1937 Studebaker President 8 Sedan (RHD)

Description

The Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company of South Bend, Indiana has a history of building automobiles dating back to the early 1900s, with the first electric-powered car leaving their workshop in 1902. Based, as so many cars of the Pioneering Age were, on a horse-drawn wagon, the company had initially built its reputation in the latter part of the 19th Century as a builder of wagons and buggies, making a fortune suppling the North during the Civil War. By 1904 the Thomas Edison-designed battery-powered Studebakers had been supplemented by a petrol-powered model, with rapid advances in technology over the next decade. By 1913 the Studebaker was available in both four and six-cylinder models, both with monoblock engine casting. Four wheel braking was adopted as a standard feature in 1926 and Studebakers were one of the most advanced and stylish cars sold in America during the Roaring Twenties. Following the Great Depression the model range was rationalised but by 1937, when the car on offer was built, sales were steadily improving and two principal models were available, the Dictator six-cylinder and the President straight-eight. Studebaker had reserved the President name for their top model for some years but the 1937 model shared its flamboyant Art-Deco styling with the cheaper Dictator, albeit on a stretched 125-inch wheelbase. The one-piece bonnet featured a slanted grille and flowing front and rear mudguards in keeping with styling trends of the day, the President benefiting from the more powerful 218-cid eight, rated at a solid 90 horsepower at 3400 rpm. Other notable features included Delco-Remy ignition, two sun visors and the optional ?State? equipment package at an additional cost of $30. All 1937 Studebakers boasted a new automatic overdrive system and a built-in defroster, along with a hypoid back axle (lowering the floor and increasing rear passenger space) and direct-action front shock absorbers on the President. No less than six different body styles were catalogued, including a Coupe, Sedan and Convertible. Studebaker finished the year ranked 11th overall in the sales race, with total production of both models reaching 82,627.