Rock River Valley Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club
Our Charter, Keeping the Studebaker Marque Alive
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Note the four blade spinner, indented lower grille, and hood lift handles.
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Note the spinner now had three blades, and the two lower grilles are flush mounted. |
Note the spinner is gone and the new grille is giving us signs of what will be coming in 1953 |
The above views help in quick identification of the early 50's Studebaker Commanders
1950
& 51 would become the years of the Studebaker “Bullet-Nose”. This design is so iconic in Studebaker history, that lots of people
think the theme lasted for more years then it did. The radical
departure from the first postwar design makes the 1950 Studebaker
looks like an entirely new car. Actually, the change is just from
the cowl forward and from the rear fenders back. The center section
of the body and the frame are nearly the same as 47 to 49, real
change would not come until 1953.
Referred
to by the sales ad people as the “Next Look,” the design had
been planned for a 1949 release, so production for the 1950 models
started in late July of 1949 instead of September. The spinner had
been under consideration for years with the first sketches seen as
early as 1941 and an actual mock-up produced in 1943. Robert Bourke
was Lowey's chief in house designer and penned most of what was
actually released for 1950. However, Virgil Exner and Gorden
Buehrig, both had significant influence on the design, but were no
longer with Studebaker when the final release came. Not all of
Studebaker engineering nor the dealers, were early fans of the
design, so the later sales success was quite unexpected.
Exterior:
Bourke's
new design involved a new front end with three protruding noses. The
outer two were extensions to the front fenders. The center nose
would included the now famous four blade chrome bullet spinner,
inside a large chrome outer ring with “Studebaker” stamped on the
top ½ of this ring. The rear fenders are reshaped to take new
vertical tail lights. Commanders would be a little more then ten
inches longer then the Champion and run on a 120 inch wheelbase (Land
Cruiser rode on 124 inches while Champions rode on 113 inches). Commanders also have much larger headlight rings, larger bumper
guards (on the same bumpers seen in 1949), and had more rounded
taillights. There is a new hood ornament, a winged chrome piece with
a clear lucite spear. Front bumpers are mounted on extended supports
and encased in round tubes. The door handles are smooth, the grooves
seen in 1947 to 1949 are removed. A “Coat of Arms” badge is
placed in the center of the hood between the hood ornament and the
“Bullet.” The model badge “Commander” is found on the side
of the front fenders, except Land Cruiser, which of coarse had a
“Land Cruiser” badge in the same location. Smooth moon style
hubcaps with the “Studebaker Commander” name along the edge,
would be seen on early models. Land Cruiser would have “Studebaker
Studebaker” on their caps. During the mid-year changes, the
headlight rings would become chrome plated. New plain small hubcaps
(without lettering) or a plain full wheel cover that looked like the
smaller caps with full width trim rings were also seen. Full wheel
covers with the “Coat of Arms” badge in the center were also
offered as an accessory. These mid-year changes were not necessarily
implemented at exactly the same time, so while a car might have new
chrome headlight rings it also may have came with the older lettered
hubcaps.
Interior:
Interior
changes involve a new dash. The same basic layout is seen, the
instruments are on the left, radio grille in the center, and glove
box on the right. The panel has three round instrument openings, the
left holds four gauges (oil, amps, heat,and gas), the center the
speedometer, and the right a clock (if equipped). An upper dash cap
extends out over the main dash section, making the lower main section
look recessed. Closed cars (sedans & coupes) have plain fabric
door panels on DeLuxe trim or a combination of fabric with
leatherette accents for Regal DeLuxe trim. The door panel accents
for Regal DeLuxe would be a Gray Snake Skin pattern, similar to the
Brown Alligator accents seen in 1949. The convertible would were
trimmed in color co-ordinated leatherette (real leather at
additional cost.) The Land Cruiser would have tucked seats with
fabric buttons and those same buttons would appear on the door
panels.
Mechanical:
The
major mechanical change is front suspension, the Planar system
available on Commanders since 1935 is gone. A more modern coil
spring and A-arm arrangement would replace it, (this would be a one
year only design). While the Champion would use tubular shocks inside
the coil springs, the Commanders would use center point steering and
Houdaille lever arm shocks. The engine compression is raised to 7.0
to 1, now rated at 102 HP. Last, the first fully automatic
transmission is released at mid-year called “Automatic Drive”,
manufactured for Studebaker by Detroit Gear division of Borg Warner. It was available for Champion's, but was actually promoted more for
the Commander line.
