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The Studebaker Commander is the model-name of a long succession of automobiles produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (United States) and Studebaker of Canada Ltd of Walkerville and, later, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada).

Studebaker began using the Commander name in 1927 and continued to use it until 1964, with the exception of 1936 and 1959-63 The model-name was applied to various positions in the company's product line-up from year to year

History

1920s

Until the appearance of the 8-cylinder President in January 1928, all Studebaker cars of the 1920s were sixes. There were three basic models — the Light, the Special and the Big Six, developing 40 bhp (30 kW; 41 PS), 50 bhp (37 kW; 51 PS), and 60 bhp (45 kW; 61 PS) respectively at 2000 rpm. The first Commander, in 1927, was a continuation of the mid-range Special Six, with a 226 cu in (3.7 L) engine. Their inbuilt durability and toughness gained them great renown under worldwide conditions. The 1928 GB Commander was a descendant of the Big Six, being powered with the proven 354 cu in (5.8 L) engine, modified to deliver 75 bhp (56 kW; 76 PS) at 2400 rpm. In October 1928, three Commander sixes lined up at the Atlantic City speedway to challenge the 15,000 mi (24,000 km) speed record (64.25 mph (103.40 km/h)) held by the much higher-priced Auburn straight-eight Speedster.

They not only accomplished that but then went on to establish new records up to 25,000 miles (40,000 km). The two sports roadsters averaged better than 65 mph (105 km/h) and the sedan, which had flipped on the icy boards during one of the night runs and had been hurriedly repaired, averaged almost 62 mph.

After this, the three cars were closely scrutinised, part by part, and it was established that they were strictly stock automobiles, identical in every respect to those available at any Studebaker showroom.

In Australia, a crew of three drivers led by Norman "Wizard" Smith tackled overland records using a Commander roadster. On a 3,000-mile run from Fremantle to Sydney, they smashed the previous record by 12 hours 23 minutes despite traversing 450 miles through blinding rain, and having to ford a river when a bridge had been washed away. The team rested for a little over three hours before attempting another record on the 600-mile track to Brisbane.

These sixes were the last descendants of rugged cars designed for poor roads in the early 20th century—loaded with torque and strong in construction. They were less well suited to the higher cruising speeds made possible by better roads in later years.

In 1929, Studebaker added an 8-cylinder Commander to the range.

1950s

The 1950 Champion differed from the Commander, which had a distinctive bumper, carried over from 1949, longer front fenders and large headlight bezels, as well as a distinctive jet-style hood ornament.

In a 1953 road test done by Popular Mechanics, the Commander got a 0-60 mph of 17.9 seconds and was rated as getting 26.1 mpg at 30 mph.

In 1955, Studebaker reintroduced the President name for its premium models and 'Commander' was applied to the mid-range products. The Commander line was extended with the introduction of a lower-priced Custom sub-series, being basically a Champion with a V8 engine. Studebaker placed the name on hiatus at the end of the 1958 model year.

Following World War II, Studebaker moved fast to capture a share of the post-war automotive market. The 1946-47 models brought forth a new dynamic styling to the automobile world but by the time the 1949 Studebaker had rolled out, many thought Studebaker needed another new model to impress enthusiastic auto fans.

1950 Studebaker Commander Starlight
The 1950 and 1951 Studebaker models looked futuristic with the addition of the new chrome bullet nose, sometimes referred to as the"spinner". Actually, the 1951 models had a slightly revised design for its center bullet nose. It is thought the Tucker car and perhaps the 1949 Ford inspired the bullet nose. The three-point jet look was controversial as many believed it would result in Chevrolet and Ford playing catch up in the world of car design but neither of those brands actually followed the Studebaker lead.

1950 Studebaker Commander
In both 1950 and 1951 Studebaker recorded high sales of its cars and trucks but, in fact, its profit dropped by 50%. The company made a hugh error by continuing to issue substantive increases to the share holders rather than hold back money for future research and development. This had happened before in Studebaker's history to the point it was a typical trait for that firm and could be considered one of the factors that brought the company down.

1950 Studebaker Commander
The 1950 Studebakers came in three models: the 113 inch wheel base Champion, the 120 inch Commander, and the stretched 124 inch Land Cruiser. In the following year, the Champion and the Commander both used a standard 115 inch base and the Land Cruiser, only available as a four door, was cut back to 119 inches.

1950 Studebaker Champion Convertible
Studebaker had labor problems around this period. The UAW local decided to strike over the layoff of 43 workers. Also, Harold Vance had finally discovered, after investigating, that the Studebaker employees had a better deal already when compared to workers in other auto building plants. The UAW held the strength card and Vance agreed reluctantly to UAW demands after a short two-day strike.

1950 Studebaker Champion Custom 2 Door Sedan
Midway through its 1950 car season, Studebaker introduced a new automatic transmission. This new transmission was considered superior to many other transmissions of this time. It was air-cooled and included a feature known as the "hill-holder" which prevented the car from rolling down hill on inclines. The wrap around rear window in some models drew jokes as to which direction the car was going but, from inside, it provided a wide rear panoramic view.

1950 Studebaker Commander Coupe
The grill was adjusted to fit sort of flush with the adjacent front metal. The selling price of a Studebaker started around $1561 and could go up to $2381. The Land Cruiser and the Commander shared the same 115 inch wheel base in 1951.

1951 Studebaker Champion
Studebaker introduced a new V8 engine for its 1951 models. This was in advance of other independent auto builders such as Packard and Nash. The Studebaker V8 was a well-designed engine capable of 120 HP. Car builders were going through a period where the US was involved in the Korean War and the government was sort of rationing materials and issuing price controls.