To car-hungry American motorists, the radically styled 1947 Studebaker must have looked like the future on four wheels.

Introduced on April 30, 1946 at the posh Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in New York, the 1947 Studebaker was indeed the first new postwar car from a major U.S. automaker. So yes, the company’s tagline, “First by far with a postwar car,” was entirely appropriate. The rest of the nation’s automakers, busily churning out mildly facelifted versions of their 1942 models into a seller’s market, wouldn’t have their new offerings ready until the model 1948 and 1949 model years. (One arguable exception, the Willys station wagon, more truck than car, was rolled out in June of ’46.) Studebaker beat them all to the punch.

Personally, we’ve always been partial to Studebaker’s other slogan for 1947: “A brand new car for a bright new world.” For us, that line neatly captures the national mood for Americans in the immediate post-war era, bone-weary from a long depression and a brutal world war, and now finally looking forward to better days ahead. For car buyers eager for something new, the Studebaker was aimed straight at the bullseye.

Easily the most recognizable of the new Studebakers was the Five-Passenger Coupe, above, which was offered in both the Champion (112-inch wheelbase) and Commander (119-in wb) product lines. With its distinctive wraparound rear window, the coupe looked like nothing else on the road. And the rest of the exterior was fresh and modern as well, with integrated fenders and a fully horizontal grille opening. The major body stampings were produced by the Budd Co. of Philadelphia.

As for who designed the new look, we might simply say, “It’s complicated.” The project could be termed a joint effort of famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy and a young Studebaker lead stylist named Virgil Exner, but we won’t call it a collaboration as the two were at war, with the struggle apparently instigated by engineering chief Roy Cole in an attempt to move Loewy aside. Backing up Loewy and Exner was an all-star team of design talent that included Gordon Buehrig, John Reinhart, Bob Koto, Audrey Moore Hodges, Bob Bourke, and Vince Gardner. All had distinguished careers throughout the auto industry.

Above, here’s a better look at the bold greenhouse with its four radically curved glass panels. Pundits of the day tagged the new Stude the “coming and going car,” as allegedly, you couldn’t tell if it was coming or going down the street. In 1949 Studebaker named this body style the Starlight Coupe, and enthusiasts have since backdated the term so that ’47 and ’48 coupes also get the Starlight label.

While the Coupe was distinctive, the Four-Door Sedans (above) were the biggest sellers. Also available in both the Champion and Commander lines, the sedan boasted front-opening rear doors (“suicide doors”) as its signature feature. The very top of the line for ’47 was the Land Cruiser, similar in appearance to the Commander Sedan but riding on a longer 123-inch wheelbase, as shown in the lead photo at the top of this page—note the rear quarter windows unique to the Land Cruiser.

All Studebakers for 1947 were powered by reliable but undistinguished L-head sixes of prewar origin. The senior Commander and Land Cruiser featured a 226.2 CID six rated at 94 hp, while the Champion sported a petite 169.6 CID engine with 80 hp. One trademark Studebaker feature in those days was a driver convenience called Hill Holder. Standard on the Commander, this device locked the brakes when the car was stopped on an incline, avoiding an awkward roll back down the hill when the clutch was engaged.

Studebaker interiors for ’47 were refined but restrained, as shown in the Land Cruiser mockup above (center door post omitted). The South Bend design team pushed back against the company’s conservative traditions on cabin appointments. but to little effect as management was convinced that Studebaker buyers were equally conservative. This policy was ultimately thrown out the window for the flamboyant 1955 President Speedster (read our feature here).

One interesting throwback in the ’47 Studebaker catalog was the Three-Passenger Coupe, with greenhouse proportions much like a prewar business coupe (below). While the trunk was large, there was no rear seat and the passengers rode three-across on the front bench. There was also a Two-Door Sedan, which offered a rear seat and a conventional greenhouse, and convertibles were available in both the Champion and Commander lines. While the company never offered a station wagon, a single prototype was produced and it still exists today. Buried for decades in an auto graveyard at the former Studebaker Proving Grounds, it was dug back up, completely restored, and reintroduced to the public in 2012.