End Of The Line: 1966 Studebaker Wagonaire
The end! Yes, an odd way to start a post. What this means, of course, is the end of Studebaker. They shut down their South Bend, Indiana plant in December of ’63 and kept their Hamilton, Ontario operation running until 1966 when it too was shuttered and Studebaker became another automotive fallen flag marque. Today’s find, courtesy of Larry D, is a 1966 Studebaker Wagonaire station wagon – how close to that fateful March day it was built, I can’t say. But it was an abbreviated production year and this example is one of only 940 assembled according to the seller – how sad. Anyway, here’s your chance to keep more than just a memory alive! This Studie is located in Bellingham, Washington and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $860 with the reserve not yet met.
I have never owned a Studebaker but have had a brush or two with them. My best friend, growing up, moved to the U.S. from the Netherlands and his parents bought a used ’51 four-door Champion. I went everywhere with his family and marveled at the reverse-opening rear doors and the way his mother could slam through the three-on-the-tree manual transmission. They had a coal-fired furnace in their 19th-century house, and my friend’s father, a trained engineer and former member of the Dutch Resistance, used furnace cement, regularly, to patch that evil-looking heater. He also used it to patch the rusted-out fenders on the Studebaker and then painted over the repairs with Rustoleum. Even as a kid, I knew that wasn’t right but it was passable. My next brush was with friends from Puerto Rico whose mother purchased a used ’64 Wagonaire, much like our subject car, but it had a cool retractable, sliding roof. Mrs. R would bomb around in that wagon with us kids, probably teenagers at this point, standing up through the retracted roof like we were chariot drivers. I remember one night when we got stopped, twice, by the same cop and told to knock it off – safety reasons. Finally, I recall my father showing me an article from our local newspaper, announcing in March of ’66, that Studebaker would be no more.
As previously referenced, this Wagonaire doesn’t have the retractable top and the whole shebang is pretty rough looking. It may have been finished in Mount Royal Red at one time but there’s nary a trace of it anymore. The seller adds, “There are various rust areas such as drivers side floor, lower outside doors, and back fenders, surface rust in other areas, but is a good restoration candidate“. He further mentions that it has been sitting since 2002 so that adds to the challenge of breathing new life into this old wagon. It’s not specifically stated, but the floors are looking a bit shaky too. The underside shows scale but no rust-through that can be observed from the included images.
The interior is just plain rough. I know from experience that duct tape makes for lousy upholstery patches. Yellow floors? What’s up with that? The dash pad is curving northward, the steering wheel is missing some chunks and the instrument panel, while intact, could probably stand a thorough cleaning/brightening. The missing headliner reveals a surprising amount of underside roof surface rust and the interior panels are either missing or in need of repair/replacement. The whole environment needs a complete redo.
Under the hood is a 195-gross HP, Chevrolet 283 CI V8 that is attached to a Flight-O-Matic automatic transmission. The motor hasn’t run in twenty years so it may well be stuck. But if you’re going to have a stuck engine, this is a good one as you can get a 283 unstuck pretty easily – they’re almost indestructible (almost).
This is a neat find, a marker for the end of an era and it should be acquired and restored. It should be, but will it? It needs a lot of work and one certainly wouldn’t take it on for the sake of a potential financial gain. It comes with extra parts, and that’s helpful, but this Wagonaire has a long way to go before it will once again be useful in any real manner. What do you think, will a restoration, even a partial one, or just a refurbishment, be worth the effort?
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Comments
Not the last one, but close- found this post: “C534654 – This was the last Studebaker produced and is in the care of the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana. It was built on March 17, 1966.”
Always had a kindred connection to Studebaker. ( see Champ post) It stems from coming from a medium sized midwest city, that had its own car company, much like South Bend. Not to sound nasty, but unlike the author, we actually cheered when Studebaker went down, leaving AMC unchallenged. Conversely, the mid 60s were some of AMCs best years, partially because of Studebakers demise. A fate that would come to haunt us, as well.
