The 1934-35 Studebaker Land Cruiser borrowed its sloping, aerodynamically inspired tail from the Pierce Silver Arrow.

There’s no mystery at all about the inspiration for the 1934 Studebaker Land Cruiser: It  was none other than the Pierce Silver Arrow. (See our feature here.) From 1928 to 1933, Pierce-Arrow was a division of Studebaker, and the five 1933 Silver Arrows were built in the Studebaker prototype shops in South Bend, Indiana. Designed by Philip O. Wright, the streamlined and stunning Silver Arrow was one of the styling sensations of the thirties.

1935 President Land Cruiser 

The Studebaker/Pierce Arrow alignment was short-lived, however. In receivership and strapped for cash, Studebaker sold Pierce-Arrow to a group of private investors for $1 million in August of 1933. The newly independent Pierce-Arrow produced a toned-down, volume-production version of the Silver Arrow. Meanwhile, Studebaker chief body engineer J.R. Hughes and his crew went to work adapting the Arrow’s streamline theme—the teardrop rear section, at least—to the production Studebaker body and chassis, using a 1934 President sedan as a buck. The unique four-section rear window was a more practical version of the narrow cat’s eye backlite of Wright’s original Silver Arrow.

The Land Cruiser was unveiled to the public in early January of 1934 at the New York Auto Show, and then in May at the Century of Progress International Exposition, more commonly known as the Chicago World’s Fair. There it was a sensation of the show, in no small part for the appearance of a giant upscale model in the exhibit. Constructed mainly of wood and plaster, it was 80 feet long and 28 feet high with tires 12 feet tall. A more reasonably sized 7-inch diecast model was sold or given away as a fair souvenir. It’s speculated that this may be the first example of a promotional model offered by an automaker.

From there, the Land Cruiser didn’t make it into the showrooms until later in the year, due to tooling delays. The original President Eight-based Land Cruiser on the long 123-inch wheelbase was soon joined by short-wheelbase Dictator and Commander versions. But due to the brief production schedule and also the price premium, no doubt, Land Cruiser volume was limited: 407 Dictators, 233 Commanders, and 201 Presidents. For reference, total Studebaker production that year was more than 46,000 vehicles.

1934 President Land Cruiser 

The Land Cruiser was continued for 1935. and while the front-end styling received a makeover, the major changes were underneath. The four-wheel mechanical brakes were exchanged for Wagner-Lockheed hydraulics, and the novel Planar independent front suspension designed by Studebaker chief engineer Delmar G. Roos was introduced. However, total volume at the company fell dramatically in 1935 to around 36,000 units. While the Land Cruiser figures for ’35 were never broken out, it’s estimated that fewer than 1,500 of the fashion-forward models total were produced over the two-year run. Styling at Studebaker would get its next major shakeup in 1938 with the arrival of Raymond Loewy.

1935 President Land Cruiser with actor Mickey Rooney