But back in 1950s America, a body's production run was often three or four years, and occasionally fewer. The wealthiest carmakers could afford such a tempo. For example, the 1954 bodies for Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac were produced for three years. Even the less well-off Chrysler Corporation's 1955 bodies were replaced for the 1957 model year, a two-year run.
Studebaker was not a "Big Three" carmaker, and its sedan and coupe bodies launched for 1953 were continued through model year 1964 for coupes and 1966 for sedans, when the company ceased car production.
I previously covered 1953-1958 sedans in this 2014 post, but not all model years were shown. So this might be a good time to elaborate on the subject of facelifts to the initial design.
The 1953 Studebaker sedan body was produced in its original form for model years 1953-1958, and continued as the basis for the "compact" Lark model and variations produced 1958-1966. I'll focus on the first period, but include a few Lark examples to illustrate the continuity.
Studebaker Champions and Commanders had 116.5 inch (1959 mm) wheelbases 1953-1958. Land Cruiser and some President sedan wheelbases were 120.5 inches (3061 mm), the same as for those classic Studebaker coupes. The new 1959 Lark basic wheelbase was 108.5 inches (2756 mm), but was lengtened in later years.
Images below show cars in profile for reasons of simplicity. Perhaps another time I'll deal with changing grille designs and other styling aspects. Unless noted, photos below are of cars listed for sale.
For some reason, usable internet photos of 1953 Studebaker sedans are rare. I imagine that's because few such cars remain. Note the door shapes, windows, pillars and roof of the passenger compartment -- aside from the windshield, these will remain the same until 1961. Also, the roof was flattened slightly starting in 1958.
Studebakers where very lightly facelifted for 1954 -- mostly, some vertical grille bars were added and side chrome trim was altered on some models.
The long-wheelbase Land Cruiser's added length is in the form of a longer passenger compartment and wider aft side door -- note the two-segment door window.
Grille design was significantly (and unfortunately) changed, but that's not visible here. What we do see is a Chrysler-style panoramic windshield that was introduced partway into the model year.
Land Cruisers were re-branded with the old Studebaker President name for '55. The car shown here lacks the panoramic windshield.
Some Presidents such as this one shared the shorter Champion/Commander wheelbase. 1956 saw a major facelift, the hood and trunk profiles lifted and more squared-off. Years ago, critics thought that making sedans carry similar features of the slinky '53 coupes was a mistake. I agree. This facelift cured part of that problem. But not entirely. The awkward side window + C-pillar design should have been cleaned up too -- as it later was on 1961 Larks.
Changes for '57 were at the front and rear ends. Side chrome here is the upper band of that seen in the previous image.
The rear fender chrome-framed zone was used for the accent color on two-toned cars.
Tail fins were a late-1950s American styling fad, so Studebaker complied with this awkward version. Quad headlights were added at the front, accounting for the ugly bulge on the front fender.
"Compact" cars were becoming popular in America thanks to the Nash Rambler. Studebaker got a one-year jump on Big Three compacts with its Lark (that replaced all other Studebaker sedans). Front and rear ends where shortened along with the wheelbase, but the central passenger compartment was retained.
Larks were facelifted for the 1961 model year, and sedan wheelbases were increased to 113 inches (2870 mm) for some '61 models and extended to the 1962 range That facelift included a reshaped C-pillar, as shown here. But the basic passenger compartment structure is that same as it was in 1953 aside from that and the 1955 A-pillar revision and later roof-flattening.
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