We have been on an off-and-on low-mile time capsule jag here at the Curbside, thanks to several findings by Poindexter and some other contributors. I have found it a lot of fun to look at cars that are both nearly new and quite old, all at once. I have one that recently crossed my path and found too good to not pass along here: a top-of-the-line ’63 Studebaker Lark Cruiser with what is claimed to be 10,854 documented miles. Let’s take a look at this cream of the Studebaker sedan crop in its last full year of production.
We have examined quite a few ’63 Studebakers by now, almost the entire line – a ragged and well-used Wagonaire, a well-preserved low-to-average trim Lark Custom sedan and Dave Saunders’ current project. We even got a recent taste of a delicious Daytona convertible. We keep coming back to this Blue Mist paint on our Studebaker sedans, but today we get to see it as it looked when JFK was President.
This car was listed for sale awhile back on the San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist, and appears to be the genuine article. The description was, er, economical. However, it did say that it was once owned by a Stude club President. But shouldn’t he have owned a Studebaker President? Maybe this is a question for another day.
This car is notable for more than its condition. Although that should be quite enough. The paint shines, everything is straight and unmolested and just as it was built, or shall we say crafted by South Bend’s seasoned work force.
What really caught my attention, though, is the interior. This car came equipped with the rarely-ordered broadcloth upholstery. I have never seen one so-equipped in person and this is maybe only the third I have seen in photographs.
Broadcloth is a type of fabric with a history that goes back to England. From what I have read, it was a wool fabric loomed much wider than its intended width, then subjected to a milling process which submerged the fabric in hot, soapy water for pounding with hammers to shrink it into a tight weave in which the individual yarns bound themselves together into a felt-like material. The stuff became popular in household and automobile upholsteries in the 1920’s and beyond, and was typically found in high-priced cars into the 50’s. It was reputed to be resistant to moisture and quite durable.
Studebaker offering this as an upholstery option was quite unusual. The Studebaker Lark Cruiser was not an expensive car – with a base price of $2,595, it was roughly $200 less than the cost of a V8-equipped Impala or Galaxie 500 sedan that year. It was, however, advertised as a “Limousette”, promising the luxury of a limousine at a popular price.
At least it was advertised that way in the brochure, if not in the actual ads.
And what better way to convey luxury than to offer seats upholstered in the kind of fabric used in the Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limo. OK, we can agree – apples and oranges. Still, it is a rare treat to see a Cruiser equipped like this at all, let alone in this state of preservation.
It might seem odd to think that the basic Studebaker sedan that appealed to elderly tightwads or conservative engineers could be configured to chase the near-luxury part of the market. But the inside of the car was amazingly credible when trimmed this way. This is one of the few cars where the dash looks right at home in the nicest version. Just don’t ask for fripperies like power windows, seats or locks. This was practical luxury, you understand.
Studebaker tried to identify so many market niches in its last few years, and of course, none of those efforts got any traction because of the company’s shaky condition. This slice of the market, luxury in a small size, would become a hot spot about a decade after this Lark Cruiser found its first buyer. But it was not a hot spot in 1963.
Of course, trying to offer a small luxury car using the same vehicle also sold in skinflint trim with rubber floors and no heater may not have been the best way of giving the luxe version some credibility. Everyone loves a cheap luxury car, but the love is hard to find for a luxurious cheap car.
This one was offering a quiet and conservative sort of luxury with a normally aspirated 289 cid V8, rated at either 210 or 225 gross horsepower, depending on carb choice. Powerful luxury was available with the Avanti-derived R1 and R2 engine options that provided either an improved normally aspirated 240 horsepower or the supercharged version that kept its horsepower rating a secret (but what has been estimated at right around 300). But this car’s first buyer eschewed those silly performance engines (and the 4-speed stick offered along with them). Isn’t “adequate” all the power a luxury-ish buyer needs?
Could the 1963 Studebaker have been the most flexible new car offered that year? I am having a hard time thinking of another single car that attempted to fill the segments from taxi to luxury and from economy to performance the way this one did. Or at least tried to do – the buying public was clearly not as convinced of the Lark’s credibility in most of those niches. This was certainly not the way Cadillac finished the insides of their trunks, though it seems in line with most “normal” cars of the day.
This car’s original buyer was, however, apparently sold on the idea of a Limousette. And I hope this car found another buyer who sees it the same way.
Oh, do you bring back memories! Setting: Town of Luzerne, NY, Northwoods Road, my grandparents’ two-story log cabin “in the pines.” In 1967, my grandmother spent seven months at her home away from her apartment in The Bronx. When my grandparents bought the home in 1951, my brother and I gave them a gift, with our parents’ money, of a reflective sign to post on one of the pines. It read “P. Babigian.” Peter Babigian was my maternal grandfather. So many people of Armenian ancestry stopped by who were vacationing, typically at the dude ranches in the area, because they had seen that sign.
