There were notable changes at Studebaker for the 1964 model year, but they weren’t all for the better. It was the final year of production in the United States.
December 9, 1963 is an important day in Studebaker history, but it’s a sad one. On that day the automaker announced that it was ending production in the United States. Vehicle assembly would continue at Studebaker of Canada’s Hamilton, Ontario plant, but that was little consolation to the more than 7,000 workers at the South Bend, Indiana complex who were losing their jobs. Later they would receive even more bad news when they learned their pensions had been slashed or eliminated. Their plight led the U.S. Congress to pass the 1974 ERISA Act to secure employee pension plans.
Avanti
Back on September 15 when the 1964 Studebakers were introduced, the mood was more upbeat. Freelance designer Brooks Stevens had pulled off another cheap but effective styling makeover for the aging Lark platform, though the Lark name was pushed to the background. Now the names Challenger, Commander, Daytona, and Cruiser were pushed to the front. The new look included a more contemporary front end treatment and a horizontal theme at the rear to suggest greater width.
Commander 2-Door Sedan
As the stripped-down base model, the Challenger was a reprise, sort of, of the 1957 Scotsman, though not quite as penurious. Next came the Commander, available in two-door or four-door post sedans and a station wagon, priced at around $100 more. These two featured twin headlamps, while the upmarket cars boasted four. The sporty Daytona added a two-door pillarless hardtop and a convertible—the last convertible Studebaker would ever produce (703 built). At the top of the line was the Cruiser four-door sedan, with Studebaker’s fanciest interior, a standard 289 CID V8, listing at $2,603—around the price of a Chevrolet Bel Air.
The Gran Turismo Hawk, another Brooks Stevens production, was freshened up with a new grille, deck lid, and an optional vinyl half-roof. Due to the short production year, only 1,767 GT Hawks were built. The daring Avanti introduced in 1963 continued on with few changes, though early in the ’64 production run, the distinctive round headlamp bezels were changed to square. Again, due to the short model year, only 809 Avantis were produced.
Cruiser sedan
Automotive history is more often about firsts, but the Studebaker story for ’64 is one of lasts. Last hardtop, last convertible, last Gran Turismo Hawk, and the last Avanti (produced by Studebaker, anyway). It was also the last year for Studebaker trucks. Only 2,509 Champ pickups were produced before the shutdown, and the ’64 big trucks were leftover ’63s, reportedly. As production was consolidated at the Ontario plant, the model line was pared to a bare minimum and the annual production target was reduced to 20,000 cars. While Studebaker would continue in Canada into the 1966 model year, it was more of a postscript to a story that ended on December 9, 1963.
Daytona Wagonaire
Didnt have to end this way – greedy shareholders and the arrogance of Byers Burlingame caused the end of Studebaker.
Well, now hold on there. I could probably be persuaded to agree with you on the greedy shareholders, but Byers Burlingame was thrust into a situation not of his own making. Had Sherwood Egbert not had to depart due to his cancer in November ’63, it’d have been him everyone hates instead of poor old Byers.
There was plenty of arrogance to go around at Studebaker, from the boardroom to the executive offices to the leadership of Local #5 UAW.
I think Burlingame’s biggest failure in the end of auto production was in allowing the Canadian delegation to believe for nearly 2 years that they had a future in the auto business.
When the truth was finally revealed after Gordon Grundy asked for (and was refused) $300,000 in tooling funds for ’67, he and his team were forced to look for an outside “savior,” and damn near found one in importing Japanese cars until Randolph Guthrie’s law partner – one Richard Nixon, who had ties to Toyota – managed to interfere and piss off both Toyota AND Nissan.
It wasn’t just the shareholders who benefited from Studebaker exiting auto production when they did. Many families in communities where Studebaker had subsidiaries throughout the U.S. (Gravely, Clarke, Onan, Franklin, etc.) owed the roofs over their heads and the food on their tables to Studebaker, and all told, probably more so than in South Bend.
By the way, South Bend has recovered in the 62 years since South Bend’s closure, and quite nicely. It has its issues like any modern Midwestern city, but on the whole, it’s survived in much the fashion Studebaker did after parting ways with the auto business – through diversifying.
The board of Studebaker Corporation decided to stop throwing good money after bad.
It’s been published elsewhere that the bankers wouldn’t loan another cent for auto operations unless Studebaker agreed to put up their acquired divisions (Clarke, Gravely, etc.) as collateral. The board refused (wisely!) to do this.
R.I.P. Can’t help noticing 1964 was a big year for “lasts.” Arnold Palmer won his last major golf tournament, a front-engine car won the Indy 500 for the last time, the Browns won their last NFL championship…
Very astute, I’d forgotten half of those facts.
I see some resemblance to the early FinTail Mercedes in the rear and beltline of the Daytona. It’s interesting that some MB’s dealerships were affiliated with Studebaker
Studebaker was M-B’s distributor in the U.S. and Canada from 1957 to 1965.
Studebaker really started down in the mid 50’s under Hoffman and Vance. They did a fantastic job when they took over, but were in charge too long. Wouldn’t correct long term issues that hurt the company for years. They got lucky to survive after 1958.
Pic of Daytona 2-door and 4-door sadans is from MY 1965 Canadian production and shows two-door Daytona Sport Sedan and a 4-door Cruiser.
So it does. Obvious, too. Thanks for the catch.
I previously owned, and restored, a ‘64 Daytona hardtop with the 259 and 4 speed. It was a great car both in driving, size, and looks! Too bad things weren’t different financially, they could’ve sold so many more of them!
I can’t help but to wonder what a difference a year could have made. Example; had the ’53 Starlight coupe been introduced as a (very) limited production 100th Anniversary special in mid-year 1952. Or had the brilliant Lard come out in ’58 instead of ’59.
I’m a direct descendant of the Studebaker family and all this info is very interesting thank you.