Mid-year
changes: All Commander headlight rings are now chrome. Plain
hubcaps (the lettering is removed), phased in over time. Four new
paint colors are released.
Model
Line-up:
Starlight
Coupe, 2-dr Sedan, 4-dr Sedan in DeLuxe and Regal DeLuxe trim. Convertible and Land Cruiser in Regal DeLuxe trim only.
Tells:
The
center nose four blade propeller and the chrome hood handles from the
front and vertical tail lights on the rear, say 1950 Studebaker. Things that identify Commanders (other then the side front fender
badges) are much longer front fenders, the winged hood ornament,
larger bumper guards, larger head light rings and more round (no flat
surface like found on Champions) tail light lens. Things that
identify Regal DeLuxe trim from DeLuxe are stainless steel rocker
panel moldings outside and Gray Snake Skin accents on the top of the
door panels inside.
Restoration
Information: (Source
TW October 1985)
Specification 1950
Studebaker Commander |
Engine
6 cylinder flat head |
Bore (inches) |
3 5/16 |
Stroke (inches) |
4 ¾ |
Displacement (cu.
in.) |
245.6 |
Horsepower |
102 |
Compression ratio |
7.0:1 (optional
7.5:1) |
Carburetor |
Stromberg BX0V-26
1bbl |
Electrical
Equipment |
Delco-Remy |
Spark Plugs |
Champion J7 or J9 |
Battery |
Willard |
Tire Size |
7.60 x 15 |
Wheel Base
Commander |
120 inches |
Wheel Base
Commander Land Cruiser |
124 inches |
The engine block,
pan, and head were painted olive green. The fan was usually
black, but sometimes may have been olive green. Electrical
components were black, except the overdrive relay. Oil filler
tube cap, spark plug wire brackets, and air cleaner canister were
black. The carburetor, fuel pump, coil clamp, voltage regulator
base, overdrive relay, air cleaner wingnut, battery clamp wingnuts
and washers, hose clamps, and radiator cap were natural metal
color. The oil filter canister, if factory installed, was black.
The battery box was body color, but the top clamp was black. The
radiator, radiator support frame, and upper radiator air deflector
were black. The hood latch base in the air deflector was natural
metal. Olive Green over spray was common on the starter and oil
filter (if factory installed). There were decals on the air
cleaner, oil filler tube cap and oil filter canister. The bell
housing and transmission were normally painted olive green, the
rest of the drive train and chassis were painted black. |
Capacities |
Gas Tank |
18 gallons |
Cooling System |
13 quarts ( with
climatizer add more quart) |
Engine |
6 quarts (w/oil
filter add one more quart) |
Rear Axle Ratio |
4.09:1 |
With Overdrive |
4.55:1 |
1950 Closed Car
Body Colors |
Velvet Black |
Grove Green |
2Maui
Blue |
Concord Blue |
Aqua Green |
2Ojai
Green |
Midnight Blue |
Bermuda Green |
1Aero
Blue |
Black Cherry |
Tulip Cream |
1Old
Ivory |
Comanche Red |
Bahama Mist
Metallic |
1Shenandoah
Green |
Fiesta Tan |
Copper Mist
Metallic |
1Surf
Gray |
Falcon Gray |
Highland Mist
Metallic |
|
Plaza Gray |
2Aspen
Gray |
|
1950
Convertible Colors |
Velvet Black |
Copper Mist
Metallic |
Aqua Green |
Bahama Mist
Metallic |
Plaza Gray |
Bermuda Green |
Steel Mist Metallic |
1Old
Ivory |
Black Cherry |
Highland Mist
Metallic |
Tulip Cream |
Comanche Red |
|
|
Concord Blue |
1Spring
Color 2Color only used at Los Angeles Plant
Early
color information limited the metallic paints to convertibles, but
later in-house “Paint Charts” booklets list all the metallics,
except Steel Mist as being available on closed models.
