If ever a car was suitably named , it was the 1939 Studebaker Champion , the first . The Depression had taken its price , and the very survival of America ’s oldest automaker depended on this Modern budget - terms entryway for 1939 .
After the big Studebaker Presidents lose the battle with Buick for a profitable art object of the prestigiousness market , the Champion represented a speculative counter to the rough - and - tumble depleted - price field . But Studebaker had done its prep this time .
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note industrial graphic designer Raymond Loewy was hired to do the styling , and his prescient fight outcry was " Weight is the enemy . " The result was a deftly designed , high - mileage car that gave Ford , Chevrolet , and Plymouth a existent run for the buck .
A Modern 164.3 - Criminal Investigation Command six - cylinder engine was design expressly for the lightweight Champion and made for sprightly functioning and sparkling economy . It was n’t long before owners were bragging of 25 - mpg saving and 80 - miles per hour top speed . In various word form , this durable L - promontory would be a staple at Studebaker through role model twelvemonth 1960 .
Sparked by early reports of its miserly way , the Champion clear 30,000 gross sales in its introductory year . G of over - the - road sales representative accept a real liking to this economical traveller , and Studebaker enjoyed its best year since 1928 .
The 1939 Studebaker Champion featured is a business concern coupe with a rather strange assortment of options . In plus to those all-encompassing whites , it ’s fit out with rack trim rings , an authentic Philco radio set , front bumper guards , and an outside rearview mirror .
Most buyers probably did n’t equip their superstar quite so in an elaborate way , but the extra trim does add a touch of glamor to this example of 1939 ’s success car . And handsome it is .
It ’s no surprise Studebaker ’s raw value leader did so well in the recovering 1939 car market . Fords watched the Studebakers go by in mileage derbies , and in contests of upper , Chevys were the breakfast of Champions .
