Studebaker Commander: 4 Decade Car with a Famous Name
The Studebaker Commander is the name of several cars produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from the 1920s until 1966. The Studebaker Commander debuted in 1927 and, with two interruptions, continued to be produced until 1964. In fact, this car did not have generations, as it was basically the same car always produced, so the way to talk about this car is production by generations. The Studebaker Commander was the company’s mainstream product. Did your father or grandfather own one?
The Studebaker Commander by the Decades
In the 1920s, the Studebaker Commander was preceded by the President. The Studebaker company had a history of producing electric cars. Until the appearance of the V8 President in January 1928, all Studebaker cars of the 1920s were V6S. Three basic models produced anywhere from 40 to 60 horsepower.
The first Studebaker Commander, from 1927, was a V6, with a 226 cubic inch engine. Their inbuilt durability and toughness gained them great renown worldwide; they are still thought of as durable cars today. For the remainder of the 1920s, the Studebaker Commander grew steadily more powerful, with a larger and larger engine. In 1928, a V8 option was available.
In 1935, the Studebaker Commander was dropped from the product line, only to be reinstated in 1937. The name was applied to Studebaker’s least expensive model, formerly known as the Studebaker Dictator. Studebaker introduced the Champion in 1939, and the Commander line was again repositioned, now as the mid-range vehicle.
Immediately following World War Two, Studebaker dropped its President models, and the Studebaker Commander again was elevated in the lineup. Studebaker also again rolled out an extended wheelbase model of the Commander, the Land Cruiser. The powertrain options of the car remained the same.
The 1950 Champion differed from the Studebaker Commander, which had a distinctive bumper, longer front fenders, and large headlight bezels, as well as a distinctive jet-style hood ornament, and shared an appearance with the 1949 Ford Sedan. In a 1953 road test done by Popular Mechanics, the Commander got a 0-60 mph of 17.9 seconds and was rated as getting 26.1 mpg at 30 miles per gallon.
No convertible Studebaker Commander was offered in 1953. However, in late 1952, Studebaker converted a convertible to determine if the model could be profitably mass-produced. The car was later modified to 1954-model specifications and was driven around South Bend by engineers. There were some changes in the body, and a V8 version was offered. Though financial cracks in the Studebaker company began to appear.
If you wonder why the company went out of business, get a load of this story. The company’s leadership mistakenly thought the 2-door sedans, 4-door sedans, and 1954 Conestoga wagon would sell better than the 2-door coupes, so the company’s resources were focused on production of the sedans and the wagon. Whoops, wrong decision. When the prototype was no longer needed, engineer E. T. Reynolds ordered the car to be stripped and the body sent to the secret graveyard at the company’s proving grounds west of South Bend.
In 1963, the Studebaker Commander came back after a brief hiatus. 1964 Studebaker Commanders most commonly had a dual headlight arrangement, which they shared with the Challenger, though quad headlamps were optional. The 1965 Commander shared a headlight system with the Daytona and Cruiser. Commanders reverted to single headlamps in the final model year of 1966. On March 17, 1966, Studebaker ceased production of all vehicles.
Conclusion
The Studebaker Commander was a fast car. It set Atlantic City Speedway records at 25,000 miles at 62 miles per hour. Two of their other cars averaged 65 miles per hour over that distance. The fact that the car lasted for four decades was a testament to its legendary durability. The fact that the company ceased production almost sixty years ago makes one think they may soon be forgotten.
