Bob Bourke’s styling of the 1953 Studebaker Starlight for Raymond Loewy Associates is considered by many, including myself, to be one of the automotive world’s finest production automobile designs. It was not, however, the only postwar attention-grabber for the South Bend manufacturer. That distinction began with the 1947 models and was repeated with the 1950 car line, which reinvented that unique 40′s body by adding an aero nose and nacelle-like front fenders. Though often referred to as “bullet-nose” the new designs were inspired by aircraft, right down to the symbolic propellor spinner; viewed from above, the hood and thrusting fenders resembled the outline of a twin-engined plane. Everything else was almost identical to its predecessors so obviously the car was a “facelift,” though one so dramatic that a Studebaker could easily be spotted from a block away. The 1950 Studebakers featured an all-new front suspension and water-cooled automatic transmission with a hill-holder. One year later the company got its first V-8 engine. That same year the spinner was smaller and a two-piece grille was added, as on this sparkling 51 coupe spotted at a Swedish concours.

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