.A fashion shoot is the setting in this sales pitch for the 1961 Studebaker Lark.  

A few months ago here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, we shared the tale of the Studebaker Lark (read it here). Recap: In 1959, the South Bend autormaker joined the hot new compact category by cleverly chopping off the front and rear overhangs of its standard-size sedan platform. This created a smart-sized hybrid with the footprint of a compact but with the interior cabin volume of a full-size car—and just as importantly, for very little investment on Studebaker’s part. This nimble footwork allowed the company, which still carried the name Studebaker-Packard, to remain relevant in the car biz for several more years.

The Lark lineup continued without major changes for 1961, as shown in this 90-second spot with announcer Rex May (of Highway Patrol and Gomer Pyle: USMC television fame). For this year alone, new quad headlamps were standard on the Regal series but optional at extra cost ($24) on the base Deluxe model, curiously enough. One new item for ’61 that enabled Studebaker to stand apart from the Motor City herd was the $185 Skytop, an optional roll-back fabric sunroof of the type more commonly found on European imports. Offered for only three years, the Skytop was supplied by Golde, a German manufacturer. Additional options included clear plastic seat covers (remember those?) and Studebaker’s classic reel-type retractable radio antenna. Video follows.