By late 1960, the Studebaker Lark was built in Australia bringing a price cut from its 1959 $5200 figure, the price of two Holdens, to just over $3350. Barely a year earlier on its 1959 local arrival as an import, it was heavily criticized for being too expensive and under-developed even if its strong relevance to the Australian market was noted.
Local Lark sales then went from strength to strength to become one of the most successful US models from this era. Because the Studebaker parent company faced terminal problems in the US, it was all over by 1967. What happened in between has become part of Australian legend.
What drove the Lark’s success? In so many ways, the Lark was the US equivalent of Australia’s Chrysler Royal as it was a last-ditch attempt to build a new model out of an obsolete 1953 model. The local Royal was festooned with fake fins and extra chrome to hide its old Plymouth origins except Studebaker had already exhausted this strategy to get through to 1957 with its large car range. With no funds to build a bigger new model to match bold, new US rivals for 1958-59, Studebaker hastily cut the ends off its once beautiful 1953 model and shortened its chassis to create one of the toughest, yet smallest US models available. The Lark that resulted was shorter than an Aussie Holden but much wider on a 108.5in/2756mm wheelbase that was 3.5in/89mm longer.
Apart from the exclusive Hawk coupe, also based on the 1953 model, Studebaker gambled its entire future on the relatively tiny Lark. Even though Rambler had just presented its new American compact, there was enough of Studebaker’s previous large car range still visible in the Lark and the way it drove to attract bargain hunters in their thousands. Even by US standards, the gamble paid off with big numbers!
The First Lark Imports
Released late in 1958, the Lark stole a march on a generation of new purpose-built compacts including the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Valiant. Chosen out of two competing internal styling proposals, the final Lark shape was tweaked by Virgil Exner Jnr who later revealed he was inspired by his father’s involvement with the Chrysler Ghia showcars. Its resemblance to the coming Valiant was not coincidental. The Detroit styling community was also well aware of the Corvair’s new look hence the ridgeline around the boot and above the headlights. The roofline and doors reflected Studebaker’s large cars since 1953 and the curved windscreen first appeared in the 1955 big car range.
Modern Motor in July 1959 declared the new Lark had the look of a streamlined bulldozer, a fair assessment as the same styling was used to lift the cabin of Studebaker’s new Champ light truck range. Because Studebaker was also a Mercedes-Benz distributor in the US, the small grilles next to the headlights on the 1959-60 Larks were often linked to a similar feature on Mercedes-Benz models.
Australia was spared from the Lark VI model with its feeble 170cu in/2.8-litre side-valve six hastily upgraded with an overhead valve conversion in 1961. From the start, the Lark VIII was the only model sold here with its 259 cu in/4.2-litre OHV V8. Although its 180bhp/134kW was serious grunt in 1959, it added considerable weight to the nose as it didn’t feature the latest thin-wall casting techniques. Because the chopped Lark chassis had also been re-tooled in heavier section steel and was 30 per cent stiffer than bigger Studebakers, the Lark was a heavy car tipping the scales at a massive 32cwt/1625kg. Substantial ballast weights had to be bolted to the chassis behind the front bumpers to improve the ride. The 1962 Compact Fairlane, a much bigger car than the first Lark, was around 1300kg.
Because Australians were used to the relative efficiency of the Holden’s much lighter unit construction, the 1959 Lark’s lack of rear legroom, short rear seat, high boot sill and poor spare wheel location were heavily criticized. Its finish and lack of equipment were not good enough in the $5000 plus market. This was at a time when the final “star model” Customline was barely $4,000, itself a recycled 1955 model but a much bigger one. Nor did the big discrepancy between the Lark’s Melbourne and Sydney prices inspire confidence so it was not surprising that just 110 cars and 12 station wagons were sold in 1959.
However, compared to the Holden’s meager 70bhp/52kW output, the Studebaker’s powerful V8 generated a 170km/h top speed and blistering acceleration which could be exploited on most Aussie roads with the standard limited slip differential. Add in the extra toughness and style which were both a perfect fit for Australia in 1959, no one was yet prepared to write it off as anything other than a bold new entry. Yet it was noted in the same 1959 Modern Motor report that “when the Yanks bring out their small cars redesigned from tyres to turrets, it’ll be a different story.”
While this was certainly correct for the US, the Lark had such a lead in toughness and grunt locally that it would take Ford at least five years to match with the Falcon and another seven with the Fairlane. As for Holden, its local Chevrolet in 1959 was almost an embarrassment on rough local roads with its excessive overhangs and underdone six cylinder engine. What happened next was as momentous as it was unexpected.
In February 1960, the Australian government announced that it would ease its strict restrictions on dollar imports from October 1, 1960. Melbourne distributors Canada Cycle and Car Company had recently lost its Chrysler franchise to a new and more aggressive Chrysler Australia and was about to lose Renault for the same reason. It still had Peugeot and NSU. Just as the Lark’s trans-Atlantic packaging complemented the Mercedes-Benz range in the US, it also had the right feel to sit alongside Peugeot and NSU in Aussie showrooms.
