The traditional flagship of the Studebaker line, the President made its final appearance in 1958 as the carmaker set off on a new course.

When the President was introduced in mid-1926, the goal of Studebaker president Albert R. Erskine was to produce the company’s finest car. Originally powered by a big 354 cubic-inch inline six, soon upgraded to a straight eight, Presidents were priced to compete against Buick, Chrysler, and the junior Packards. In this basic form the President was offered until 1942, when civilian car production ended (see our feature here). The name was then revived in 1955 for a new top-of-the-line model based on Studebaker’s longest chassis, featuring a wheelbase of 120.5 inches.

All Studebakers received new exterior styling for 1956, and for 1958 the President and Commander) got a makeover as well, with tacked-on tailfins and awkward sheet-metal pods in the front fenders to accomodate quad headlamps, the hot styling trend of ’58. Styling chief Duncan McRae was doing the best he could to keep up, given the company’s meager resources.

There was one major styling change for ’58 that, in hindsight, seems extravagant: an all-new roof and greenhouse for the Starlight two-door hardtop. (The roofline bore a striking resemblance to Chrysler’s ’57 hardops, but McRae denied any connection.) Shared with the Studebaker Commander and corporate sibling Packard, the sleek new top half on the President hardtop looked great, but it must have cost the company a bundle. And It proved to be a dead-end investment, for as things turned out, it was produced for only a single year.

The President was not a big seller for Studebaker in ’58. In fact, it barely sold at all, as Studebaker’s total volume that year plunged to below the 45,000 mark, the lowest since 1932. The South Bend, Indiana automaker was charting an entirely new course for 1959, cleverly repackaging its aging product line as the compact Lark. While the Lark would save the company for a few more years, there was no longer any room for a President.