The Studebaker Porsche

[garethj]

In the early 1952, the US importer Max Hoffman suggested to Porsche to provide consultancy services for American carmakers. At the same time, he also discussed with Studebaker exec Richard A. Hutchinson about a future of the market and Hoffman imagined that Studebaker should offer an economy car, a kind of American Volkswagen, that could be very different from the usual Big Three lineups. Hutchinson well knew the Beetle and even imagined in the postwar to be the Beetle importer. Well he couldn't agree more with his Austrian native friend.

 

In May 1952, a Porsche delegation including Ferry Porsche, Karl Rabe, Leopold Schmid and designer Erwin Komenda were invited to South Bend and the german team presented to Stude president Vance the Typ 530, their unique prototype. The first impression was atrocious but thanks to Hoffman's efforts, they all together defined new specifications and a consultancy agreement was finally signed in May 1952.

 

Porsche proposed a unit body with three V6 engine configurations: water-cooled, air-cooled and a mixed cooled (half air, half water). From 1953, Raymond Loewy assisted by Robert Bourke came in Stuttgart to oversee the body design development.
The final prototype was built by Reutter and was secretly shown to the Studebaker engineers in Geneva, in the shadow of the Motor Show. After being refined, it was sent in US few months later.

 

Studebaker tested the prototype with different configurations and broadly appreciated it in spite of some problems as the weight. Ferry Porsche admitted years later the prototype didn't match with their expectations. Because in the same time their funds became dangerously low and they had no choice but to drop this project. Only one month later, Packard took over Studebaker.

The Typ 542 was a good preview of the growing market of economical car or second car in the early 60s in the United States. Hoffman's prediction was correct and the 1960 Chevrolet Corvair became a milestone in the american automotive industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[garethj]

 

 

 

 

[RayMK]

That's another one that I was unaware of.  It's a nice looking thing.  Pity it did not make it to production.

[Asimo]

120 deg V6!

I love these nearly cars, and this is sure one I didn't know about . Thanks.

"Studebaker" - such a great name for a motor, one of those brands that needs rebooting for the future, like Foden and Panhard.

[barrett]

Great stuff. I have long been intrigued by this car, even if it's more of a 'might have been' than a 'should have been'. Americans have never really understood the idea of a rear-mounted engine, and this was so against type for Studebaker I reckon slow sales would have killed the troubled marque a good ten years earlier than it actually failed, and probably would have denied the world the most beautiful American car ever produced, the '53 'Loewy coupes'.

Studebaker were always ahead of the curve with postwar trends, but it's interesting to note they didn't end up launching a compact until '59 (by chopping the front and rear off a '53 chassis) which instantly became their best selling model - but it never really stood a chance against the Falcon (for the traditionalists) or Corvair (for the technophiles). We have '50 and '53 Studes on the fleet (and we'll have a '54 wagon by this time tomorrow) and they are really lovely things. We also have a '60my Corvair on the way - it'll be interesting to find out just how they handle under normal (ie, not American) driving conditions.

 

More threads like this, please!

[Uncle Jimmy]

Photo four strongly reminds me of the ill fated Borgward Hansa. Alas Studebaker took over Packard not vice versa, their repective directors did not get on at all well, Packards became badge engineered Studes with fibreglass add ons.

Stude did go on to build the Lark compact which for a brief period kept them afloat.

[Uncle Jimmy]

I believe in right in saying that some of the Packardbakers were supercharged; ealiest production supercharged cars?

[barrett]

Not sure if the Packardbakers were supercharged, but some Avantis were (yeah, an Avanti is next on the list).

I think the tech has been around forever, but I'd guess the first major production models with factory blowers were the Auburn/Cord/Dusenburgs of the '30s

[dollywobbler]

Fascinating. If a Karmann-Ghia and a Jag Mk1 got up to no good together, this would be the result.

[barrett]

Hey, whaddya know, I just looked it up and you could get a supercharged Golden Hawk in '57!

 

Still, if you want a supercharged Stude (and if you don't, what the hell man?) Then you might has well have it in the, er, second best looking American car of all time, right?

[mercrocker]

 

 

Golden Hawks were blown too....from 1957 I think.  

 

EDIT - Sorry Barrett just posted the same information while I was trying to send this! 

 

 

 

 

The swansong Packard version was less pretty but also packed the McCulloch blower. 

 

 

Studebakers have always fascinated me, being that bit different from Detroit stuff.    Particularly the Wagonaire....

[wuvvum]

In 1999 I had a summer job in North Carolina and in the complex where I was working there was someone who had a gold Avanti as a daily.  I don't know how much time I must have spent just staring at it over the course of the summer, but it was quite a bit.

[vulgalour]

Studebakers seem to bridge the gap between American and European tastes and yet not really answer the wants of either market.  The Porsche connection is interesting, and surprising.

[Sam Glover]

Phwooorrr… thanks Gareth. The Karl Ludvigsen feature was new to me. I printed it out for nocturnal enjoyment.

 

Inspiration appears to have come wholesale from CEMSA. It looks like an Isotta Fraschini Monterosa 8C…

 

 

…mated with a Caproni F.11…

 

 

…before being slapped around by Loewy.

 

Ish.

 

All magnificent.

[cros]

"quote:Finally, a telephone rings in the secret briefcase of the only man who might have a chance of stopping Billy, a fantastic new superhero named Studebacher Hoch[2] (pronounced like, and often mistakenly spelled like the Studebaker Silver Hawk automobile, whence his name is derived). It is noted that little is known about Studebacher Hoch, however, all his origin stories are relatively dull. His personality is little known, his powers are rumoured to be flying, swimming, and/or singing like Neil Sedaka."

 

I think this car is the real Studebacher Hoch.