The Studebaker; Now That Was a Car

We talk a lot about MPG efficiency. Here's a comment by a former Studebaker Lark owner, as well as some history about Studebaker's forward-thinking electric vehicle - introduced 100-plus years ago.

"Back in 1960, I bought a Studebaker Lark V/8 and it delivered 28 miles per gallon. The cost? $1,950. Nowadays that wouldn't pay the taxes on these overpriced and overrated imported
wheel twirlers."

Read the comment about the Studebaker Lark in the Daily Record.

Little do people know that Studebaker created electric vehicles. "The Studebaker Electric was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company of South Bend, Indiana, a forerunner of the Studebaker Corporation. The battery-powered cars were sold from 1902 to 1912."

"By 1912, it became conventional wisdom that the future lay in gasoline-powered engines rather than heavy, sluggish electrics, and the limited production of electric cars stopped. An official announcement from the newly re-incorporated Studebaker Corporation stated: The production of electric automobiles at South Bend has ended. . . It has been conducted for nine years without much success, and ultimately the superiority of the gasoline car (is) apparent."

Read the article about the Studebaker Electric here.

Photo below of a 1902 Studebaker Electric Victoria Phaeton. Source: RemarkableCars.com

Post-War Car By Far - Studebaker

The Canadian National Post has a very brief op-ed about the history of Studebaker - noting that Studebaker entered the automobile business with an electric car in 1902.

"Styling remained unchanged except for trim and grille treatments until 1950 when the "bullet nose" models arrived. By this time, the rest of the industry had caught up, and Studebaker no longer held the styling advantage.

In spite of some excellent designs such as the Hawk series and the futuristic Avanti, Studebaker suffered the plight of other independent automakers and disappeared from the scene in 1966. It built its last cars in its Canadian plant in Hamilton, Ont.

But for those few years following the Second World War, the audacious little company from South Bend had led the industry in styling."

Read the National Post Op-Ed about Studebaker here.