Studebaker Firsts
Many say that Studebaker was ahead of its time. There is truth to it, and the motto "give them more than you promised" always seem to fit well with the Studebaker philosophy and products. Here are some of the innovations the company can claim, setting the pace for the automotive industry:
- First to cast six-cylinder engines in block; first to produce a car with crown fenders.
- First to produce a six-cylinder car to sell for less than $2,000 ...to produce a seven-passenger four cylinder, 40 horsepower touring car to sell for less than $1,000.
- First extensive use of pressed steel throughout; to cast the intake manifold in the detachable head; to use (and invent) the internal hot spot...to use 20° inclined silent operating valves, and use the mechanical fuel pump.
- First to develop and patent molybdenum steel and to produce a car in which it was used. First to use a hydrostatic gas gage; ball bearing spring shackles; carburetor silencer and rubber covered steel core steering wheels. First full power (straight-through) muffler.
- First to use thin steel-backed main bearings, adopted from aircraft design.
- First to use free wheeling--the greatest step forward in automotive history since the adoption of self starters.
- First to use the automatic spark control, and helical gears in transmission (high and second).
- First to use "heat-dam" pistons; celeron spoke-type camshaft gear; planar wheel suspension and valve spring vibration dampers.
- First to produce a six-passenger sedan.
- First to use the automatic hill holder. First to use non-scratch piston rings. First to use Hancock rotary door latches, and the variable ratio steering gear.
- First to use Climatizer--combination heater and ventilator under the front seat.
- First to introduce postwar automotive styling, the "fenderless"slab side design.
- First to use self-adjusting brakes.
- First to use "back-lighting" for its instrument panel.
- First to use nylon upholstery.
- First American production automobile with disk brakes.
Studebaker engineers also tested, improved and were among the first to adopt:
- Built-in windshield defroster.
- Streamlining. Metal spring covers.
- Electro-plated differential gears
- Non-spill battery.
- "Stepped" cylinders for hydraulic brakes. Safety glass as standard equipment; radiator grills as part of the front-end design.
- Cast one-piece cylinder block and crankcase.
There are many theories on why Studebaker finally failed. Perhaps it was because of a reluctant public to accept such "innovations". If there is truth in that, then Studebakers were in essence testing platforms for the other manufacturers of automobiles.
Will
