Anybody ever seen a LARK like this one?

[289stude]

This is the original 1961 Evinrude lark III 40hp motor that came on the 61 alumicraft marciabo. It even has the original trailer. Check out the suspension on the trailer its got coil springs gas shocks and an anti sway bar built on topside of axel.

[gordr]

I had one of those outboards once. Rescued it from a 45 gallon barrel, where it had sat upside immersed in fresh water for months after having been dunked in the salt chuck. I tore it down and reassembled it, and it ran like new.

[DEEPNHOCK]

And the case designer was????????????????????.....................

[BobPalma]

Very cool, John; I love vintage boats of that era. As high as Outboard Marine Corporation was flying at the time, the General Motors of the outboard world with both Johnson and Evinrude, who could have imagined they'd be DOA 40 or so years later, to be bought out of bankruptcy (or however it came down) by Bombardier, IIRC.

BTW, the rod on top of the trailer axle is called a Panhard Rod (not sure of the spelling). It merely locates the axle side to side. Without it, the axle wouldn't remain located squarely beneath the trailer frame on turns.

An anti-sway bar, on the other hand, ties the two rear wheels together so that when one wheel goes up, under the vehicle on turns, it tries to pull the other down with it, to keep the vehicle reasonably level. A Panhard Rod does not do that and an anti-sway bar cannot do what a Panhard Rod does, either; they are two separate design elements of a coil-spring, solid-axle suspension, such as on this trailer.

Leaf-spring rear suspension, rear-wheel-drive cars like our Studebakers usually don't have a Panhard Rod, because the leaf springs locate the axle under the frame. Not that they couldn't have one, though.

In fact, 1948 and newer leaf-spring rear suspension, step-down Hudsons had a Panhard Rod in addition to leaf springs. The Panhard Rod was pretty much unique to them in that era, and it was responsible for much of Hudson's good handling in their glory years of NASCAR, 1951-1954. They might not have been able to out-accelerate the Chrysler Hemis and Oldsmobile V8s in a straight line, but they handled so much better in the corners. While Chryslers and Oldsmobiles were wallowing around as the driver fought the steering wheel to stay off the guard rail, Hudson drivers could keep their foot to the floor and drive right on by in the corners. BP

[Milaca]

And the case designer was????????????????????.....................

A well known industrial designer from Milwaukee Wisconsin, by chance??

[r1lark]

And the case designer was????????????????????.....................

Brooks Stevens. Lot's of pictures of the Evinrudes he (and/or his employees) designed in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Str.../dp/026251186X

[Dwain G.]

The Panhard rod is so named because of its use on the French Panhard car. A racer friend once called it a 'Pan Hard' rod. I corrected him, saying it's actually pronounced 'P'nard'. He assured me NASCAR pronounces it 'Pan Hard'. (Well, of course they would)

[candbstudebakers]

One time when I was visiting the Brooks Stevens Museum in Mcwon Wi. Spelling wrong but close I had the chance to sit and visit with Mr. Stevens in his office for about an hour, and he told me the story about how the Evinrude happened, he was in school and his good friend had his girl friend in another school on the other side of the lake and the friend would row a boat across the lake every night to see his girl friend, one day he said to Brooks why don't you design me a motor to go on my boat so I don't have to row across all the time so he did, his friend's name was Evinrude, true story got it from the main man himself. that was one very nice hour spend with one really nice gentleman, my sister in law came in and took a lot of pictures but when we got home something had gone wrong with her camera and none of them came out , I told her not to worry about it as we will get there again and get some more, well that never happened as he passed away the next year in January I think, no pictures but a time I will never forget.

[8E45E]

One time when I was visiting the Brooks Stevens Museum in Mcwon Wi. Spelling wrong but close I had the chance to sit and visit with Mr. Stevens in his office for about an hour, and he told me the story about how the Evinrude happened, he was in school and his good friend had his girl friend in another school on the other side of the lake and the friend would row a boat across the lake every night to see his girl friend, one day he said to Brooks why don't you design me a motor to go on my boat so I don't have to row across all the time so he did, his friend's name was Evinrude, true story got it from the main man himself. that was one very nice hour spend with one really nice gentleman, my sister in law came in and took a lot of pictures but when we got home something had gone wrong with her camera and none of them came out , I told her not to worry about it as we will get there again and get some more, well that never happened as he passed away the next year in January I think, no pictures but a time I will never forget.

I agree that was one of the best muesems in the country when it came to staff, including the founder who you got to visit with. I was there in 1983 and again in 1988. Both times, I was allowed to sit inside the Skyview wagon, 'suicide door' Lark, and the Sceptre concepts. There were several other interesting non-Stude cars there as well including a Marmon prototype, and a rear-engined Hoffman with an X-8 engine. Yes, Brooks Stevens passed away in January, 1995, and the museum was closed and the collection sold off that summer.

Craig

[gordr]

Ole Evinrude got his first patent on an outboard motor in 1910, and he died in 1934, so I don't know if he ever even met Brooks Stevens, who would have been very young at the time. http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/evinrude.html

No question that Brooks Stevens did design work for OMC in later years, but the outboard motor as we know it was pretty much the single-handed invention of Ole Evinrude.

[allstateguy]

the trailer is a Holsclaw. I've got a three rail motorcycle trailer with the identical axle and suspension. Rides smoother than the tow vehicle!

[allstateguy]

and speaking of "Larks" that aren't of the 4-wheel South Bend variety . . .