New Studebaker Lark Advert

[57pack]

Came by this three page advertisement from the December 1958 Readers Digest. Most of us will recognize Mr. Churchill standing by the right hand fender.

[Milaca]

The Lark was one of Studebaker's best ideas, and a drastic-looking design change from the 1958 sedans (though we know in reality, very little changed aside from the front and rear body panels). I like the advertisement, the photos of the Larks look very nice.
Does anybody here remember witnessing the debut of the Lark? Did you view them as a vast improvement over the previous year's Studebaker? Or did you think they looked quirky or perhaps too small? Just curious as to what you thought of them upon seeing them for the first time.

[j.byrd]

Milica, I got to see them being unloaded at the dealer Daddy worked at in Knoxville, TN. I was still just 10 years old, and a really small kid, but remember them very well. I told Daddy they were more my size than last years and I thought I could drive one easily, ha ! There was still a couple of 58s left, one was a wagon with that back porch behind the tailgate that seemed like it was a monster to me !

[ddub]

I was 18 and disappointed. I wanted Studebaker to be mainstream.

[57pack]

I’m just quirky I guess. I liked the 1958 models of Studebaker and Packard. Loved those fins: I even liked the 1958 Edsel! Still do.
The new Lark was a trend setter and sold well in our town. We had a very good dealer in town, John Stratton. Bell Telephone bought many as fleet vehicles.

[6hk71400]

First time my Dad looked at a 1959 Studebaker Lark was just before the new car introduction in 1958 in Phoenix. It was night time and we walked up to the dark show room so he could peek in and try to catch a look.

It was like we were on a clandestine mission. As more and more cars got on the road, March 1959 Dad bought the Tahiti Coral Lark Deluxe 6 off the showroom floor. There were many cars going in and out of the showroom that day. As Dad was negotiating on the trade in, some older(?) ladies were looking and touching the Lark. I yelled out "Take your hands off our car"! Brought down the house.

I guess that is why the 1959 Lark is one of the many soft spots I have for Studebakers.

[studegary]

When they first came out, I thought of them as too small for the time (for us/here). We had "monsters" like a 1958 Packard Hardtop and a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special, followed by a 1960 Mercury Montclair, 1967 Imperial Crown Coupe and 1968 Riviera GS. In 1964, we did buy a low mileage 1961 Lark VIII Regal sedan for Cathy to use. It was an excellent car and was followed by many other 'Larks.

[57pack]

My Dad was a Studebaker guy having purchased many Studebakers since he returned from WW2. We had a 1955 Studebaker and in 1958 Dad gave it to Mom and bought a 1958 Chevrolet BelAir.
Had a 283 with a automatic trans. He said it was one of his favorite cars. He did buy a 1964 Commander as his last Studebaker.

[64V19816]

“We had a very good dealer in town, John Stratton. Bell Telephone bought many as fleet vehicles.”—————————Possibly I saw one of the Bell Telephone larks in Dirkes Junkyard in Weymouth. It was bell tel green, 1963 lark standard 6 cyl stick. Dirke ‘Swore” the car only had like 5500 miles on it (Was in parts car shape when I saw it c. 1976

[ronpasquale]

Our Lark experience was very short-lived. When the Lark came out, we had both a '55 President sedan and a '58 Silver Hawk. In May of 1961 dad found a "leftover" green Deluxe 4-door Lark wagon at Freeman-Spicer in South Bend, and traded in the President. But that wagon, 6 cylinder with overdrive, was not much fun to drive (mom hated it!), so it was soon traded on a low-mileage '61 Hawk in that unusual Flamingo color. That Hawk became our favorite Studebaker of all.

[Hallabutt]

As a 15yo when the Lark appeared, I didn't like it. Styling was very important, and frankly a little sawed off box just didn't cut it. Of course Studebaker still had the Hawk so why bother. For much of the next twenty years Studebakers were part of my life, beater Larks included. Larks were appliances to be used an discarded. In 1988 Dad died and I took possession of his 1963 Daytona htp. For the next twenty years "Malarkey" was my constant companion, as I traveled throughout the West. What started out as disdain, evolved into a love/hate relationship, but has now flipped completely.

I just wish all Studebaker people could have experienced the Lark for what it was made for, driving. Lessons learned, one of which is styling ain't everything!

Bill

[Milaca]

As a 15yo when the Lark appeared, I didn't like it. Styling was very important, and frankly a little sawed off box just didn't cut it. Of course Studebaker still had the Hawk so why bother. For much of the next twenty years Studebakers were part of my life, beater Larks included. Larks were appliances to be used an discarded. In 1988 Dad died and I took possession of his 1963 Daytona htp. For the next twenty years "Malarkey" was my constant companion, as I traveled throughout the West. What started out as disdain, evolved into a love/hate relationship, but has now flipped completely.

