Bob Bourke's Personal Commander?

[bravotango]

All,
Thank you for your help. I was able to track down quite a bit more information over the last few days. It appears that we have the Bob Doehler car mentioned by "Studebaker Wheel." Attached is a photo taken in 1997 of the entire car and a picture of the rear end of the car taken this week.




The serial number is 8369163

Honored to be the guardian of this beautiful car regardless of its provenance.

Bryan

[t walgamuth]

What a beautiful car! How is the rear modified, please? Its hard to see without a stock car next to it.

[studegary]

That is a 1954 Commander built in South Bend about 1/3 through the model year.

Bob Doehler was a designer that worked for Bob Bourke in the Loewy Studio Studebaker Styling Group.

[GrumpyOne]

I knew Bob pretty well and we met at 3-4 different SDC functions over the years and also corresponded frequently. The photo below is one that I took of Bob's car at the Indy SDC Intl meet in 1986. I assure you the Studebaker National Museum did not sell the Bourke car so the one now in your possession would not be the one he owned. Bob Doehler of Milwaukee a long time Studebaker stylist also had a mildly customized '53 or '54 Starliner that had the flush door handles that you mention (they were off a '50's era Simca). I also have photos of it.
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I ran into Bob at a regional meet at Niantic, CT in the mid 1980's and IIRC, he was driving either a '53 or '54 coupe that was not black. Following the meet, I followed him to the Groton submarine base where we toured the Nautilus. Bob was a true gentleman and I still have an initialed drawing of a postwar Studebaker.

I also visited him earlier at his studio in Westport, CT in the mid 1970's..