Similar? Or not?

[showbizkid]

Anyone ever notice how Crosleys look a lot like '47 Champions from a certain angle? The fender character line stampings, location of the vent door, cross-bar grille... Coincidence? Or by design? I wonder...

Of course, from any other angle they are completely dissimilar

[fpstude]

In my world I don't see many Crosleys. There are many similar features, as you point out. Probably coincidence.

[jclary]

In my humble opinion, all auto design is art. All artists are impressionable. Groupthink is a very old accusation regarding work among various design engineers (Artists). I certainly believe there is an element of truth to that, but it does not mean there is any ill intent. Bob Bourke himself has admitted that his Studebaker designs were influenced by such things as the twin-fuselage of the P-38 fighter plane and the Tucker Automobile. Much of postwar designs incorporated lines and imagery inspired by aircraft of the times that had captured the admiration of the public.

Like other professions, auto designers join professional organizations, have membership meetings, and migrate among competing companies. Even those with "no-compete" contracts probably share sketches among one another at social and professional gatherings. So, in Clark's example, it is possible that one person's art has influenced the work of someone else. The question is, who influenced whom? Regarding similarities to the new Post War Studebaker design, I see similarities, but to me, more like the caricatured version the way the manufacturers of the early 1950s Murray Champion Pedal Cars were made representing the Studebaker Champions.

[Milaca]

1947 Studebaker... I think the wildfire smoke is getting to Clark.

There is also some similarity between the 1951-52 Crosleys and the 1949-50 Fords (and 1950-51 Studebakers) in that they have a bullet nose.

[Hallabutt]

I would say it's just a matter of contemporary styling. Once a landmark styled car comes on the market, within a year or two, a major part of the industry moves in the same direction. Studebaker styling was really ahead of it's time in 1947. The design was soon superseded by Ford's shoebox in 1949.

There was no huge industry rush to emulate the 1947-52 Studebaker styling, however, some styling ques were bound to become part of other manufacturer's offerings. One head scratcher, has always been the 1953 Studebaker. I can only guess that the styling was too radical for most buyers. It may also have been that the Big Three just chose to ignore it. There may have been too much acceptance of the shoebox, and too much upside to rock the boat.