Best Stude design

[52hawk]

We've been over the ugliest Stude designs- oh Sam,the 55 gorilla ain't that bad!! A good article by Clell Ballard in the Sept issue about model car parts brought back some memories from almost 40 yrs ago. THE favorite model car I had was the 53 c body. My absolute favorite part of the shape of the car was the rear roof post and quarter glass,and still is.[]
My hawk would look great with a 53 nose,it would look great without the dumb fins,but I would never touch that roofline and quarter glass![:0]
Does everybody have a certain section of their car that makes it a Studebaker?? What piece of the car/truck do you look at first every morning[?][?][?]

Hawks,Larks,and other critters!

[tbredehoft]

I have to agree completely. That rear roof line caught my attention in the mid 50s, and hasn't let up yet. I bought my '53 Starlight in '59 and its still with me.

Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe
'60 Lark VI

[DilloCrafter]

I like the shape of the hood on the 49-55 trucks. That same shape can also be seen, less pronounced, in the hood of the 53-55 cars. Just one of Bob Bourke's masterful lines.

1955 1/2 Ton Pickup

[Mike]

The curve of the line made by the tops of the fenders, on a C/K coupe, viewed from the side, is my favorite. The chrome fender cap, at the rear takes away from it, a little. It's the same as the curve of the fuselage on a C-121, "Constellation" airliner.
I think the shape of the side window opening, outlined by the rain gutter, and repeated by the recess in the door, is great, too.
Mike M.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Ya can't win with Stude guys...
Ask an easy question why dontcha[:0]
Dumb fins
Why, I never
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by 52hawk

We've been over the ugliest Stude designs- oh Sam,the 55 gorilla ain't that bad!! A good article by Clell Ballard in the Sept issue about model car parts brought back some memories from almost 40 yrs ago. THE favorite model car I had was the 53 c body. My absolute favorite part of the shape of the car was the rear roof post and quarter glass,and still is.[]
My hawk would look great with a 53 nose,it would look great without the dumb fins,but I would never touch that roofline and quarter glass![:0]
Does everybody have a certain section of their car that makes it a Studebaker?? What piece of the car/truck do you look at first every morning[?][?][?]

Hawks,Larks,and other critters!

DEEPNHOCK at Cox.net
'37 Coupe Express
'37 Coupe Express Trailer
'61 Hawk

http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[Blue 15G]

I have to agree with 52hawk. I have a '54 K body, but I always preferred the roof styling of the C body.

As to our favorite Studebaker styling features...where do we begin? There are so many!

[StudHawk60]

I particularly like any Stude that has tail fins. But I'm partial to the 57-61 Hawks. They ARE NOT "dumb fins". By the way, the DC-3 and the Constellation are 2 different airplanes. It's the Connie that has the curved fuselage.[)]

[Transtar56]

Yeah, dumb fins!
No I really love the 53-54C/Ks,but I think the fins really look right on th 57-61 Hawk.Their certainly well shaped,unlike some of the other finned cars,remember that mess that was the 59 Chevrolet,or Caddy?
I usually liked the Mopar fins,especially the ones that start at the front door(Desotos)
But the whole shape of a finned Hawk is pretty cool,from that long hood and short slanted rear deck,something Ford thought of in 65 and called it a Mustang and sold a zillion of them.
But they where never as good as Studebakers.

[studegary]

quote:Originally posted by Mike

The curve of the line made by the tops of the fenders, on a C/K coupe, viewed from the side, is my favorite. The chrome fender cap, at the rear takes away from it, a little. It's the same as the curve of the fuselage on a DC-3, "Constellation" airliner.
I think the shape of the side window opening, outlined by the rain gutter, and repeated by the recess in the door, is great, too.
Mike M.

The stainless pieces on the tops of the rear quarters are mostly to keep manufacturing costs down by covering the seam and bolts. These lines were designed into the car, but the method chosen was driven by manufacturing ease and cost.
The concave sections in the door panels were partly there as a styling item and partly to prevent druming of the door panel. After Bob Bourke left South Bend, these concave sections were eliminated without any noticed adverse effects.

[Mike]

quote:Originally posted by StudHawk60
By the way, the DC-3 and the Constellation are 2 different airplanes. It's the Connie that has the curved fuselage.[)]

That WAS a boner! I changed it to "C-121".
Mike M.

[curt]

I like the BIG 'S' on the trunks of the older Studbakers. By old I think I'm talking 1940 - 1941.

[rockne10]

Without a doubt, a Manchester Maroon 53 Coupe with a gold 8 on the hood and trunk and tri-star trim. Must have made an aesthetic bond with this car, this color when I was three years old.
Twenty-three years later saw one on a used car lot; didn't even think about it being a Studebaker (all my Grandfather ever owned were sedans; I inherited his Lark).
I traded my 70 Catalina and the 53 became my daily driver.
Thirty years later it is nearing a frame off restoration.
It will be available to the public when I die.

[HUB]

I love a 3/4 side view of my '63 GT Hawk, from either front or rear. To my eye the '53-54 C/K's and the '62-64 Hawks have a balance or harmony to them. I'd say they are cars with attitude - it's that stance; the taper of the body from front to rear. The slope of the windshield. The rooflines and front end treatments in either case. Being from a Commonwealth country if I was relating to an aircraft I'd say these cars had the same attitude as the Spitfire fighter. They all say up and away even when they're standing still. Just good design, great lines. Wooden Chris Craft boats from the '60s strike me the same way. Airstream trailers too...but, I digress.
Having said all that 52hawk, I'll say that as much as I might be tempted to gaze at my Hawk first thing in the morning I refrain. Might be pushing my luck...my wife already refers to the Hawk as my expensive mistress!

[wagone]

I've owned (years ago) a '54 C-body Champion, a '61 Hawk (with factory 4-speed), and a '62 Lark (when my dad had finished with it)--and more recently the cursed Avanti! I have to agree that IMHO the Hawk fins are UGLY! My choice is the '53/'54 C/K cars--but I've always thought that the wheelbase was too long. My second choice is the Avanti--it looked great in the rear view mirror of the tow truck bringing it home, now if it only ran! I've NEVER had to be towed home before (not in any of the cars I've owned previously!)--oh, the ignominy of it all!

wagone and the cursed Avanti I

[Danarchy]

Best Stude Design? The one parked in my garage!

1960 LARK(4-Door)V8/Deluxe Wagon
Dallas,Texas