative scenario. To wit, Studebaker would have […]
Editor's Note
Reader of 1959 Studebaker design-theft story dismisses ‘useless exercise’
Neil stopped by to comment on our story, “1959 Studebaker: Was it really design theft?” He wrote: “I think this is a useless exercise. Tho it seems to me as the Valient came later, it’s […]
Media Analysis
Accounts of Brooks Stevens’s Studebaker Sceptre and siblings can vary
Dean’s Garage has reposted a Hemmings story about a number of proposed Studebakers designed by Brooks Stevens. Daniel Strohl (2023) primarily focused on the Sceptre, a replacement for the ancient Hawk. I find the photographs […]
Media Analysis
1959 Studebaker: Was it really design theft?
(EXPANDED FROM 4/2/2017) Richard M. Langworth has authored more auto histories than just about anyone. Yet he was strikingly humble when beginning to discuss the controversial topic of who was responsible for the 1947 Studebaker’s styling. “I am […]
Fake Design
Brooks Stevens’s 1965 Studebaker Lark concept: Almost a baby Continental
(UPDATED FROM 2/1/2020) Brooks Stevens’s proposed redesign of the Studebaker Lark four-door sedan came off pretty weird. That’s too bad, because the concept car could have been a baby 1961-63 Lincoln Continental. The proposed design […]
Fake Design
1959 Studebaker: Throwing the baby out with the bath water
(EXPANDED FROM 5/22/2015) The 1959 Studebaker Lark’s design was initially so successful that it was described by historian Robert Ebert as a “miracle” (2013, p. 55). Studebaker-Packard Corporation, which was on the verge of liquidating […]
Letters to the Editor
Studebaker Lark V8 is a ‘little mountain goat’
This letter is a response to our story, “1959 Studebaker: Throwing the baby out with the bath water.” With all due respect I’m guessing that you have never driven a V8 powered Studebaker Lark. Much […]