History of the Studebaker Champion
The 1939 Studebaker Champion was the original "green" car. At a time when America was just coming out of the depression, and war was looming on the horizon, the Champion was designed to reach new heights for performance and economy. With the battle cry of "weight is the enemy" the designers of the Studebaker Champion were able to introduce a vehicle which reached 25 mph and could gain a top speed of 80mph. It's new Studebaker Champion sold for the economical price of $660.
After several years of dismal sales and bad designs, Studebaker decided to start with a clean slate. A special 164.3 cid 6 cylinder engine was designed for the new, lightweight Champion. It's designer, Raymond Loewy wanted to create something exciting and new in order to compete with Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth. The new design was so well received, that initial sales reached over 30,000 vehicles in it's first year.
The Studebaker Champion soon gained a reputation as a great economical travel car. Studebaker added several options to the Champion including a Philco radio. It's new bullet-nose design became a trademark of Studebaker and gave it an advanced, modern look. The new vehicle soon began to outpace the competition. Studebaker was definitely back and enjoying sales they had not seen in over a decade.
The Champion line continued to be a big seller for Studebaker throughout the 1940's and into the 1950's. In 1953, Studebaker introduced a new model called the Studebaker Champion Regal Starlight/Starliner. Of the two designs, the Starliner was said to be a much purer design, but the Starlight was known to be the stronger of the two. They replaced the 6 cylinder engine of the original Champion with a new V-8 design. The price of a brand new 1953 Studebaker Champion was set at $1,955 and weighed approximately 2700 pounds. It was advertised as a new European design which captured the attention of the public. The Champion would be designated by Studebaker as it's "Centennial Car".
The Studebaker Champion line would prove to be one of it's most successful models and be praised as responsible for the resurrection of Studebaker. Unfortunately the late 1950's would see Studebaker begin to lose ground in vehicle sales, and ultimately they would merge with Packard in 1957. But the Studebaker Champion will forever be remembered as one of the great designs immediately following the Great Depression of 1929.
