1951 Studebaker Commander

Studebaker proudly declared, 'First By Far with a Post-War Car.' Studebaker was one of the few independent American automakers to survive the Great Depression and World War II and was the first American manufacturer to offer an all-new post-war automobile in September 1946. The Big Three, by comparison, offered a freshened version of their prewar models.

The new Studebaker automobiles were based on sketches penned by Robert Bourke in the early 1940s with Virgil Exner's input, featuring modern 'envelope' styling. These well-received Studebakers set new sales and production milestones, resulting in record profits.

Exner left Studebaker after the launch of the 1947-49 Studebakers, with Bourke continuing to push the styling envelope even further, inspired by Raymond Loewy's love of aviation, introducing the now infamous, aircraft-inspired 'bullet nose' front end and streamlined 'Vista Dome' rear treatment for 1950. The 1951 models were relatively unchanged. Studebaker was not alone with the 'bullet nose,' joined by the 1948 Tuckers and 1949 Fords.

Studebaker marketing labeled this design as the 'Next Look' and it was the company's most successful design in terms of sales, totaling over half a million units during its life from 1950 to 1951 model year.

The 1950 Studebaker models included the Champion resting atop a 113-inch wheelbase, the Commander on a 120-inch platform, and the Land Cruiser on a 124-inch wheelbase. The rear doors of the four-door sedans were rear-hinged 'suicide' style.

1951 was the final year for the 'bullet nose' body design and the first year for the new 233 cubic-inch V-8 engine offering 120 horsepower. Studebaker's V8 predated the Chevrolet and Plymouth V-8s that would arrive later for 1955 and was an improvement above Ford's Flathead. Designed and built by Studebaker, they were one of only four U.S. automakers to produce an overhead valve V-8 engine in the immediate post-war era. Studebaker's Automatic Drive transmission was another newly introduced feature that had been designed in cooperation with Borg-Warner, providing smooth delivery of power in a fuel-efficient system.

1951 Studebaker
The 'entry level' Studebaker model for 1951 continued to be the Champion offered in Custom, Deluxe, and Regal trim. The Custom line had painted headlight and taillight trim rings, the Deluxe had chrome headlight and taillight trim rings, and Regals added the chrome trim of the Deluxe plus stainless steel rocker panel modelings. Common body styles within the Champion line included a 2- and 4-door sedan, coupe, and Starlight Coupe. The Regal line added a convertible. The Champion Custom line was priced in the mid $1500s, with the Champion Deluxe priced approximately $75 higher. The prices of the Regal ranged from $1,630 to $1,730, with the convertible cresting the $2000 mark.

The 'top-of-the-line' Studebaker was the Commander offered in Regal, State, and Land Cruiser trim. The Champion and Commander rested on a 115-inch wheelbase, with only the Land Cruiser utilizing a 119-inch wheelbase platform. Only the 4-door sedan was common between all three trim levels.

The Commander Regal 2-door sedan was priced at $1,800, the 4-door sedan at $1840, and the Starlight Coupe at $1830. The most popular body style was the four-door sedan with 29,603 examples built, followed by 8,192 of the Starlight Coupe, 8,034 of the two-door sedan, and a single two-door, three-passenger coupe.

The body styles of the Commander State, distinguished by fender ornaments, included a two-door sedan priced at $1,900, a four-door sedan at $1,940, the starlight coupe at $1,930, and the convertible at $2,245. The 4-door sedan found 21,134 willing buyers, followed by 11,637 of the starlight coupe, 3,903 of the 2-door sedan, and 3,770 of the convertibles.

The Land Cruiser four-door sedan was priced at $2,070, and a total of 38,055 examples were built in 1951.

The Champion was powered by an L-head six-cylinder engine with a 169.6 cubic-inch displacement, a Carter one-barrel carburetor, solid valve lifters, four main bearings, and delivered 85 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. A higher compression version (7.5:1 vs. 7.0:1) was optional. The Commander received an all-new overhead valve V8 with a 232.6 CID, five main bearings, solid valve lifters, and a Stromberg two-barrel carburetor and delivered 120 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission with column-mounted gearshift was standard equipment for both models, with an overdrive adding $92 to the base price of the Champions and $98 on the Commanders. An Automatic Drive boosted the base price by $201.

Styling updates to the Champion and Commander were similar, with both receiving larger grilles that were moved forward slightly. They had larger taillight lenses and a one-piece curved windshield was standard on all body styles. (Two- and four-door sedans previously had a two-piece rear window.)

The identification of both models was located on the left front edge of the hood.

Studebaker offered an extensive list of options for 1951 that included a gas door guard, license plate frames, directional signals, hill holder, radios, grille and trunk guards, hydraulic jack, undercoating, cold weather battery Vitalizer, and Pastel Sparkle Spray exterior finish treatment.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2023