The
“Paint Chart” also gives detailed information on wheel and
stripe colors. |
Upholstery
Fabrics: 1950 Studebaker Commander |
DeLuxe
Commanders used flat wool cloth. |
Regal
DeLuxe Commanders including Land Cruiser used striped nylon cord. |
Regal
DeLuxe Commander convertible used nylon cord and leatherette. |
Leather
upholstery was optional at extra cost on all models. |
Floor
Covering: DeLuxe, rubber in the front and carpet in the rear. (W3,
F3,& C3) |
Floor
Covering: Regal DeLuxe, carpet in the front and carpet in the
rear. (W5, F5, C5, &Y5) |
Door
panels on DeLuxe models were plain cloth. Regal DeLuxe closed
cars had a combination of cloth & leatherette with the
leatherette accents (top of door panels for W & F and bottom
section on C) being gray in color with a snake skin pattern.
Convertibles had all leatherette door panels and no accent panels.We are not sure about the convertibles and are
relying on photo's which may or may not be accurate. |
1950
Studebaker Commander Series 17A, 120/124 in. wheelbase
1Model |
2No. Doors |
2Passengers |
2CCD Price |
1TW Price |
1No. Produced |
DeLuxe Starlight Coupe (C3) |
2 |
5 |
$1,882.00 |
$1,897.00 |
4,383 |
DeLuxe 2-dr Sedan (F3) |
2 |
6 |
$1,857.00 |
$1,871.00 |
4,588 |
DeLuxe 4-dr Sedan (W3) |
4 |
6 |
$1,887.00 |
$1,902.00 |
11,440 |
Regal DeLuxe Starlight
Coupe (C5) |
2 |
5 |
$1,997.00 |
$2,018.00 |
7,375 |
Regal DeLuxe Convertible
(S2) |
2 |
5 |
$2,313.00 |
$2,328.00 |
2,867 |
Regal DeLuxe 2-dr Sedan
(F5) |
2 |
6 |
$1,972.00 |
$1,992.00 |
2,363 |
Regal DeLuxe 4-dr Sedan
(W5) |
4 |
6 |
$2,002.00 |
$2,024.00 |
14,832 |
Regal DeLuxe Land Cruiser
(Y5) |
4 |
6 |
$1,997.00 |
$2,187.00 |
24,712 |
Total |
72,560 |
1Serial
Numbers: |
Location |
Start |
End |
South Bend |
4,398,601 |
unknown |
Los Angeles |
4,839,001 |
unknown |
1Engine
Numbers: |
South Bend & Los Angeles |
H-370,001 |
unknown |
Source
Production & Serial Number: 1Turning Wheels
October 1985 2CCD
(Classic Car Database).
This
year Commanders and Champions share the same sheet metal and the same
115 inch wheelbase (exception Land Cruiser at 119 inches). Made
possible because of the new (much shorter) V-8 engine used in the
Commanders. The dash design is still different between the two
lines, at least for the short term. This makes it much harder to
tell the Commanders from the Champions.
Exterior:
In
an effort to tone down the front nose, the outer ring of the bullet
is now a two ring affair. The outer ring is sheet metal painted body
color and the inner ring is chrome. A three blade molded gray
plastic spinner is placed in the center of a narrow third chrome
ring, which is then mounted on three stand-offs into the outer ring
combination previously described. The stamped “Studebaker” name
is removed from the outer nose ring and two new badges are placed on
the lower edges of the hood. From the front, the left side badge is
“Studebaker” on the right “Commander”, which included Land
Cruisers. The two grille sections are larger and mount flush with
the body sheet metal. The tubes around the front bumper mounts are
removed and replaced with a metal apron that matched with the frontal
sheet metal. The two holes below the chrome hood handles and the
handles themselves are gone. The front fenders on the Commander are
very similar to the 1950 Champion fenders, but are slightly
different, however the 1950 Champion head light rings are used. The
trunk handle, hood ornament, and bumper guards are new. Plain
hubcaps and full wheel covers are used, with the “Coat of Arms”
full wheel covers available as on option. The “Coat of Arms”
badge in the hood is replace with a V8 badge. The taillight lens are
extended at the top. All models now have a single piece windshield. The sedans have a new single piece rear window.
Interior:
Red
targets are added to the center of the round gauges. The radio
grille is flush with the instruments, made of five stamped slots,
each surrounded with chrome trim moldings. The glove box is also
flush, painted body color and has a V8 emblem in the center. The
steering column is a single tube enclosure with the shift and turn
signal arms built into the unit. Interior fabrics are almost the
same, but there are some pattern changes.
