LOCAL

Think you know everything about Studebaker? Here are some facts that may surprise you.

South Bend Tribune

The Avanti was the first production car to reach 170 miles per hour.

SOUTH BEND — Studebaker Corp. is woven into the fabric of South Bend and its long and storied history is well known to many.

From its start in 1852 when Henry and Clement Studebaker opened a blacksmith shop downtown, to the 26,000 employees who worked for the company at its peak producing a total of 4.2 million vehicles, the company endures as a legacy.

Studebaker shuttered its South Bend plant in December 1963, ending the production of its cars and trucks in America. But a facility in Hamilton, Ontario, remained in operation until March 1966.

Some facts are not so apparent when it comes to Studebaker. We asked Kyle Sater, curator of the Studebaker National Museum, about some of the lesser-known points about all that is called Studebaker:

Avanti: Need for Speed

The Studebaker Avanti was the first production car to reach 170 mph. With its supercharged 289-cubic-inch engine, the Avanti broke 29 world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the early 1960s.

Early electric vehicles

Studebaker built a full line of electric vehicles in the early 20th century.

The company first started making bodies for the New York Electric Vehicle Co. in 1897, and then manufactured its own battery-powered passenger cars and commercial vehicles until fully switching to gas-powered automobiles in 1911.

Very few survive today, but the Studebaker National Museum has three early electrics in its collection.

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Studebaker had a line of electric cars, as shown here.

Horse-drawn vehicles

Studebaker continued to produce horse-drawn vehicles, like farm wagons and buggies, until 1920. That year, the company sold its entire horse-drawn business to the Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, to focus on automobile production.

Surviving after cars

Even though Studebaker ceased automobile production in 1966, the company continued through its other businesses. In 1967, Studebaker merged with Wagner Electric and then the Worthington Corp. to form Studebaker-Worthington. The name Studebaker disappeared in 1979 when McGraw-Edison bought the company.

Dabbling with Mercedes

In the late 1950s, Studebaker-Packard distributed Mercedes-Benz cars in select American dealerships. Studebaker had a global network of sales outlets and dealerships dating back to its wagon-building days, and Curtiss-Wright—who owned a controlling interest in Studebaker and worked with Daimler-Benz’s aircraft engine division—believed that network would help drive sales of Mercedes-Benz cars in the US.

Truck production

Studebaker was a major manufacturer of trucks. Starting in 1929, Studebaker built pickups trucks, commercial transport trucks, diesel trucks, and military trucks. During World War II, Studebaker made almost 200,000 US6 trucks for the Allies — most of which went to the Soviet Union.

Studebaker ranked 28th among U.S. corporations in the value of its wartime defense contracts.

Studebaker was a large producer of trucks, manufacturing a variety of models.

Weinermobile designer

Industrial designer Brooks Stevens, who restyled the 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, also designed the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile in the 1950s. Stevens also went on to design several concept cars for Studebaker in the 1960s, including the Sceptre, Skyview Wagon, and Lark-inspired sedan.

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Opening the roof

Studebaker was the first American carmaker to introduce a sliding roof station wagon. Also designed by Brooks Stevens, the retractable roof on the Studebaker Wagonaire allowed large items like refrigerators to be transported standing up. This innovative design was used on other makes and models years later.

Bullet-nosed decision

Studebaker’s famous “bullet-nose” design was first used on 1950 models, but the idea was on designer Robert Bourke’s drawing board back in 1940-41. World War II aircraft like the P-38 Lightning provided inspiration for the sleek, bold styling that was, in Raymond Loewy’s words, meant to evoke “a feeling of motion and speed.”

Building outside South Bend

The main plant was in South Bend, but Studebaker also had facilities in Detroit, Vernon, California, and Ontario, Canada. The plant in Hamilton, Ontario manufactured the last Studebaker — a 1966 Cruiser — that rolled off the line on March 16, 1966.

Email South Bend Tribune reporter Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@gannett.com.