Car Of The Day: June 29, 2012

Today's car of the day comes from juantoo3's collection and is Yat Ming's 1937 Studebaker Coupe Express.

Jump to: navigation, search The Studebaker Coupe Express was a coupe utility, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, between 1937 and 1939. Unlike other concurrent pick-up trucks, the coupe express mated Studebaker's passenger car styling to a full size truck bed.
The Coupe Express was created by using the Studebaker Dictator passenger car frame, running gear, and front sheet metal. A new body stamping was made to form the cab back. An all-steel pickup box was built for the pickup models. The model was sold as a cab and chassis, with rear fenders attached, so a service box could be fabricated by the end user (such as a plumber, or depot hack).
The truck was powered by the larger of Studebaker's L-head six-cylinder flathead engines and mated to a 3-speed manual transmission. Studebaker offered a Borg-Warner 3-speed transmission with overdrive as an option. Other options included, a radio, heater, wire reinforced sliding back window and turn indicators. Two wheel options were available including a stamped steel disc wheel and a stamped steel 'artillery' spoked wheel.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Studebaker Coupe Express

If it ever comes time to pick a definitive small scale Yat Ming casting- one car to represent the company as a whole, I vote for this one.  An extremely well-detailed, accurate casting with an opening hood of an obscure pickup from a defunct manufacturer.  With about 5,000 units built over a three year period more than seventy years ago, there aren't a lot of these left out there in 1:1.  When Yat Ming goes for it, they really can hold their own with any other company in the 1/64 arena.

Production for the 1937 model year was approximately 3,000 units.

The truck's passenger cab was restyled in 1938 to reflect the modernized passenger car sheet metal resulted a slightly longer pickup bed. Production for 1938 was approximately 1,200 units.

The 1939 model was again remodeled to reflect Studebaker's annual design updates. Production was approximately 1,000 units. The Coupe Express model was discontinued after the 1939 model year, and Studebaker did not offer a successor model for 1940.

Studebaker introduced the M-Series pickup truck 1941, while the company used the Coupe Express name in advertising for a time, but no M-Series trucks were ever officially designated as the Coupe Express.

Today's car of the day is Schrock Brothers 1957 Studebaker Scotsman.

The Scotsman was an automobile series produced by the Studebaker Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, during model years 1957 and 1958, and a low-priced series of pickup trucks in 1958 and 1959. The name was based on the humorously offensive stereotype of Scottish frugality, the cars being built for function with minimal luxury.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Studebaker Scotsman

Dave Weber and I went up to the Shrock's garage yesterday for their annual Maple Syrup Festival.  While there we ran into STUTZ.  A great time was had by all and I came home with two new models (and ordered two more that will hopefully be completed soon!).

When Studebaker-Packard's financial situation worsened in 1955 and 1956, company leaders decided, rather than meet the "Big Three" automakers head-on, to compete with low-priced, basic transportation. Using the Studebaker Champion's two- and four-door sedan and two-door station-wagon bodies, the company created a vehicle which could undercut the prices of minimal-frill competitors the Chevrolet 150 and Delray, Ford Custom and Plymouth Plaza. The Scotsman had features reminiscent of the "blackout" cars of the shortened 1942 model year, from which chrome trim was eliminated by war-materials rationing, though such refinements have been added by latter-day enthusiasts.

Hubcaps and grille were painted; buyers paid extra for a basic recirculating heater for the passenger compartment. Interiors were fitted with painted cardboard panels—gray vinyl being the single standard for upholstery. Rubberized floor coverings replaced carpeting. The only chrome plating was on the front and rear bumpers and some minor interior parts. Painted bumpers were an option to reduce the cost of the car even further. On two-door models, the rear windows were fixed without winders. Standard windshield wipers were vacuum-powered, resulting in reduced performance as engine load increased. The only apparent frill was Studebaker's heavily promoted "Cyclops Eye" speedometer, the same as that used on the 1956 Studebakers. Dealers were instructed to avoid installing extra-cost accessories, on the rationale that a buyer who wanted frills on an economical car could buy a regular Champion for an extra $200.



Priced below the competition from $1,776 for the two-door sedan, Scotsman sales were projected at 4,000 cars for the short 1957 model year. In fact, over 9,000 were sold—not only to frugal or low-budget customers but also to wealthy notables such as former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. For, despite its austerity, the Scotsman delivered exceptional value and economy. The small six-cylinder engine delivered a claimed 30 mpg-US (7.8 L/100 km; 36 mpg-imp) of gasoline when the overdrive transmission was chosen. This was unheard-of mileage for a car of its size in 1957, although it came at a price: With only 101 hp (75 kW), the Scotsman was by no means a rip-roaring performer. It took about 20 seconds to reach 60 mph (97 km/h) from rest, at a time when sub-10-second 0-60 mph times were becoming more common, even among the low-priced field. However, it appears that few complained about poor performance in the early days of the Interstate highway.

Following up on the initial success of the first Scotsman, the 1958 models were changed little. An ever-so-slightly altered grille and round taillamp lenses were adopted, which allowed the company to keep prices as inexpensive as possible. Although the 1958 Champion received added-on tailfins in the back and fender-mounted pods up front to accept four headlamps (two per side) as was the trend in '58, the Scotsman remained finless in the rear and kept the old dual headlamp system. Promotional materials now referred to the "Studebaker Scotsman" rather than "Studebaker Champion Scotsman", a promotion of sorts from a sub-series to a model in its' own right.

In a push to increase fleet sales, Studebaker also offered the Econ-o-miler in 1958, based on the body of the 120.5 in (3,060 mm) wheelbase President sedan. The Econ-o-miler used the Scotsman's frugal exterior and interior elements and was pushed as a taxi model. In addition, Studebaker's police-package cars in 1958 were often Scotsmans with Commander and President V-8 engines.

The Scotsman, which got off to a great start for '57, continued its success in 1958, outselling the Champion, Commander and President lines combined. The Scotsman proved that Studebaker need not attempt to follow the styling trends of the rest of the industry. Building on the Scotsman's clean-lined look, Studebaker engineers and designers quickly and cheaply created a new compact car for 1959, the Lark, not as austere as the Scotsman, but able to seat six adults in a package markedly different from its competitors at the time.

Truck Of The Day: March 24, 2012

Today's car of the day is M2 Machines' 1954 Studebaker 3R.

The 2R Series was the most produced Studebaker truck. This all new post-war design was created by Robert Bourke, Raymond Loewy's styling chief. During it's four year run, the 2R styling stayed basically the same with few minor changes. The hood ornament came from the Studebaker Champion car. This cab style is known as the C cab and was manufactured until 1964 for the heavy duty trucks and until 1959 for the light duty trucks. Many of these trucks have survived through the years and are commonly seen at Studebaker shows.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Studebaker 3R

I love project cars and trucks, so this series from M2 was snapped up as quickly as humanly possible.  Unfortunately, judging from as many as I've seen on the pegs, this series may not have sold quite to Castline's expectations.

Several changes to the 2R / C cab evolved Studebaker's trucks into the 3R Series for 1954. The most noticeable changes are the grille and windshield. Two horizontal rows of openings are in the front grille and the windshield became curved and one-piece. A V-8 engine was offered and the outside mirror is square instead of round.