Studebaker 61 Lark TV Commercial

Sure, it's beautiful, and it's big new feature is an oval wheel, for greater leg clearance.

If you enjoy it, send a dollar to the Studebaker National Museum, http://www.studebakermuseum... I visited there in July... check out my online story at http://www.weekenddriver.com/ and look for the "Great Car Museum Tour Blog" button.

And if you're touring in Southern California, check out my book and the rest of the web site at http://www.weekenddriver.com.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• studebaker
• commercial
• lark
• tv
• auto
• car
• rex
• may
• classic
• television
• ad
• retromercial
• old

[xqqqme]

Wow! I worked with Rex May from '75 to '77 in my first job out of college when he was spokesman for San Diego Federal Savings (later Great American Federal Savings and later still a casualty of the S&L crisis).

[weekenddriver]

I heard rumors that Ch. 10 in San Diego used to produce these ads. Any truth to that?

[eurofeli]

is that a compact???

[weekenddriver]

Yup, in the early '60s it was considered a compact.

[HeadTater]

Studebaker was always re-using parts and designs. They really subscribed to the ideas of not fixing what isn't broke and not wasting money on things like styling when they already had a hot look.

[layuppro]

At :44. What was she doing? "Oh honey turn around! You've got to see this!" "Can't i'm driving." Lol.

[sferrell1000]

I now have a 1962 Lark Cruiser sedan. It is like driving a sofa, it is the most comfortable car I have ever been in. Women love my car. 259V8, 180 horsepower, 20 miles to the gallon.

[FireDropTechnologies]

PS, I needed to corect my gear ratio bit, 4-11's soory fellows.

[Seattlecarnut]

My favourite Larks were built between 1959 and 1961.

[hebneh]

I don't know how the Lark compared to the Corvair, Falcon, or Valiant that year (and you'd have to find an old issue of "Consumer Reports" to find out), but I do know that in 1961 Studebaker was a small, troubled manufacturer whose sales had been going downwards pretty much steadily for years. That of itself would've made me not want to buy a car from a company that looked like it was headed for its demise - regardless of handsome new appointments or the new oval steering wheel.

[5610winston]

Gimme a Cruiser with the Power Kit 289, air and overdrive, retro-fit the '63 disc brakes and a dual circuit master cylinder, and I'll be set! Or a '64 Hawk, or an Avanti...

[JBC814]

Drove a Lark in the 60's, it was uncomfortable and lacked any rear seat room. Even Lowery's '53 was a bucket of bolts. I don't know what a company like Packard saw in Studebaker, but the merger was the end of Packard. Packard's engineering was second to none, but Studebaker survived to go on for a few more years. The only thing thing they did right was hiring Lowery to design the '53, but it had a lot of bugs that took years to iron out.

[AlaokDibar]

@xqqqme

He did do local television in San Diego during the early 60's, I can't remember which station though.

[terry1919]

the BIG 3 AUTOMAKERS CONSPIRED to KILL the STUDEBAKER Company because it saw the Future CLEARLY!!!... Back in 1900 it wanted to manufacture ELECTRIC Vehicles because the engineering of the Electric Motor was more Efficient than the Internal Combustion Engine....

[327caprice]

Oh Jesus take the wheel !  I just love a Skybolt Six with effortless steering....Why I think about it all the time...Oh yes it's true!

[HeadTater]

It is the car from Mr Ed. Studebaker sponsored the show.