1937 Studebaker Dictator Custom Coupe

Founded in South Bend, IN, in 1852, Studebaker built wheelbarrows for the California gold rush, then wagons for the Union Army. At one time the world's largest wagon maker, the family business built horse-drawn carriages used by U.S. presidents and pulled by Budweiser Clydesdales. It began building electric cars in 1902 and gas-powered vehicles two years later.

The entry-level Dictator series (previously the Standard Six) was introduced in 1927 with its (later) questionable name intended to indicate that it would 'dictate the standard' for other automakers to follow. Studebaker's mid-range models were Commanders, while top-of-the-line models were Presidents. There was also a Chancellor, but only in 1927.

Dictators were available in a full range of Raymond Loewy-designed body styles with interiors by famous artist Helen Dryden and a lively 90-horsepower six-cylinder engine. An optional 221-CID inline eight-cylinder offered in mid-1929 replaced the old six as standard two years later. Following the rise of German dictator Adolf Hitler, Studebaker dropped the Dictator name in 1937 and resurrected the Commander's name that had been discontinued in 1935.

This 1937 fully optioned (with leather interior, wide whitewall tires, overdrive transmission, dual defrosters, radio, and clock) Dictator coupe has a unique 'batwing' rear window as a feature of Loewy's Art Deco styling. It has been fully restored in its original Niagara Mist Metallic finish.