1937 Studebaker J5 Express Pickup

Studebaker re-tooled their entire lineup in 1936, and in 1937 the Studebakers were given a streamlined facelift courtesy of industrial designer Raymond Loewy. In the front were a more pointed grille, an alligator hood opening from the front, and extended hood louvers. Along with the restyling, a new model was added called the Coupe-Express. It was a dual-purpose vehicle that offered passenger car comfort and three-passenger seating in a commercial car. Production of this new model lasted from January to July of 1937, with just 3,125 examples built. Production continued through 1939, with just over 5,000 in total.

Before options, the Coupe-Express sold for just $695. All Coupe-Express models came with the spare tire mounted on the right front fender. They were based on the six-cylinder 5A Dictator chassis and shared its front-end sheet metal with its passenger car sibling. The cab was enclosed by a newly fabricated panel. 16-gauge, double-wall steel was used for the pickup bed, enabling a carrying capacity of half-a-ton.

This particular example received a restoration in 1994. It was finished in its original Studebaker Gray with blackwall tires on grey-painted wheels, the beltline is subtly highlighted with red pin striping. The side-mount spare tire is fitted with a color-matched cover, while the interior has been fully restored in grey leather.

Power is from a 218 cubic-inch L-head inline six-cylinder engine mated to a three-speed transmission.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2016