I think it says a lot about the folks of South Bend, they have a really nice facility dedicated to the car they built. The Studebaker museum is a must see, and what pizzes me off the most, aside from the Wisconsin Auto Museum, in Hartford, that features cars made in Wisconsin,, there is practically no mention or regard to one of Wisconsins biggest industries, Rambler/AMC, and I think that’s terrible, and one reason why I left that stinkin’ state.
Sorry, this is an okay find, not sure this kind of interest is even in Indiana today, I think enough people in the midwest had a connection to Studebaker, so someone will step up, it was Studebakers finest offering in conventional type cars. The Avanti never had a chance. Great find here, hope it gets saved, if for nothing else, the grandchild will say, Gramps, whats’s a Studebaker?” Well, son, if it wasn’t for Studebaker, you( and I) may not be here today,,,
Studebaker disappeared from South Bend almost 59 years ago, so few have memories. And its last ten years, 1953 to 1963, were marked with labor strife, losing money, uncertain futures. As well as the management change – Studebaker selling out to Packard, and Packard as clueless as Studebaker directors were desperate to unload.
It happens. Many Midwestern towns, and others, have vibrant pasts that have been forgotten in three generations. Lima, Ohio, not far away…was, a century ago, the center of American locomotive manufacture. Now it’s just a sonambulent Rust Belt town, trying to survive a Service Economy.
FWIW…Studebaker, in 1966, didn’t go down so much as deliberately wind down. This apparently had been on the Directors’ minds since about 1960, with the unexpected, short-burst, success of the Lark. The money raised, didn’t go into designing new models, but on acquisitions. The South Bend plant’s closing wasn’t random – it happened immediately on expiration of the UAW contract. And the “move” to Hamilton was simply legal protection – prevent Studebaker dealers from suing the corporation for breach of franchise contract.
And they could have, because Studebaker wasn’t going bankrupt. It was simply closing its automotive division.
The curious thing was, with the new operation in Hamilton, with reliable McKinnon (GM Canada) engine in there, and freshened styling…the one-car Studebaker company was suddenly making a profit. Not a large one, but with a 30,000-or-so yearly output, it was remarkable.
I believe what pushed the issue in the end was the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. It was to take effect in two years, and required gradual but massive design changes. Right away, a telescoping steering column and steering lock would be required, as well as shoulder harnesses.
The Daytona/Commander, former Larks, had, under their new crisp sheetmetal, a 1954 body shell. The only practical way to meet safety standards was, a clean-sheet redesign. And there was NO WAY that the tiny engineering staff at Hamilton would be able to meet the new emissions laws.
So…the order went down. Close Hamilton.
People routinely ask me “what’s a Plymouth ? ” when I’m at gas stations , etc with my 1973 Duster . I used to question (to myself) their mental capacity , until I realized just how old my car is and put it into perspective – when my Duster was new, a 1923 car was 50 years old and wouldn’t be a common if at all sight on the roads , and now my car is like that 1923 car to non car people today
I was born, raised, and live in Hamilton, Ontario the Steel City. Its most recent nickname is “The Hammer” (first used by a DJ on our top 40 radio station CKOC – Rockin’ Ray Michaels – if memory serves me). This explains the handle I use on this site.
Sadly nothing remains of the factory. There is no museum. However since Studebaker was in Hamilton for only 19 years that is not too surprising.
https://militarybruce.com/gone-but-not-forgotten-the-hamilton-studebaker-plant/
Hamilton is home. I would not want to live anywhere else. With a metro population of 550,000 or so it is right-sized. Also it falls approximately half-way between Toronto and Buffalo (40 miles or so) so it is ideally situated. (No I am not on the local chamber of commerce, although perhaps I should be?). We have many amenities available for tourists. Unfortunately most outsiders’ view of Hamilton comes from the Skyway Bridge on the Queen Elizabeth Way (the first intercity expressway in North America opened in 1939). The steel mills are quite prominent from there. The view does not show all of the good parts of Hamilton. Trust me, there are many.
Mike, you have me wanting to visit someday!! Thanks for information I did not know.
These are very rare at car shows and garner lots of looks and questions. That roofing material leaked however, so beware of rust in the tracks and lower on.