Mechanical:
The
big news is that 1951 Commanders are now equipped with an all new
overhead valve V8, the first OHV V8 produced by an independent and
the third in the industry. The first being the GM
(Cadillac/Oldsmobile 1949) and Chrysler's 1951 Hemi engine. Studebaker's design has a bore of 3 3/8 inch with a stroke of 3 ¼,
making it an over-square engine. This results in less friction and
quicker acceleration, but less torque. Commanders and Champions have
the same suspension and steering (center point) with tubular shocks
inside coil springs, but Commanders have a different spring rate and
tire size. All new wheel are used for both lines and have a 4 ½
inch PD with five holes. These rims would be used until the very end
of production. The Commander rear brakes were reduced from 11 inches
to 9, while the fronts remained at 11 inches. Commanders have
electric windshield wipers as standard equipment, optional extra cost
item on Champions. Generator output is increased to 40 amps.
Model
Line-up:
The
same model line-up from1950 is seen in 1951. Starlight Coupe, 2-dr
Sedan, 4-dr Sedan in both Regal and State trim. A Convertible and
Land Cruiser (in State trim only). While there was supposedly no
business coupe, like 1948 there appears to have been one Regal
Business coupe produced in Los Angeles. However, this time unlike
1948 it was in the lesser trim (Regal), not (State). Wonder if this
odd 1951 car was sold to the same buyer as that 1948 car.
Tells:
“Studebaker”
is removed from the bullet and placed on the drivers side of the
hood. “Commander” is placed on the passenger side. Both badges
are prominent die castings mounted to the lower edge of the hood. On
Commanders, the 1950 “Crest' emblem is replaced with a V8 badge in
the same location. The spinner is three blade gray plastic, the 50
spinner was chrome with four blades and was much larger. Front
fender badges are only seen on the “Land Cruiser”.
Restoration:
Specification 1951
Studebaker Commander |
Engine
OHV V8 |
Bore (inches) |
3 3/ 8 |
Stroke (inches) |
3 1/4 |
Displacement (cu.
in.) |
232.6 |
Horsepower |
120@ 4,000 rpm |
Torque (lb-ft) |
190@ 2000 rpm |
Compression ratio |
7.0:1 (optional
7.5:1) |
Carburetor |
Stromberg model
AAUVB-26 two-barrel |
Electrical
Equipment |
Delco-Remy (not
verified) |
Spark Plugs |
Champion H-14Y |
Battery |
Willard |
Tire Size |
7.10 x 15 |
Wheel Base
Commander |
115 inches |
Wheel Base
Commander Land Cruiser |
119 inches |
The entire engine
except the valve covers was painted olive green. The valve covers
were black. Replacement fans or oil filler caps were black.
Electrical components were black, except the overdrive relay. The
air cleaner canister was black. The carburetor, fuel pump, coil
clamp, voltage regulator base, overdrive relay, air cleaner
wingnut, battery clamp wingnuts and washers, hose clamps, and
radiator cap were natural metal color. The oil filter canister,
if factory installed was olive green. The battery box was body
color, but the top clamp was black. The radiator, radiator
support frame, and upper radiator air deflector were black. The
hood latch base in the air deflector was natural metal. Olive
Green over spray was common on the starter (if factory installed).