They would visit unannounced aa grandma always had Armenian bread and pastries and near-eastern coffee to offer. However, grandma also had a periodic visitor (grandpa was deceased by this time). Two sisters and a grumpy, wealthy old man who was married to one of those sisters. They lived in Watervliet, NY, just north of Albany. So, there I was visiting grandma for the weekend when up rolls grumpy and the two sisters in – YOU GUESSED IT! In a Studebaker Lark Cruiser “Limousette!” I was astonished to see the vehicle, to say the least. I had seen ads for them years ago, but here it was, in living color. The car was red with the red broadcloth upholstery. THERE’S MORE: It was chauffeur-driven! We had a nice lunch and conversation and then they drove sixty-five miles back to Watervliet.
The car looks like it has a split-bench front seat, which would be amazing if it provides separate fore-aft adjustment. Plus it also appears to have seat-back recline. That puts it way ahead ergonomically of what the Big Three were offering at the time. Love the colour. Be curious of the circumstances that would result in this car being put in a time capsule and popping out unmolested six decades later. Now if you could just get those seats in a Valiant…
Studebaker made a big deal about high quality materials at this time, as well as craftsmanship.
One has to wonder if they were looking at the Mercedes-Benzes they were the distributor of, and wondering if they could also capture some of the market for a high-quality smaller car, albeit at a lower price point.
BuzzDog, that’s what came to mind for me: a buyer who wants an interior like this, doesn’t want all the overhang, likes the quiet styling, doesn’t want/need gadgetry—but then is concerned about parts availability & repair costs.
There’s a pretty cool story behind this, about someone who “kept this car nice” all these decades…..
What a terrific find. Imagine if Egbert hadn’t put Studebaker’s main focus for 1963 on the ill-fated Avanti and had, instead, emphasized the Cruiser as a quasi-Mercedes but at an affordable price. It might have been a Ford Granada-type hit but a dozen years earlier.
It would also have fallen in line with the Sceptre concept car as a competitor to GM and Ford’s PLCs (including the brand-new Riviera). Just another one of those great automotive ‘what might have beens’.
The color is sweet .
Amazing time capsule .
-Nate
Despite living @ 20 miles from the long shuttered Studebaker plant, I had no idea they had offered an interior like this! VERY NICE!
What isn’t so nice to my jaded designer eyes, is the Brooks Stevens “styling” mish mash on the exterior. A car that started as a very clean, cohesive design in 1959 over ’53 “bones” had devolved into various different pieces patched onto the car. Not a harmonious whole.
🙁 DFO
Having owned a 1962 Regal 4dr for 4 or 5 years and getting to see it in the flesh every day, the only detail that really looks weird is the shape of the rear wheel openings. The rearward bulge in the trunk lid throws me off a little, too.
I think the purest and prettiest of the Larks are the 1959-60 2dr hardtop, though I love the 1961 Cruiser as well, as it retains the earlier roofline with longer rear doors.
Probably hard to sell something as an American Mercedes with a live rear axle on leaf springs, an old tech not even ball joint front suspension from 1953, and a separate frame from 1953 that was probably pretty much the same as the 1947 version, not to mention a body that was also under the exterior sheet metal from 1953. I think buyers were generally if not all specifically aware of all of that, despite the faux Mercedes grille.
Probably Mercedes wasn’t up with American tech on air conditioning either, but Studebakers also never got an integrated AC system, or even one that didn’t look just like an aftermarket unit. And because the supercharger took the place of a compressor, no AC was possible with the hot engines.
Mercedes didn’t have ball joints in ’63, either.
Trying to sell “luxury” with the “economy” brand name Studebaker. Make a few sheetmetal and dashboard changes, and put a Packard nameplate on it (a la 57-58). They could have done that you know.
Count me as those who were unaware of the Studebaker broadcloth option. Very nifty find!
It should be noted that by 1963, broadcloth was well on its way towards going of fashion in luxury cars. In 1963, the only Cadillac broadcloth was available in was the Series 75 limo.
Lincoln still offered broadcloth in their Continental, but it was a rarely selected option, and by 1963 broadcloth was down to a single color choice – silver blue. Broadcloth would disappear altogether at Lincoln after 1964.
I was wondering about that as I was reading this article. These days I see broadcloth mentioned for clothes sometimes (I can’t remember exactly where I’ve seen it, but I think describing expensive dress clothes that I’m probably too cheap to buy), and never gave the term itself much thought. But somehow I just associate “broadcloth” as a retro term from 1930s/40s.
Well, now we know what’s the one feature that was only offered by Studebaker and Cadillac in 1963!
Larks are neat cars to my eyes. I’m not old enough to have gotten the memo that Studebakers weren’t supposed to be cool, and have been attracted to these since I was a little kid. For some reason, I always thought Larks and “Lark types” occupied a higher place in the market than they actually did. This was also backed up by a kid a year ahead of me in high school who drove one that was V8 powered, which performed quite well against the 1970’s and 80’s iron most of us drove.
The only detail that looks a bit odd on this one is the low spec hubcaps… dunno if I’ve ever seen a Cruiser wearing these. I definitely have never seen a Lark with the broadcloth interior. Sweet car! Wish my ’62 was this nice!
Correction: The car *is* wearing full wheelcovers. I saw the second picture, which is of another Lark, and just plopped out this comment before I was fully awake this morning.
