By John Gunnell
Industrial designer Raymond Loewy had trouble selling car designs to the Big 3 manufacturers in Detroit. Ford, GM and Chrysler wanted to design large cars with gobs of chrome trim. Loewy preferred smaller, sportier cars with sleek lines and low-slung looks. His cars were innovative and attention-getting.
Smaller automakers such as Willys and Studebaker needed cars that were different and that could catch the public’s imagination. His award-winning designs included the streamlined 1953 Studebaker Starliner hardtop. This long-nosed coupe, with sparse trimmings and an air of motion about it, was acclaimed “the top car of all time” in a poll taken by the Chicago Daily News of top automotive stylists from the Big 3 and AMC.
Often referred to as the “Loewy Studebaker,” this visionary automobile also became a favorite of hot rodders involved in land speed racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah. The Starliner has naturally good aerodynamics that allow it to cut through the wind better than boxy Detroit designs of the same era. It has been raced at Bonneville since it was a new car and still is, in many cases, used today.
Grand Machine is a 1953 Studebaker with many additional aero enhancements, like its smooth, seamless front fascia and a rear deck lid spoiler. This bright yellow car competed in F.GCC class for non-supercharged gas-fueled vehicles. Under the hood is a 1955 Studebaker V-8 that started out as a 182-cid truck engine and was bored out to 224 cu. in.
This motor produces about 280 hp at 8200 rpm. On Sept. 25, 1997, this Studebaker set two class records at the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association’s “World of Speed” event at Bonneville. They included the Fastest One-Way Speed of 142 mph and the Fastest Two-Way Average Speed of 133,5 mph
Other updated features of the car include a Doug Nash 5-speed gearbox, rack-and-pinion steering and a cooling reservoir in the trunk. The car, however, retains Studebaker drum brakes all around.