Studebaker Commander History
History
The Commander name first appeared in 1927 and, with interruptions, served as a Studebaker model for nearly four decades. It began as the company's mainstream car, then settled into the mid-range slot above the economy Champion and below the luxury President once those bracketing names existed.
Its high point came for 1953, when Robert Bourke of the Raymond Loewy studio shaped a low, rakish, European-flavored coupe on the longer 120-inch chassis — the hardtop badged Starliner and the pillared version Starlight. Widely praised as one of the most beautiful American cars of the era, the 1953 'Loewy coupe' later formed the basis of the Hawk series.
In the 1960s the Commander name was applied to Lark-based models. It remained in the catalog to the very end: the final Studebaker built, in March 1966 at Hamilton, Ontario, was a Commander/Cruiser-line four-door sedan.
Body styles
- Coupe
- Hardtop
- Sedan
- Convertible
- Station wagon
Notable special editions & performance variants
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Starliner / Starlight (1953 Loewy coupe)
The low, European-styled Bourke/Loewy coupe — hardtop 'Starliner' and pillared 'Starlight' — on the long 120-in chassis; offered in Commander and Champion ranges and the styling basis for the later Hawk.
Related models