There were decals on the air cleaner, oil filler tube cap and oil
filter canister. The bell housing and transmission were olive
green, the rest of the drive train and chassis were painted black. |
Capacities |
Gas Tank |
18 gallons |
Cooling System |
13 quarts ( with
climatizer add more quart) |
Engine |
6 quarts (w/oil
filter add one more quart) |
Rear Axle Ratio |
4.09:1 |
With Overdrive |
4.55:1 |
1951 Exterior
Colors |
1Velvet
Black |
1Shenandoah
Green |
1Plaza
Gray |
1Maui
Blue |
1Aqua
Green |
1Comanche
Red |
1Concord
Blue |
1Sahara
Sand |
1&3Black
Cherry |
1Rio
Green |
1Surf
Gray |
2Bermuda
Green |
2Midnight
Blue |
|
|
1South
Bend & Canadian Colors 2Additional Colors
available only in Canada 3Not available on
Custom. No metallic colors are used in 1951, no colors were
exclusive to convertibles, and no two-tones were available from
the factory except for fleet orders. CKD were often painted
non-factory colors. |
Upholstery
Fabrics: 1951 Studebaker Commander |
Regal
Commanders used broadcloth. |
State
Commanders and Land Cruisers used striped nylon cord. |
State
Commander convertible used nylon cord and leatherette. |
Leather
upholstery was optional at extra cost on all models. |
Floor
Covering: Regal, rubber in the front and carpet in the rear. (W3,
F3, & C3) |
Floor
Covering: State, carpet in the front and carpet in the rear. (W5,
F5, C5, & Y5) |
Door
panels on Regal models were plain cloth. State closed cars had a
combination of cloth & leatherette with the leatherette
accents (top of door panels for W & F and bottom section on C)
being gray in color with a snake skin pattern. Convertibles had
all leatherette door panels and no accent panels. We
are not sure about the convertibles and are relying on photo's
which may or may not be accurate. |
Most
of the 1950 options and accessories were available for 1951 models,
the Philco eight-tube Stratoline radio's push buttons changed from
seven to six and Philco six-tube Starline radio's push buttons
changes from five to four. The Fram oil filter was made standard on
Commanders.
1951
Studebaker Commander Series H, 115/119 in. wheelbase
1Model |
2No.
Doors |
2Passengers |
2CCD
Price |
1TW
Price |
1No.
Produced |
Regal
Starlight Coupe (C3) |
2 |
5 |
$1,710.00 |
$1,833.00 |
8,192 |
Regal
2dr sedan (F3) |
2 |
6 |
? |
$1,807.00 |
8,034 |
Regal
4dr sedan (W3) |
4 |
6 |
$1,715.00 |
$1,839.00 |
29,603 |
Regal
business coupe (Q1) |
2 |
3 |
$1,685.00 |
? |
1 |
State
Starlight coupe (C5) |
2 |
5 |
$1,805.00 |
$1,933.00 |
11,637 |
State
convertible (S2) |
2 |
5 |
$2,100.00 |
$2,244.00 |
3,770 |
State
2dr sedan (F5) |
2 |
6 |
$1,780.00 |
$1,907.00 |
3,903 |
State
4dr sedan (W5) |
4 |
6 |
$1,810.00 |
$1,939.00 |
21,134 |
State
Land Cruiser (Y5) |
4 |
6 |
$1,935.00 |
$2,071.00 |
38,055 |
Total |
124,329 |
1Serial
Numbers |
Location |
Start |
End |
South
Bend |
1,000,000 |
1,115,500 |
Los
Angeles |
889,101 |
907,300 |
Canada |
724,510 |
735,700 |
1Engine
Numbers |
Location |
Start |
End |
South
Bend |
778,001 |
911,500 |
Canada |
C-25,501 |
C-36,721 |
Source:1TW December 1985 2Classic Car
Database (CCD)
Interesting,
I asked, how did we get from H Commander in 1951 to 3H Commander for
1952 what happened to 1H & 2H? Well, it turns out that 2H number
was assigned to the all new Model “N” car which had been in the
design process, including clay models, prototypes, and actual road
testing, until then they were not. The N Models would have had all
new sheet-metal and included some form of the bullet nose theme. The
Model N died over uncertainty about the Korean War. The last minute
cancellation, caused Studebaker to rush another face lift of the
existing 1947 through 1951 cars, to create the 1952 Studebaker's. Between the Bullet-Nosed Studebaker's and the all new 1953
Studebaker, the 1952 seem like the all but forgotten year. However
in this writers opinion that 1952 Starliner is still one of the most
stunning Studebaker's ever created.
It
is my opinion that Studebaker skipped 1H to avoid confusion between
the H (1951) & 1H (a never assigned) version number. This also
happened when the 1939 Champion was designated G and 1940 Champion
designated 2G.
