VINTAGE COMMERCIAL FOR AMERICA'S OLDEST VEHICLE MANUFACTURER







What I remember most about Studebaker cars was that the ads said they were beautiful both "comin and goin". But the joke was, you couldn't tell the front from the rear!
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Henry and Clement Studebaker founded the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company in 1852 in South Bend Indiana. They produced wagons for farmers, miners and the Union army during the Civil War. 1902 brought it's first electric vehicle to the marketplace, and in 1904 gasoline power came on-board ! It gained an enviable reputation for quality and reliability at reasonable prices.
After WW II the the Big Three's government subsidized production facilities proved to be difficult for independents like Studebaker. Heavy advertising on TV helped, along with their "BIG NEWS IN THE LOW PRICE FIELD" pitch. These commercials show how naive this advertizing seems when compared with what we are inured to now. Especially when the announcer says "put'er in gear, let'er roll & open'er up", and they drive off into outer space!
 How COOL was that ? Did you catch that?.. washable vinyl upholstery?...and that neat cyclops eye speedodometer?...and that catchy tune?.. and that sexy blonde? All the elements of Madison Avenue in the 50's...a product that was functional...ultramodern...memorable...and sexy!

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