The 1941 Commander is noteworthy partly because of its lovely styling, but also because it represents the last of the big Studebakers.
After World War II the automaker would move the Commander and top-of-line President nameplates to its relatively compact Champion platform. In doing so, Studebaker stepped back from competing directly with Hudson and Packard in the premium-priced, full-sized field in order to focus more on low-priced cars.
At least in the short run this would prove to be a good financial move. Up through 1953 Studebaker outsold all other independent automakers, sometimes by significant margins (go here for further discussion).
J. P. Cavanaugh (2019b) has wondered whether that strategy was a “slow motion trap of costs (too) high to compete with inexpensive cars and not enough prestige or size to sell in higher-price segments.”
This is a reasonable point. In theory, an independent automaker that focused on the premium-priced, full-sized class could at least partially make up for its relatively low volume with higher profits.
The wild card here is that competition would become positively brutal in the premium-priced field in the 1950s. None of the independent automakers could afford to keep up with the Big Three’s rapid-fire advancements, such as V8 engines, four-door hardtops and lower-slung bodies.
Then sales collapsed during the Eisenhower recession of the late-50s. Even Chrysler struggled to maintain its standing in this field (go here for further discussion).
Geeber (2019) offered a counterpoint to Cavanaugh that is close to my way of thinking. “The only way for an independent to survive was by taking the Nash route – offer something that buyers couldn’t get at a Big Three dealership, and market it appropriately (i.e., the first Rambler was a small car, but not a cheap car).”
This is why I look at the 1941 Commander with wistful ambivalence. The styling, which was by Raymond Loewy’s design firm, is arguably among the most memorable of the pre-war period. I particularly like the art deco detailing, such as the two-tone sweepspear and the biplane front bumper.
In a terrific overview of the Commander’s higher-price sibling, the President, Cavanaugh (2019a) noted that a four-window sedan body style “was either a sleeker version of a Cadillac Sixty Special or a more formal rendition of the Packard Clipper.” That was very good company to be in.
It’s too bad that Commander’s time in the sun ended so quickly. But it did. If nothing else, Studebaker’s last full-sized car ended on a higher note than its postwar family compact cars.
NOTES:
This story was originally posted on Dec. 1, 2019 as a “Gallery” featured and expanded on April 16, 2021.
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RE:SOURCES
- Cavanaugh, J. P.; 2019. “Curbside Classic: 1941 Studebaker President Skyway Cruising Sedan – The Ex President.” Posted April 23; accessed April 16, 2021.
- ——; 2019. Commentator in “Curbside Classic: 1941 Studebaker President Skyway Cruising Sedan – The Ex President.” Posted 10:04 a.m., April 28; accessed April 16, 2021.
- Geeber; 2019. Commentator in “Curbside Classic: 1941 Studebaker President Skyway Cruising Sedan – The Ex President.” Posted 11:53 a.m., December 30; accessed April 16, 2021.
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