Exterior:
As
was the case in 1950, the 1952 face-lift happens most significantly
from the cowl forward. The bullet-nose theme is dropped and a very
elegant new horizontal grill design is developed. It consists of two
end caps, a top bar with a deep “V” in the center, and a bottom
bar with six vertical teeth, three on each side of the “V”. Then
somehow, much thinner horizontal bars are attached in the background. No bullet-nose, needs a new hood to go with the new grille. Also
modified front fenders (much shorter) are fitted with newly designed
headlight rims. The front bumper is fitted with four bumper guards,
two large on the outside and two smaller ones flanking the license
plate holder. Studebaker Commander name plates are used on the
leading edge of the hood, but no name plates would be seen on the
side of the fenders for any models in 1952. The Commanders have a
new hood ornament which they share with the Deluxe & Regal
Champions. The front hood badge is “V” shaped, different then
the winged version found on Champions. In the rear, we get new
taillights with hooded bezels (the last glass taillight lens) and a
new deck lid handle. Commanders have both a name badge and a V8
emblem on the rear deck lid. The stainless steel gravel guard seen
on all State Commanders is redesigned with the leading edge extending
much higher. The convertible back glass is now a larger single pane
vinylite affair.
Interior:
Very
few interior changes are made for the 1952 models. The instrument
panel is slightly modified. The Automatic Drive cars get a push
button starter switch. All the Commanders get a new horn ring and
feature a non-round horn button, these items are unique to 1952
Commanders. This interior is not confirmed to be original. But most 1952 Studebaker Commander (State Trim) interior photo's show either vertical or horizonal pleated accents. The seats are for sure not original, they would have been some type of striped material.
Mechanical:
The
only significant mechanical change for 1952 Commanders was that the
brakes are redesigned.
Model
Line-up:
Tells:
In
the 1950 to 1952 Studebaker series “52” would be the only year
without a bullet nose, making them very easy to identify. The deep
“V” in the grille is a significant tell for 52's and a sign of
what the future was going to bring. Hooded tail lights also signify
1952 Studebaker's. We know that Commanders and Champions are running
on the same wheel base and use the same sheet-metal (except the Land
Cruiser). So, in the front look for the Commander script on the
lower edge of the hood and from the rear look for the “Commander”
or “Land Cruiser” deck lid script and the V8 badge, if they are
not found, it's a Champion. From the side no known tells. If the
car has a rubber gravel shield, it's a Regal trim, but if the gravel
shield is stainless it is State.
Restoration:
Specification 1952
Studebaker Commander |
Engine
OHV V8 |
Bore (inches) |
3 3/ 8 |
Stroke (inches) |
3 1/4 |
Displacement (cu.
in.) |
232.6 |
Horsepower |
120@ 4,000 rpm |
Torque (lb-ft) |
190@ 2000 rpm |
Compression ratio |
7.0:1 (optional
7.5:1) |
Carburetor |
Stromberg model
AAUVB-26 two-barrel |
Electrical
Equipment |
Delco-Remy |
Spark Plugs |
Champion H-8 |
Battery |
Willard |
Tire Size |
7.10 x 15 |
Wheel Base
Commander |
115 inches |
Wheel Base
Commander Land Cruiser |
119 inches |
The entire engine
except the valve covers was painted olive green. The valve covers
were black. Replacement fans or oil filler caps were black. Electrical components were black, except the overdrive relay. The
air cleaner canister was black. The carburetor, fuel pump, coil
clamp, voltage regulator base, overdrive relay, air cleaner
wingnut, battery clamp wingnuts and washers, hose clamps, and
radiator cap were natural metal color. The oil filter canister,
if factory installed was olive green. The battery box was body
color, but the top clamp was black. The radiator, radiator
