A glimpse into a prettier past
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
Driving on Sunset Avenue the other day, I spotted a new Toyota Camry coming in the opposite direction, and the first thought to cross my mind was, “Its front end looks like one of those old bullet-nose Studebakers.” In my mind, that was no insult.
Those Studebakers manufactured in the early 1950s, until 1954, were beautiful. The Commander of 1953, and the Hawk were some of the nicest-looking cars ever to have been on the road. The 1953 Studebaker Starliner was considered so stunning that it was featured on a stamp.
There was a reason those cars looked so great. They were designed by Raymond Loewy, often referred to as the father of industrial design.
Compared to how today’s cars look — generally squat and all the same — Loewy’s Studebakers were graceful works of art.
You still see some of them around. I know of at least one in town, that its owner parks at the curb in front of a house near where I live, and I never tire of looking it over when I walk or drive past. Of course, it needs a little work, as do most things from that era, including yours truly.
I have a print on my study wall of a magazine ad for a 1950 Studebaker that makes me want to buy one even now.
The problem with the Studebakers was that while they were beautiful, they weren’t quite the cars that America wanted. They were efficient at a time that Americans didn’t care much about efficiency. And they tended to be underpowered.
Studebaker was swallowed up by Packard in 1954, and that company went for a boxier look. Both Packards and Studebakers disappeared.
Thanks, Camry, for bringing back a little glimpse of a prettier past.