You’re right about Wagonaire slidetop leaks! I had a 1963 Daytona slide top was the second owner of a Tucson car. It had sat in the sun for 9 years when I bought it. The rubber gaskets had dried out on the top and I carried a rain coat in case of rain. When you hit the breaks the water poured down your kneck.
could someone give me some info on c534654, my late uncle bought a new 66 wagonaire, he always took it to the dealer foe service. everytime he went the owner tried to buy it back but my uncle refused. one evening he got a calll from a man wanting to know if he owned a certain car matching a vin number my uncle checked and he did and asked why he wanted to know, he said it was the last studebaker built. he asked my uncle to put the car up till they reached a deal, after about a month of getting nowhere my uncle told him there was a new chrysler at his local dealer put it in his driveway or don’t bother him no more. he had the chrysler in a few days. the wagon was to be put in a museum in neveda, a semi car hauler came and picked it up loaded with other old cars, the wagon was a darker green with an off white interior and sliding roof, could this be his car? they were going to have a marker with his name on it he lived in niagara falls, n.y. bought the car in lockport, n.y.
MIKE READING,
It’s my understanding that the last Studebaker [c534654] was a medium blue with white vinyl top 4-door Cruiser, and it’s on display in the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, IN.
Perhaps you family’s Studebaker was the last Wagonaire?
Mike, there are pics and info on your uncle’s car in this link from the Studebaker Driver’s Club site. Man, what a beautiful Wagonaire!
https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/42184-next-to-last-studebaker/page2
My ’66 Cruiser V8 is serial no. C532342 and was built in Nov. ’65, so this Wagonaire is a pretty early ’66 model.
If you ever wondered what duct tape was invented for, just look at that front seat! Imagine sitting on that on a hot, hot, summer day after the adhesive has started to dissolve. Or, worse yet, turned to dust giving you some silver threads to sit on!
I remember when this Studie came out, and I almost cried that they stooped to this. I remember the Skyhawks from 1956, and I’ll keep that one in my memory bank…. I had forgotten this one.
You can clearly see the Brooks Stevens cues similar to the Jeep Wagoneer on this one.
On the other hand, you can clearly see a lot of the 1961-64 Chevrolet wagons in the Jeep Wagoneer.
And, for that matter of coincidences…there’s the Lark grille; and the Valiant grille…nearly identical themes.
Was someone cribbing? Were there shared cocktail parties where everyone swapped notes? Or was it just that designers, in Stevens’ office, South Bend, Toledo and Highland Park, all just on the same wavelengths?
JustPassinThru, you’re right. I never thought about that with the Chevy wagons, especially the 64s. The back was really flat and they got away from the 4 and 6 taillight scheme that year. As a child, I remember a seeing a few of them with a one piece mud guard across the bottom. I don’t know how effective it was, but it certainly was ugly.
great design, bent8 isa big restoration plus…
Rebuilding a 65 right now, with the sliding roof, which makes it worth it. Not a solid financial rebuild, but so few people, especially on the west coast, have ever seen a Studebaker Wagon, every stops to look.
God bless you sir. A most worthy project!
I’ve always thought this last lark front end was the best looking, and certainly keeping with the 60s looks of the Big 3s offerings on the coupe and sedans , but the wagons looked like something built in Czechoslovakia during the cold war era . This may have worked in the earlier 60s and understandably they knew things were winding down, but compared to the compact wagon stylings available in 66, these look downright archaic .
Seriously? I thought Valiant and Dart wagons of the same period looked goofy–like the rear 1/3 was pasted on a sedan. Stude maximized interior space for exterior size.
I’m a big believer in “volume normalizes bad styling”, meaning the Big Three gets away with a lot of shaky styling because they crank so many out, we get used to it.
Here’s a ’66 Dart wagon from the rear. I’d take the Wagonaire.
https://www.guyswithrides.com/2020/05/13/1966-dodge-dart-station-wagon-2/
Hmmm, I think I like the Dodge. I don’t remember anyone talking about great reliability for Studebakers, but sure do remember people always talking about the indestructible slant sixes and 318’s.
That Stude came from the factory with a 283 and Power pack heads. I don’t think reliability is an issue. For further reading, Google “Studebaker V8–America’s Best V8” from a HCC article a few years back.
Did not know that. Learned something today- thanks!