Studebaker Land Cruiser
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The Studebaker Land Cruiser was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) from 1934 until 1954. The Land Cruiser debuted at the Worlds Fair alongside the Silver Arrow, a product Studebaker's former premium make Pierce-Arrow.
The Land Cruiser was introduced at the 1933 at the Chicago Worlds Fair as an extensively streamlined sedan. Many of the same aerodynamic features of the car were shared with Pierce-Arrow's Silver Arrow show car that also debuted at the fair. Work on both automobiles was authorized prior to the company being placed in receivership in March of 1933, and Pierce being sold to investors.
Production Land Cruisers began to appear in dealer showrooms in the fall of 1933 as 1934 models. The Land Cruiser was designated as a body style, and classified in the President model range (C Series) for the year. It retailed for $1,510 FOB.
The body style was shared between the President and Commander series for 1936. From 1937 to 1940, the car was classified as the Commander Cruiser and President Cruiser. The Land Cruiser name officially returned in 1941 and 1942. In addition to offering its Land Cruisers in the Commander and President lines, for 1941 Studebaker introduced the ultra-luxurious Skyway Land Cruiser which featured a slightly curved single pane windshield, rear fender skirts and premium details and fabrics.
When Land Cruiser production returned in 1947, the car rode the companies longest wheelbase, featured center post style doors and was powered by Studebaker's L6 cylinder engine; in 1951 the company's new and highly respected small-block V8 was used.
The Land Cruiser name was discontinued at the end of the 1954 model year. Top-trimmed Studebakers from 1955-1958 went by the Studebaker President name (revived from the prewar President models). After a four year run, The President, in turn, was dropped at the end of 1958 to make way for the new compact Lark model.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Maloney, James H. (1994). Studebaker Cars. Crestline Books. ISBN 0-87938-884-6.
- Langworth, Richard (1979). Studebaker, the Postwar Years. Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-87938-058-6.
- Gunnell, John, Editor (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-096-3.
