Here’s the top of the line in family sedans at Studebaker for 1956, the roomy and completely restyled President.     

For the 1956 model year, the Studebaker product line headed off in two distinct branches, if you will. The stunning Bourke/Loewy coupe of 1953-55 was repackaged as the Studebaker Hawk, which the South Bend automaker marketed as “the family sports car.” (See our feature on the ’56 Hawk lineup here.) Meanwhile, the two and four-door sedans and station wagons got a comprehensive sheet-metal makeover of their own performed by Vince Gardner, a former associate of Loewy who was now on his own as an independent contractor. Gardner, a skilled fabricator as well as a stylist, accomplished the job in record time at bargain rates. According to designer Bob Bourke as told to automotive historian Richard Langworth, Gardner billed the company only $7500 for the entire project.

The family sedans were offered in three models: Champion, Commander, and President, with the very tip-top of the line represented by the President Classic, which shared its 120.5-inch wheelbase with the Golden Hawk coupe. (The rest rolled on the standard 116.5-in. chassis.) Befitting its rank, the President featured a 289 CID V8 and three-speed automatic transmission. Despite the new sheet metal, the carmaker, now part of the Studebaker-Packard combine, took a beating in the showrooms that season. Sales for the ’56 model year sank to fewer than 70,000 units, compared to more than 116,000 in ’55. Still, the company continued to present a brave face to the American car-buying public, as in this 1956 commercial spot where the taglines include “the big new Studebaker” and “crafstmanship with a flair.” Video below.