I just wish all Studebaker people could have experienced the Lark for what it was made for, driving. Lessons learned, one of which is styling ain't everything!

Bill

Bill, did your father purchase the Daytona new? Do you still drive it? I would like to see photos of it, as the 1963 Daytona is one of my favorite Studebakers.

[57pack]

In December 1963 we heard of Studebaker’s closing in South Bend. My dad really liked the restyled 1964 Lark types. He and I took a ride to Pryzwara Motors in
Bellmawr NJ . They had a beautiful gold Avanti in the showroom that I tried dad to. Buy. No luck there. He did purchase a 1964 Commander four door in white and. blue cloth interior. It had a V8 with three speed and overdrive. It’s only options were bumper guards, quad headlamps, and full wheel covers. Didn’t have a radio or carpet in front. Years later when I inherited it for my Glassboro State days, I went to Walts Junk yard and found a radio, speaker, & antenna which I paid $10. for. Plus a good used front carpet. Car served us very well and drove it until it would no longer pass state inspection due to rust.

[Hallabutt]

Bill, did your father purchase the Daytona new? Do you still drive it? I would like to see photos of it, as the 1963 Daytona is one of my favorite Studebakers.

Brent,

I wasn't trying to ignore your question. I was looking for some pictures that I could pass on. I'm not very good with pictures and getting the better half in a mood to go through her stored photos just hasn't happened. That's going to have to come later.

The car was about a year old when Dad bought it. He had stumbled on it in Spokane. It was parked on the street, next to his brother in law's place. He indicated to Uncle John that he would be interested if it became available. As a former claims investigator for the US Dept of Labor he had traveled a great deal, and he loved his Champions. What he love most was the gas mileage. Six months later, the Daytona's owner passed away. John called Dad to ask him if he was interested in the car, or was his previous comment just talk? It was time for Dad to to put up or shut up. He took the bate and went for it.

Even as I drove him to the Greyhound Bus station, for the three hundred mile trip to Spokane, I was unsure if he really wanted the car, or had he just been goaded into the deal? The Lark posed more then just little concern for him. It would mean a major philosophical, change of direction. He was going from a car he knew to be simple, and economical, to an unknown quantity. This would be his first V8, but with a automatic transmission, power steering and brakes to boot... I'm quite sure it was fear of the unknown, as much as anything, that was concerning him. Not to worry. He was all smiles when he got back with the car. He had checked his gas mileage, during the trip back, and he was getting 23-24 mpg, almost exactly what he would have gotten with his 1956 Champion.

Over the next twenty four years he put only a little over 50K miles on the Daytona. When he passed away in 1988 it had 63K miles on it. As a car collector I was expected, by the family, to take ownership, and maintain the family legassi. Some years before, I had come to grips with the fact that this would be my troth. The best that I can say about my feelings, was that I was comfortable with the inevitability. This would be a change of direction for me. Even though I had owned beater Larks, in the past, they had been mostly used up before I got them, and I had finished the job. This car would be around for the duration, but even his name "Malarkey" (My-Lark-y) was a kind of a statement, that this would be my one and only Lark. More then thirty years later it's easy to see how wrong I had been. Today I have four larks in the collection.

Malarkey is a bit tired today, but still willing to go. He will accompany me, occasionally, to Friday night, cruise night, and if pressed into service I'm confident that he would take me wherever I needed to go. His over the road duties have mostly been taken over by "Humphrey" the all original 1960 Lark wagon. I think my nephew knows that he will be the next conservator of our loved family member.

i've written some of this before. I'm sure if anyone is still with me, they couldn't have been too bored!

[Bob Andrews]

It's interesting to me to see the Big Three's response... were their compacts really in response, or had they also been working on compacts?

Anyway, The Falcon seemed to me like a pretty close knockoff, with their own spin: subdued lines and short overhangs. Ford seemed slightly updated though, with their OHV engine standard even in the base models, and slightly fancier dash. GM and Mopar went more radical, Mopar with the wildly styled Valiant and the Big Kid on the Block GM with the smooth looking Chevy II and the completely radical Corvair. The results are a matter of record, but to me the Lark was the best-executed initially; unfortunately they needed to innovate faster than they did, and quickly got left behind.

It would have been interesting to see what Studebaker would have come up with into the 70s had they the interest in trying. Of course, we will never know.