support frame, and upper radiator air deflector were black. The
hood latch base in the air deflector was natural metal. Olive
Green over spray was common on the starter (if factory installed). There were decals on the air cleaner, oil filler tube cap and oil
filter canister. The bell housing and transmission were olive
green, the rest of the drive train and chassis were painted black. |
Capacities |
Gas Tank (gals) |
18 |
Cooling System
(qts) |
17 1/4 ( with
climatizer add 1 1/2) |
Engine (qts) |
6 (w/oil filter
add one more) |
Rear Axle Ratio |
4.09:1 |
With Overdrive |
4.55:1 |
1952 Exterior Solid
Colors (no metallics) |
Color |
Wheel Color |
Canadian Wheel
Color |
Velvet Black |
Comanche
Red |
Cuban
Red |
Maui
Blue |
Cuban
Red |
Cuban
Red |
2Concord
Blue |
Concord
Blue |
Concord
Blue |
Nocturne
Blue |
Nocturne
Blue |
Nocturne
Blue |
Surf Gray |
Comanche
Red |
Cuban
Red |
Piedmont Gray |
Comanche
Red |
Cuban
Red |
Sahara
Sand |
Sahara
Sand |
Sahara
Sand |
Cuban Red |
Comanche
Red |
Cuban
Red |
Rio
Green |
Sahara
Sand |
Sahara
Sand |
Aqua
Green |
Aqua
Green |
Aqua
Green |
1Bermuda
Green |
---------- |
Sahara
Sand |
1This
color was only available in Canada for 1952. 2This
color may not have been available from Los Angeles. Starlight
Hardtop were not normally painted a single solid color, but
perhaps could have been special ordered that way. |
1952 Exterior
Two-Tone Colors (no metallics) Only available on Starliner Hardtop |
Upper Color |
Lower
Color |
Wheel Cover |
Spartan
Rust |
Sahara
Sand |
Sahara
Sand |
Corning
Olive |
2Sahara
Sand |
Sahara
Sand |
Nocturne
Blue |
2Sahara
Sand |
Sahara
Sand |
Shell
Ivory |
2Maui
Blue |
Nocturne
Blue |
Nocturne
Blue |
Maui
Blue |
Nocturne
Blue |
Venice
Red |
Surf
Gray |
Comanche
Red |
London
Gray |
2Surf
Gray |
Comanche
Red |
Nocturne
Blue |
Surf
Gray |
Comanche
Red |
London
Gray |
Tahoe
Green |
Sahara
Sand |
Walnut
Brown |
2Rio
Green |
Sahara
Sand |
Shadow
Green |
Rio
Green |
Sahara
Sand |
Wheel did not have
stripes in 1952. Those cars shipped with full wheel covers
normally came with black wheels. It is possible that the black
wheel/full wheelcover combination was limited to cars with
white wall tires. 2These
color may not have been available from Los Angeles. |
1952 Interior
Fabrics |
Trim |
Fabric |
Regal |
Broadcloth |
State Sedan and
Starlight Coupe |
Nylon Terrace Weave |
State Convertible
and Starliner |
Nylon Cord &
leatherette (2-color styles) |
State Land Cruiser |
Nylon Cord or
Two-tone Broadcloth |
State
Convertible and Starliner could be had with genuine leather and
leatherette at additional cost. Regal has carpet in the rear with
black rubber in the front. All State models have carpet front and
back. Only the Land Cruiser would have the Mattex trunk mat. |
1952
Studebaker Commander Series 3H, 115 in. wheelbase
1Model |
2No.
Doors |
2Passengers |
2CCD
Price |
1TW
Price |
1No.
Produced |
Regal
Starlight Coupe (C3) |
2 |
5 |
$1,806.00 |
$2,115.00 |
5,127 |
Regal
2dr sedan (F3) |
2 |
6 |
$1,799.00 |
$2,086.00 |
5,995 |
Regal
4dr sedan (W3) |
4 |
6 |
$1,811.00 |
$2,121.00 |
22,037 |
State
Starlight coupe (C5) |
2 |
5 |
$1,906.00 |
$2,202.00 |
3,784 |
State
convertible (S2) |
2 |
5 |
$2,117.00 |
$2,548.00 |
1,715 |
State
Starliner hardtop (K2) |
2 |
5 |
? |
$2,448.00 |
14,548 |
State
2dr sedan (F5) |
2 |
6 |
$1,879.00 |
$2,172.00 |
1,529 |
State
4dr sedan (W5) |
4 |
6 |
$1,911.00 |
$2,208.00 |
9,998 |
State
Land Cruiser sedan (Y5) |
4 |
6 |
$2,043.00 |
$2,365.00 |
20,117 |
Total |
84,850 |
Source:1TW August 1994 (prices are late summer 1952) 2Classic Car
Database (CCD)
Serial
Numbers |
Location |
Start |
End |
South
Bend |
8,217,001 |
8,290,000 |
Los
Angeles |
8,816,001 |
8,826,800 |
Canada |
8,954,001 |
8,995,400 |
Engine
Numbers |
Location |
Start |
End |
South
Bend |
V-123,001 |
VC-207,000 |
Canada |
VC-2,036 |
VC-3,500 |
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