Two great institutions of South Band, Indiana, Studebaker and Notre Dame football, combined to produce an automobile, the 1932-33 Rockne.

How the Rockne automobile came to be is one of the great stories of the Motor City car biz. Two veteran Detroit automobile men, Roy Cole and Ralph Vail, operated a consulting firm, Vail-Cole Engineering, that was developing a new low-priced six-cylinder car for Willys-Overland, presumably as a replacement for the Whippet. Two prototypes, a coupe and a two-door coach, were completed and shown to the Toledo automaker, but unfortunately, the company was nearly broke and could not proceed with the project.

Dejected, Vail drove one of the prototypes west to his farm in northwest Indiana for a much-needed break, but on his way he decided to stop at Studebaker headquarters in South Bend to see if there was any interest. While Studebaker was in no better financial shape than Willys-Overland, it was in need of a low-priced model to replace the unsuccessful Erskine, which had been discontinued in 1930. The Studebaker brass liked the car, and not only that, they hired Vail and Cole as well, and both went on to long and prominent executive careers with the automaker.

1932 Rockne 65 Coupe 

The name Rockne, of course, was a tribute to the famed University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, who had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. Before his death, the South Bend hero was reportedly set to retire from football and become a full-time Studebaker executive. To give the new product its own distinct identity, the Rockne Motors Corporation was set up in Detroit, where Studebaker had extensive manufacturing facilities that included an assembly plant on Piquette Avenue.

1933 Rockne 10 Deluxe Coach

For the introduction in late 1931, there were two 1932 Rockne models: The 65, based on the Cole-Vail prototype, and the 75, developed from the existing Studebaker Six. (The standard Rockne was built in Detroit while the senior model was assembled in South Bend.) The 65, with a 110-inch wheelbase and 66 hp, was billed as “the world’s lowest priced six” at $585, while the 75, offering a 114-in wheelbase and 72 hp, was “the world’s largest low-priced six” at $685. A complete selection of body styles was offered, including commercial cars.

While the Rockne was the best-selling Studebaker product in 1932 with nearly 24,000 vehicles produced, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep the automaker afloat, unfortunately. When sales failed to take off as hoped, the model lines were juggled around for 1933 and the 65 became the model 10. As the United States sank further into the worst economic depression in its history, Studebaker went into receivership in March of 1933. Rockne production was moved to South Bend soon after that and then halted for good in July. All told, nearly 38,000 cars were built bearing the Rockne name.

1932 Rockne 65 Deluxe Roadster owned by Gary St. Amour