The 1947 Studebaker redesign was shockinly modernistic in those post- World War 2 days where the other "legacy" American carmakers could happily sell all the facelifted 1942 models they could build. (The exception was Kaiser-Frazer, for practical purposes a new car builder, that offered postwar styling.)
The most famous postwar Studebaker body design was the Starlight Coupe that I wrote about
here. But there were other body styles in production, including one-seat coupes, convertibles, two-door sedans and four-door sedans.
Today's featured car is Studebaker's top-of-the-line Commander
Land Cruiser four-door sedan. For 1948, Studebaker had two model lines: entry-level Champions and higher-priced Commanders. The Land Cruiser was a larger Commander. Wheelbases were: Champion 112 inches (2744 mm); Commander: 119 inches (2916 mm); Commander Land Cruiser: 123 inches (3014 mm).
Photos of the feaured 1948 Studebaker Commander Land Cruiser are from Mecum Auctions. The other photos are of Studebakers listed for sale. The paint on the pictured Land Cruiser is not original. While there was a "Silver gray" available, it was a little darker and less shiny than what is shown below. I do like how the car is painted because it shows the body sculpting better than alternatives.
Gallery
Fenders are now integrated into the body, though the rear ones are what was called "applied," retaining a separate appearance while not being essentially separate. Redesigned 1948 Oldsmobile 98s and Cadillacs featured the same concept. Moreover, all three brands with that configuration had fenderlines dropped short distances below the beltlines, like the Studebaker seen here. These features served to reduce visual bulk from what otherwise would have been "slab-sides."
The front fender's trace extends to the rear while the "applied" rear fender has a separate upper line, unlike the General Motor design just mentioned. Doors latch on the B-pillar, making the rear door a "suicide" type.
This is a 1948 Commander sedan. The length difference with the Land Cruiser is in the area of the C-pillar. The Land Cruiser's passenger compartment greenhouse is longer, as is its rear door -- note the wider window and its two-piece glass.
A 1948 Champion 4-door sedan. Its body is the same as the Commander's abaft of the firewall/A-pillar, but shorter forward of there.
Studebaker trunk lids sloped rather sharply to the rear, making them less practical from a luggage-hauling perspective. Aesthetically, the trunk blends with the fender lines in a satisfactory way.
The central crease on the lid is a touch that seldom fails.
Backlight windows are two-piece and strongly curved for those days. Starlight Coupes used those, but added two more to create a truly panoramic backlight.
The windshield is neither flat nor really curved; it's subtly bent in the middle. Seen from the side here, its lack of flatness is (barely) apparent.
Air vents for the cabin are on the front fender, a feature retained on the 1953 redesign.
Commanders had more elaborate grilles than Champions.
The dashboard. Stock steering wheels were not padded like the one seen here.
1 comment:
Champion windshields were two flat panes with a divider in the middle. I think they all got the one piece bent in the middle glass in 1951, but some two pane versions around today might have been retrofitted to the one piece glass. A weird thing about the '47-52 body was the cowl section showing up in the body - an extra section between the front door and the front fender - a construction from prewar cars when they had separate front fenders but not seen on any other postwar designs.
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