My Family's Cars & Key Industry Pivots: Faux Airplanes
The subtle intersection of my families' cars and pivotal automotive industry movements
My aunt Marguerite in 1953 married a dashing man in a daring Studebaker, Paul Harahan. His job with the Lehigh Railroad provided enough income for him to afford a 1951 Studebaker Commander 4-Door Sedan.
I can see how “Uncle Paul” felt attracted to this as most Americans really liked the design. This standout front and rear end design stoked both the best and the last flurry of Studebaker automobile sales. And it was a key background part of the wedding - here’s the 1950 Studebaker in action at the 1953 wedding:
But where did the odd design come from?
At one level, Raymond Loewy — industrial designer of everything from lipsticks to locomotives — fathered the design concept. Loewy, under contract with Studebaker for the design of their cars since the mid 30’s, employed a stable of designers in his satellite office in South Bend, Indiana. He gave his designers free rein but he first led them to look at airplanes and aviation design as models. In his words “We aimed for the light, fast impression of an airplane. If we could give our cars a feeling of motion and speed…”1
Loewy staffer Bob Bourke came up with the "bullet nose" design for the front ends of the 1950-1951 Studebakers. Bourke had been sketching bullet-nose cars since 1941. He was inspired by the engines on fighter planes. He especially loved the U.S. Army Air Corps’ famously successful P 38 Fighter Aircraft. (The P stands for ‘Pursuit’).
Bourke was taken with the beautiful plane and meant to replicate it.
As Matt Litwin writes in Hemmings, “It's easy to see when looking at the two icons side-by-side. The front fenders, having been pulled forward from the hood, each contain a headlamp--where the P-38 propellers would be located--with smaller parking lamps underneath, mirroring where the air induction is under the engines on the aircraft. The centerpiece of the Studebaker, of course, draws the most attention to the redesign, with its chrome ring and pointed center hub, as well as both horizontal and vertical bars that suggest it's an aircraft propeller.”2
They were popular in the extreme. Over 350,000 of these types of Studebakers sold in the extended 1950 model year - over 5% of U.S. Car Sales that year. It was the zenith for Studebaker which went bankrupt tied to Packard 9 years later.
Studebaker was not the only auto company trying to mimic planes. My Aunt Kathleen’s 1950 Ford Crestliner sported the same forward propeller engine type protrusion, though with subtler treatment.
Morals of the Story
Physical products’ look, feel, lines and overall gestalt can project feeling and emotion; designed well they can spell success (to wit Apple)
Like “Lipstick on a pig” one can add veneer and style but the underlying business foundation and quality must come first. (Studebaker went bankrupt.)
Ultimately fashion FOLLOWS function; if it ain’t functional (e.g. wood veneer) it won’t last. The essentially non functional Bullet nose lasted only two years.
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Notes:
1950 Ford custom deluxe Crestliner | T216 | Indy 2020 | Mecum auctions. (n.d.). Mecum Auctions. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0520-431832/1950-ford-custom-deluxe-crestliner/
1950-1951 Studebaker. (2007, August 15). HowStuffWorks. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950-1951-studebaker.htm
by the auto editors of Consumer Guide
1951 Studebaker champion 4 door Sedan. (n.d.). Hemmings. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.hemmings.com/listing/1951-studebaker-champion-105000#&gid=1&pid=6
1951 Studebaker Land Cruiser 4 Door walk around video. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from 28-Years-Owned 1951 Studebaker Commander land cruiser. (n.d.). The best vintage and classic cars for sale online | Bring a Trailer. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1951-studebaker-commander-land-cruiser-2/
Caccamise, D. (2018, March 1). Clash of the Classics - 1951 Studebaker Champion vs. 1951 Ford Coupe. YouTube. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from
Tom Spence, Jim Naylor and Jeff Morgulis set about to create, produce, and market a unique and specific automotive broadcast that reports on trends and news in the automotive industry.
Jewell, A. (n.d.). 1951 Studebaker champion regal 4-Door Sedan. Flickr. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/autohistorian/4154465157
This was Paul Harahans car Champion Regal 4 door sedan.
Justin mattes-plates-- New Jersey plate colors and codes. (n.d.). Welcome to the Websites of Justin Mattes, KC2GIK. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.justinmattes.com/plates/plateyear.shtml
Litwin, M. (2018, September 23). Bullet-nose styling. Hemmings. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/bullet-nose-styling
modelled after the p38 fighter plane was the bullet nose studebaker
Lockheed P-38 and F-5 lightning. (n.d.). Air-and-Space.com,. https://www.air-and-space.com/Lockheed%20P-38%20Lightning.htm
Lockheed P-38M Lightning N3JB. Photogapher: Richard Lockett
Motavalli, J. (2021, December 28). 1951 Studebaker’s famous nose resembles an airplane propeller. eBay Motors Blog. https://www.ebay.com/motors/blog/1951-studebakers-famous-nose-resembles-an-airplane-propeller/
Bob Bourke designs fighter plane engines for Studebaker bullet nose
"One of the best decisions Studebaker ever made:" Loewy designs focus of Studebaker Museum talk. (2022, September 6). Hemmings. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2017/03/02/one-of-the-best-decisions-studebaker-ever-made-loewy-designs-focus-of-studebaker-museum-talk
The P-38: When lightning strikes. (2019, July 30). Lockheed Martin. https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/history/p-38.html#:~:text=First%20conceived%20in%201937%20by,and%20a%2020%2Dmm%20cannon
story of the p 38 from Lockheed Martin
Studebaker 1951. (n.d.). Classic Car Catalogue. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://classiccarcatalogue.com/STUDEBAKER_1951.html
Vintage 1948 New Jersey license plate. (n.d.). eBay. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.ebay.com/itm/284312445702
Virgil Exner. (2022, December 3). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil_Exner
Virgil M. Exner’s striking Studebaker starlight coupe design. (n.d.). The Old Motor | An Entertaining & Informative Vintage Automobile Internet Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from
Litwin, M. (2018, September 23). Bullet-nose styling. Hemmings. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/bullet-nose-styling
Litwin, M. op cit.