automatic cigarrette lighter

[dbolter]

i have a delightful discovery that i would like to share with studebaker world, and hopefully learn more about.

my friends grandpa ran a studebaker dealership many years ago and gave my friend an automatic cigarrette lighter. does anybody know what cars these were in? what years? standard or optional?

you stick a cigarrette in it, it holds the cig on its own. there is a vacume line to help get it going. it is spring loaded so when it pops out, pull it out and smoke away!!!

thats how it seems to work but this in an nos never used one so we havent tested it.

any info on this rare studebaker item would be appriciated. thanks darin

[JDP]

It was a option in the 47-52 range, I had a few new in the box I sold on ebay. Puff-O-matic or something like that. I wonder how many carpetd it set on fire.

Studebaker On The Net http://stude.com
64 R2 4 speed Challenger
63 R2 4 speed GT Hawk
63 Avanti
54 3R Pickup

[okiebob]

My 50 Starlight Coupe has one. Since I don't smoke we'll never know if it works. Does anyone know what they are worth? OkieBob

I LOVE MY STUDEBAKER

[rockne10]

Darin,

I have one in my 51 Commander Starlight Coupe. I don't know what other years it was available. It was not a standard item. It works fine but is only usable for cigarettes; cigars wont fit into that little orifice.

[JDP]

I sold my last NOS one for about $60 three years ago, on ebay.

Studebaker On The Net http://stude.com
64 R2 4 speed Challenger
63 R2 4 speed GT Hawk
63 Avanti
54 3R Pickup

[Guest]

I have one of these lighters that is not installed. The box it came in says "Studebaker Drawmatic Cigarette Lighter." I believe they get hooked up to a vaccuum source which helps get the cigarette lit. If anyone is interested, I believe I can supply the installation instructions and a picture of the original box which shows a 4-step process. 1.Insert cigarette 2.Push the ring 3.When ring snaps back 4.Remove and smoke

[Transtar56]

If this was April first Id think you guys where pulling somebodys...leg.A "Puff-O-Matic"?,those guys at Studebaker thought of everything didn't they?
I remember years ago in Easyriders magazine an ad for a rig that was supposed to allow you to smoke,a,well,whatever,at speed on a motorcycle. It was kinda of a little steel capsule that had an ignitor in one end,I don't know if they worked because I never actually saw one.

[JBOYLE]

Awhile back the excellent monthly English magazine Classic and Sports Car reprinted an ad from the 30s or 40s for an underdash cigarette dispenser that automatically lit one.
Don't know if it had the vacuum feature described here, but it sounded weird and more than a little dangerous (aside from the dangers of smoking...).

Sounds like it was a popular idea for the aftermarket..but I wonder if any other car manufacturers had it as a factory accessory like Studebaker?

63 Avanti R1 2788
1914 Stutz Bearcat
(George Barris replica)

Washington State

[Dwain G.]

AC-1899, listed in the price book for 1950-'52. Here's Studebaker's 1950 version of the Drawmatic. The dash board trim around the lighter appears to be slightly different in 1951 models with no change in AC number. I don't have a '52 brochure to compare.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdwain/drawmatic.jpg

Aftermarket versions I've seen were more of a box affair that mounted under the dash and held several fags at a time, a whole pack maybe. When you push a button, one rolls down into the hopper and lights up.

Dwain G.

[okiebob]

The box type is what's in my 50 Coupe, and it's mounted on the steering coulmn where the turn signal would be. It doesn't have a vaccum, just an electrical wire. OkieBob

I LOVE MY STUDEBAKER

[avantilover]

quote:Originally posted by okiebob

My 50 Starlight Coupe has one. Since I don't smoke we'll never know if it works. Does anyone know what they are worth? OkieBob

I LOVE MY STUDEBAKER

I say Son,I say Son, try it out Son!!! (Foghorn Leghorn imitation[])

I don't smoke either, but would test it if I had one. Did anyone else notice the cigarette in the ad was unfiltered, worse for your health than a filtered smoke I recall, though all smokes are bad (except for government revenue departments )

John Clements
Avantilover, your South Australian Studebaker lover!!!

[avantilover]

The thing that really got me about Studes years ago apart from their different look was the engineering achievements such as the Hill Holder, and I believe a 4-speed Automatic Transmission - I recall my Dad's 1989 Honda Accord (the one with the pop-up headlights) had such a gearbox, and I thought it was so 1989, - just goes to show how old some "new" ideas are. []

John Clements
Avantilover, your South Australian Studebaker lover!!!

[Transtar56]

Im not sure if Studebaker ever had a four speed automatic box,but some of their firsts were the sliding roof wagonaire,the first American car with disc brakes,hill holder,modern type truck cabs with inside running boards,Im sure Biggs and JP and Gary can add many to the list of Studie firsts. The most remarkable thing was their advanced styling,in 1947,then again in 1953.Have you ever compared a 53 Starliner to anything else on the road at that time? They make the rest look at least 10 years old. Id just never heard of the draw-matic thingy,but in those times nearly everyone smoked,and it wasn't really considered harmfull.I remember my first boss,the chief engineer in the plant I worked for,he sat and hand rolled his smokes all day,except sometimes he would splurge and buy a pack of Players Plain,no filters,they were considered wimpy,sort of a Ladys ciggarett.
The funny thing was,he rarely took one out of his mouth once it was lit,it just sort of hung there all the time.He didn't die from lung cancer either.