The Melbourne company immediately despatched one of its top suits to South Bend, Indiana with instructions to come home with a deal to build Studebakers in their Tottenham assembly plant. Tottenham, a western bayside suburb of Melbourne, was the site of a huge rail yard, adjacent to the Newport railway workshops, that had become a hub for skilled assembly workers and suppliers.
The Australian Larks and Cruisers
After completing a small run of 1960 Larks with their minor grille changes, Canada Cycle and Car Company blitzed the local market with a 1961 Lark range that boasted no less than three very different body variations that few Australians are aware of to this day. In the process, several of the rough edges of the 1959-60 imports were addressed although some features were deleted. York Motors in Sydney were the Sydney agents.
A new rear roofline and bold new four headlights gave the new manual transmission version extra presence that defied its unbelievable $3330 entry price. It featured the 1959 108.5in/2756mm wheelbase. The automatic transmission model at $3796 was the stealth model that previewed where Studebaker’s future success would lie. Lark wagons were always built on a 113in/2870mm wheelbase and were now available as a manual and automatic for $3800 and $4100 respectively. Yet there was something very different about the automatic 1961 Lark sedan sold in Australia that demanded a second look.
Most local histories record that the first Lark Cruiser arrived in 1963. That’s not true. Canada Cycle and Motor Company launched the first US Cruiser series as the automatic Lark referring only to its longer 113in/2870mm wagon wheelbase in advertising, but no reference to its US Cruiser badge. Like the first US Cruiser in 1961, the local 1961 Lark automatic revived the earlier wraparound rear glass and longer vent-window rear door style last seen in the long wheelbase President Classic series.
It added some real presence and extra balance over the stumpy manual. Where the manual was packaged as an affordable, faster and more agile cross-country package, the automatic was presented as a more relaxed and exceptionally roomy six seater long distance cruiser, exactly as its US badge suggested. By packaging the Lark automatic with a wheelbase mid-way between a 1970s Ford Fairlane and Holden Statesman, the local assemblers anticipated the size and price range almost to the dollar that would make the local Fairlane so successful.
Along with Rambler, Studebaker was already ahead of the next US trend as defined by the compact Fairlane: US compact buyers were ready to move up half a class into a new medium-sized class once defined by mid-1950s full-sized US cars. For Australians, the 1961 Lark automatic was a welcome return to this popular 1955 US size as defined by the local Ford Customline and Chevrolet models
Despite the 1961 Credit Squeeze, the 176 cars/23 wagon sold in 1960 raced to 590 cars, 111 station wagons and eight Champ light commercials. By the end of 1961, Studebaker could cite a first and third in its class in the Armstrong 500 and six-cylinder economy from its bigger new V8 automatic model in the Mobilgas Economy Run. A figure of 11.6L/100km for a heavy, full-chassis V8 automatic in 1961 was quite a feat and highly relevant for Australian distances.
Bigger local seats, rear carpet, better paint and local suspension perfectly suited to local conditions were all noted at the time although boot access and size were still a concern.
Late in 1961, Canada Cycle and Motor Company identified a market for a Lark police special which later led to Australia becoming the biggest market for Studebaker police cars globally. Officials in South Africa and Israel also drew on their domestic Studebaker production but the police specials in Australia were unique and not related to the Marshal police specification in the US.
After two evaluation examples based on the 1961 manual four door sedan short wheelbase specification were presented, Victorian Police orders commenced in January 1962. Because a new Hawk GT was about to go into local production, its 289 ci/4.7-litre engine with 225bhp/168kW (these near identical specs to the first XR Falcon V8 pursuit cars based on the 1967 Falcon GT are entirely coincidental) was the logical upgrade. Supplied as a three speed manual with heavy duty clutch, heavy duty differential, dual exhausts and larger finned brake drums all round, this combination was arguably Australia’s first true police specification when it was not available in customer cars. It was also seriously quick.
Local Studebaker identity and former Tottenham employee, Jim Quigley, recalls that most were supplied with floor shifts. This would later become a source of ongoing and expensive maintenance after overzealous young constables would select the non-synchro first on the move and chip a pricey gear cluster.
New South Wales Police followed later with the purchase of 26 examples in 1963-64 which supplemented a range of models including the compact Fairlanes out of Homebush and the occasional Rambler. Queensland and Western Australia also purchased a small number while South Australia persisted with the Chrysler Royal built in that state.
By 1962, Studebaker executives had hoped that the profits from their first cut and shut Lark would fund an all new model ready to stave off fresh new Falcon and Valiant upgrades as well Chevrolet’s two-pronged Corvair and Chevy II response. Despite Studebaker’s public stance on resisting change for change’s sake, expecting 1953 technology to carry the Lark past 1961 was the beginning of the end. But not for a while longer in Australia...
The Stevens Generation
In another desperate move that bought valuable time, noted designer Brooks Stevens refreshed both the Lark and Hawk while Raymond Loewy’s proposal for the radical Avanti provided a vital extra model line. On a tiny budget, Stevens generated a new look 1962 four door sedan, all built on the same 113in/2870mm wheelbase as the 1961 Cruiser and wagon which allowed the two door models to continue on the previous short wheelbase boosted by a half inch to 109in/2769mm.
