Oral History of Stude designers on line

[Dan White]

I found this neat site while doing some investigation on the Hudson step down designs. There are a number of interviews with 20th century auto designers of note. Two of those that are there are with Robert Bourke, designer of the '53's and Bob Andrews, one of the key designers of the Hudson Stepdown and was also on the Avanti design team. Definitely worth reading. It is interesting to note the ego clashes between Loewy and Brooks Stevens, as noted in the second link as well below. The other clash was over the design of the 4 door Avanti vs the work on the '65 and beyond GT Hawks, as noted in the interview with Andrews:

http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Oral_histories.htm

See comment at the beginning concerning Loewy's comments about the GT Hawk show car:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1962-1964-studebaker-gran-turismo-hawk.htm

Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[studegary]

quote:Originally posted by Dan White

I found this neat site while doing some investigation on the Hudson step down designs. There are a number of interviews with 20th century auto designers of note. Two of those that are there are with Robert Bourke, designer of the '53's and Bob Andrews, one of the key designers of the Hudson Stepdown and was also on the Avanti design team. Definitely worth reading. It is interesting to note the ego clashes between Loewy and Brooke Stevens, as noted in the second link as well below. The other clash was over the design of the 4 door Avanti vs the work on the '65 and beyond GT Hawks, as noted in the interview with Andrews:

http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Oral_histories.htm

Dan White

Besides those that you mention above, I noted many other Studebaker/Loewy design team members - Bird, Buehrig, Doehler, Ebstein. ExnerSr., Koto & Madawick.

Note the correct spelling of Brooks Stevens.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[Dan White]

Spelling noted. The only issue is that many of those listed interviews are not on line, unfortunately

Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[Roscomacaw]

AMAZING! There are SO MANY parallels in Bourke's and my early years! I was even a nut about Laird airplanes! I've built and flown models of them as a matter of fact!
While my dad wasn't an architect, my uncle was. He used to take me to his office and would marvel at the 3-view drawings I'd do of airplane designs I dreamed up! He wanted to send me to college and I got a wild hair and joined the Air Force instead.

I'm just blown away by the first part of Bob's story tho. Don't even have to change names. His first answers are exactly what I would have recollected, only I just had a regular old airport - no famous plane builder like Laird or I'd have wound up in aircraft design for sure![B)]


1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1963 Cruiser
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President two door

[clonelark]

Very great reading, thanks Dan