The Bullet Nose Years 

In 1947, Studebaker introduced a radical new body that they would continue to use until 1952. The 1947, '48 and '49 models had a somewhat flat grill, but that was changed in 1950 and '51, thanks to Bob Bourke's bullet nose design. This website's focus is on the bullet nose models of 1950 & 1951. Some of the Studebakers you will see on this website were built before 1950 but have the '50 or '51 sheet metal added in place of their original front ends. You will also see some other cars that have the Studebaker bullet nose front end added to them.

Three models of Studebaker were available during the bullet nose years; Land Cruiser, Commander and Champion. The Land Cruiser was only sold as a four-door sedan and was basically a stretched version of the Commander four-door with longer rear doors. The Champion was a shorter version of the Commander in 1950 but in 1951 they were built on the same chassis. Wheelbase dimensions are:

The Commander and Champion body styles included the four-door sedan, two door sedan, business coupe, convertible and the Starlight Coupe, which was designed by Raymond Loewy.

In 1950, the Land Cruiser and Commander had a 245 cu. in. flathead six that produced 102 hp. The 1950 Champion had a 169 cu. in. flathead six that produced 85 hp. 1951 saw some changes as Studebaker introduced a V-8 engine in the Land Cruiser and Commander lines. This 232 cu. in. OHV engine produced 120 hp. The Champion used the same 85 hp flathead six engine in 1950 and 1951.

Each model had different trim levels available to the buyer. The bare bones Champion was called the Custom. The next level up in the Champion line was a Deluxe model and the top of the line was called a Regal. The Commander had two trim options. In 1950 the bottom level was called Deluxe and the top level was a Regal Deluxe. They changed the names in 1951 to Regal and State. The Land Cruiser was the top of the line model and had no options for trim level. Some body styles, like the Champion convertible, only had one trim option which was the top of the line Regal. Production numbers for model, body style and trim level were:

This chart shows the various body styles that were available in 1951 along with the Body Symbol for each trim level.

Studebaker produced 343,164 cars in 1950 and 268,564 cars in 1951. That means there was a total of 611,728 Studebakers produced during the bullet nose years and, if you look hard enough, you should be able to find one. When you do, and modify it, don't forget to send us a picture of it so it can spend some time in Bullet Nose Paradise.