But their full wheel covers always looked about ten years out of date if not ever fashionable, along with various other interior and exterior details.
I love Studebaker’s 1953-55 wheelcovers. A simple and elegant design that matched the cars so well. They also had some decent looking ones available in 1956-57.
Starting in 1959, they went to a standardized design, only changing the paint scheme to differentiate between Lark and Hawk, and different years. That was getting mighty stale well before 1963. They finally changed for 1964-5, then sold that design to International Harvester and dusted off the old 1959 covers for 1966. After that, Checker Motors bought and used ’em right through the end in 1982. By that time, they looked… … very at home on the Marathon.
That interior is fantastic! It appears that the front seats are split and the seatbacks also recline. I don’t think any of these features were available at the time on any other domestic automobile(with the possible exception of Cadillac). And also the map pockets on the back of the front seats. As Studebaker was the distributor for Mercedes Benz at the time, I’m wondering if the Land Cruiser was an attempt by Studebaker to try and get some of the Mercedes image on Studebaker.
Rambler offered a split-bench reclining front seat.
Beautiful interior: the pleated broadcloth with “buttons,” the full instrumentation, proper round gauges, elegant steering wheel plus 4 lap belts and it’s in my favorite interior color!
A great uncle was a Studebaker fan; he had a ’63 sedan. His next car was a ’70 VW Squareback.
100% agree on the full instrumentation. It just looks like it belongs on a higher end/higher performance car. My ’62 has warning lights for oil pressure and charging system, which Studebaker went to on non-Hawks for 1956-62, before going back to a full set of gauges on all models from 1963-66. I will be changing to the later gauges on mine. Sadly, there’s only room for a smaller clock on a 1962, which doesn’t have a second hand.
The common explanation for nice details in late Stude interiors was that Studebaker had plenty of labor and factory space, and little capital. The cheap looking and cheap to make interiors of other brands of inexpensive cars required relatively expensive tooling to make big brand-exclusive parts that were inexpensive to manufacture and quick to assemble. It made sense for Stude to spend more time stitching seats and assembling parts that were either inexpensive to tool or simply purchased from the supplier’s catalog.
Count me in as another impressed with that interior, even id broadcloth was rather old fashioned by this time.
It suddenly hit me that there’s a high-end Japanese sedan (Crown, Debonair) vibe to this Cruiser. Styling that is derivative, but not exactly cohesive. And an interior that shows a lot of attention to fine details.
It’s the Prince Imperial Cruiser!
Is the little wagon in the brochure photo (with the big dog) a nod to Studebaker’s past? If so, neat.
Very beautiful car indeed! Growng up my friend’s dad had a gold diesel. Am I seeing correctly that there are two driver outside rear view mirrors?
A new word as passed my eyes today. Limousette. Kind of a nice description for a small luxury car, er, wannabe. Nice interior, surrounded by a bit of a boxy exterior. What great condition this great find is in.
My favorite Owner-operated cab in my hometown drove a 1964 Cruiser that replaced his 1958 Buick Roadmaster. Yes, his Cruiser had the broadcloth upholstery and a black exterior. His local fare was seventy five cents. The other cab guys charged fifty. One of them drove a 1964 Daytona, not quite as nice. Just as roomy though.
I can remember riding in much more premium brands of cars that weren’t as well appointed as this Studebaker
Very neat to see this. When I saw to the interior pictures here, I first thought “Wow, someone did a great job of re-upholstering that car!”
And I figured I’d include this ad here – not quite as dramatic as the ones you’ve included, but it does have my favorite Studebakers of the 1960s (a list that now includes the Cruiser, after reading about this car).
Hark, hark, the Lark at heav’n’s gate sings, And Phoebus ‘gins arise! This babe gave Melbourne’s policemen wings! Early 1960s, Victoria Police pursuit fleet was of such. Their highly tuned, largest option hot V8 ensuring a swoop more Aquiline than Larklike, they stooped to conquer aberrant automobolists. They were in grandma’s favourite shade of soft sky blue, the same as set off Ariel’s iconic chromed tank flutes on the Force’s fantastic four-pipe Square Fours. Tasteful, but terrible.
The styling of these cars, to my eyes, has worn better over the years than a ’63 Chevy II, Ford Fairlane, Valiant, etc. Far-less gimmicky, more straightforward, including the instrument panels. Bigger choice of engines too, and a floorshift automatic with PRND21 quadrant available. Disc brake and sunroof availability.
Please! Don’t call this a Studebaker LARK Cruiser! In a pale effort to set this model apart, no where on it does the ‘Lark’ name appear. Note in the advertising it is listed separately from the Larks.
This broadcloth option was also available in a medium green and soft rose-beige, all very luxurious…except as contrasted with those cheesy, heat-stemmed door panels! At minimum, machine-sewn vinyl trim with padded broadcloth appliques, maybe even leather-covered armrest.
In addition to the Cadillac Fleetwood 75 models, broadcloth was also available that year in the Lincoln Continental and Imperial LeBaron sedans. Heady company for a Studebaker Lark…oops, Cruiser.
Hey JP – I have an auto question I would like your feedback on, please.