1931 Commander 70
We do not have access to any TW articles for the 1931 Commander 70 series and Fox and Cannon did not elaborate much in “Studebaker the Complete Story”, so this is what little information we could scare up.
While the 1931 Commander was almost a entirely new design, the line-up was also greatly simplified. The six cylinder models were history, only an eight being offered. The open cars, convertible, roadster, and touring were gone. Only the Brougham, Coupe, Victoria, Sedan, and Regal Sedan were being offered. Most of of it’s four inch added length came in front of the cowl, making the hood extremely long and very impressive. A new V-shaped prominent grille and large oval headlights graced the front of the car. The single bar bumper, with it’s V-dip in the center, and fender mounted parking lights were distinctive features. The polo cap visor reappeared after being absent on some 29/30 models.
Tells for 1931 Commanders:
- V-shaped radiator shell
- Large oval headlights
- Parking lights on top of the front fenders
- New single bar bumper with center “V” dip
Mechanicals:
A new design silent transmission with helical gears and free-wheeling; larger improved two-shoe Duo-Servo Bendix brakes; new valve spring dampeners; new carburetor air intake filter and silencer; new dual-throat carburetor; new dual intake manifold; and improved torsional vibration dampener were all improved features for 1931. The manifold, carburetor, and compression increase to 5.2 to 1, increased valve overlap, resulted in the flat-head eight’s HP increase to 101. The wheelbase is stretched to 124 inches and a kick shackle is added to reduce shimmy and wheel fight. Tires are 6.00 x 19 and a finer mesh ring and pinion created a quieter rear axle.
| When data was available from Turning Wheels (TW) or Studebaker the Complete Story (STCS) it is used. Else, The Classic Car Database (TCCD) & The Standard Catalog of American Cars (SCAC) is used. →Information found between the arrows is from Turning Wheel feature articles written by Fred Fox← What we can be fairly sure of is that the same body styles, depending on the source, were sometimes listed in different terms. SB= South Bend, LA= Los Angles, and CAN= Canada |
| 1931 Model 70 Commander | |||
| Model | Doors | Passenger | Price |
| Regular Coupe (Q1) | 2 | 2 | $1,585.00 |
| Regular Coupe w/rumble seat (Q3) | 2 | 4 | $1,585.00 |
| Regal Brougham (B2, B4) | 4 | 5 | $1,685.00 |
| Regal Sedan (W2, W4) | 4 | 5 | $1,685.00 |
| Sedan (W1, W3) | 4 | 5 | $1,585.00 |
| Victoria (C1, C2) | 2 | 4 | $1,585.00 |
| Production began in July of 1930 and continue to September of 1931 (SCAC). According to STCS, the starting SB serial number was 8,025,001 and ended at 8,036,000 (11,000). CAN serial numbers started at 8,950,500 and ended at 8,950,700 (200). TCCD and SCAC both put production at 10,823 units, slightly under the total number of serial numbers assigned (11,200). Engine Numbers started at C-101 and ended at C12,000 (11,900). Some of these engines went into commercial vehicles and bare chassis. Both SCAC & TCCD agreed on the model line-up and pricing. | |||