Because this generated 1962 Australian Lark VIII manual and automatic versions with the later roofline and single glass rear doors on the same wheelbase, the manual price was now just $3290 and the automatic $3600. The extra presence and classier Mercedes-Benz-style grille not only provided a stay of execution in the US, it boosted local sales to 1069 passenger cars, 119 wagons and 26 light commercials. For the local assemblers, the Stevens facelift occurred in the nick of time as the extra size lifted the Lark out of harm’s way from a powerful new Valiant. It also appeared to offer better value than the new compact Fairlane. Carpet front and rear, lavish pleated-trim on the bigger local seats, better ride, bigger boot with lower lip, and vast cabin space renewed local interest.
It also generated two police specifications. Although the extra wheelbase in the Y3 four door body style was welcomed for general police duties with its extra rear seat space for police to escort villains, a special lighter and more agile two door centre-post F3 sedan was presented as an alternative where agility and speed were a priority. This led to a series of two door models for local police application that had no equivalent elsewhere.
This development became more critical in 1963 when the top shelf Cruiser specification was standardized across the Lark manual and automatic range, again without any significant price rise. An upmarket new dash with extra padding, standard front seat belts, wheel trims, vanity glovebox and two-speed electric wipers reflected the extra value everywhere you looked. The squarer new roofline and extra vent windows in the rear doors seen only in the 1961 Lark automatic before, were common to both transmissions. The two door could then be offered in a cheaper and lighter specification for police use.
The Wagonaire, with its sliding rear roof, generated new interest in the wagon.
As a result, 1963 was an all time record year for Studebaker in Australia with 1262 passenger cars, 152 station wagons and 27 light commercials. By now, the wagon was supporting a local ambulance conversion and was used as an equipment carrier for certain police squads including accident investigation.
By December 1963, South Bend production had ceased and Lark sedans and wagons were sourced out of Canada.
The Canadian Cruisers
By January 1964, which marked the start of the Canadian Studebakers, there was a chill in the air as no one really expected the Canadians to be able to keep the company and the model viable. Although Canada Cycle and Motor Company had put in a big effort to ensure unprecedented value, finish and equipment at just $3800 for the automatic version, the local Cruiser faced tough new competition wherever you looked.
Another inspired facelift from Brooks Stevens, the 1964 model was one of the best looking Larks. By late 1963, it was clear in the US that it was too little, too late and the decision not to reinvest in an all new model for 1962 was coming home to roost. The 1963 closure of the US plant telegraphed to most Australians that the Lark Cruiser as it was still known here, could only limp along for a limited time before it ran out of momentum.
It took a committed buyer to look past the 1964 Fairlane with its 289ci/4.7-litre V8 and the latest Rambler range from AMI including a new American and revised Classic V8 range. Those who did were rewarded with a more traditional but understated big car with lavish seats, splendid view of the road and an unbreakable feel that was becoming less relevant as local roads improved. The Commander badge had been revived for this body style and was applied to local two door police vehicles.
Sales dropped to 907 passenger cars, 67 wagons and 17 light commercials in 1964.
The heavy old Studebaker V8 which had not changed in output since 1959 despite a steady growth in the Lark’s size and weight, went out of production in South Bend in 1964. For 1965, it was replaced by the Canadian McKinnon-built Chevrolet small block V8 in the same 283cu in/4.7-litre 195bhp/145kW specification as the much larger Chevrolet/Pontiac range.
It was also fitted with the previous three speed automatic for a further performance advantage over the two-speed Powerglide normally teamed with this engine. The instant weight loss of 80lb/36kg over the front end boosted handling and ride in equal measure as the suspension could be softened. The performance improvement was so dramatic that either Studebaker’s 180bhp/134kW V8 had been detuned over the years for local fuel or the Chevrolet output was more realistic.
Clearing the last of the old Studebaker V8 stocks pegged local 1965 sales to 492 Studebaker-powered cars, 56 Chevrolet V8 examples, 43 station wagons and 14 light commercials. The Australian assemblers skipped the bold but futile Canadian facelift for 1966 when they were still building leftover 1965 models which included 83 Studebaker-powered cars, 471 Chevrolet V8 examples, 53 wagons and 14 light commercials. Most of what was left was cleared in 1967 including 10 Chevrolet V8 examples, a lone wagon and two ambulances. The last two Studebaker Cruisers took until 1968 to clear as confidence disappeared after March 4, 1966, the day when Canadian production ended.
The timing was impeccable as the arrival of the XR Fairmont V8 in 1966, the ZA Fairlane 500 and a bigger Valiant VIP in 1967 would have killed any future Studebaker prospects anyway with their much higher local content and lower pricing.
Jim Quigley recalls that confidence had slipped so badly towards the end that the Victoria Police even cancelled their order for the final 24 Chevrolet V8-engined/column shift examples which were quickly re-specced for the retail market. He notes that the last Victoria Police Studebaker was traded on a Ford Falcon V8 on November 13, 1967, a trend that was happening across Australia in private garages as well.
