Former SNM Challenger?

[bams50]

I knew that, Bob... but during that era they found the money to redesign sheet metal, interiors, etc and how many other changes... I just thought for a small amount and no extra tooling/development cost, they could have had a big selling point they could have hammered home every chance they had. Would have been a natural fit with their "common-sense car" theme.

That's just another of thousands of business decisions that has to be made as you go along. Just seemed like a relatively low-cost, zero-risk, zero-retooling move to make.

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

[Roscomacaw]

Bobs - here's another facet that somehow escaped the "bean counters" in '63 & 64. I've mentioned the '64 detail before, but working on this 63 Cruiser of late has made me realize a few more details...and I do agree with bams' notion. In fact, it makes the details I'll mention seem even more perverse.

As I said, I've mentioned this before, but for the benefit of the many new members we have, I wanna say it again. The '64 Larks are sharp cars (Yes, I know they were trying to doff the Lark moniker by then.) and I'm sure Stevens was told to hold the line when considering costly changes. Yet, have you ever held the left and right parking lites side by side? They're SO CLOSE in shape that it's really tough to tell which is which. There's NO reason or rhyme that they couldn't have used the same light and lens for both sides - none.

For 62-63, the parking lite fixtures and lenses again. There's NO reason the bulb socket couldn't have been dead center in them with a single lens to serve both as well. At the back of the car (for '62), symmetry reigned with taillights AND back up lites that worked on either side. But then, in '63, the back up lites got lefties and righties again and for no real good reason. You could argue that the moulding and it's related end pieces had to follow the edge of the decklid they're attached to, but it's not a good contention. If they'd simply ended that moulding with a cap that protuded and inch, then side-swappable fixtures and lenses could have been employed with a resultant savings in tooling and stocking of those pieces.
Small stuff I suppose, but certainly cost-cutting if employed.

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