Studebaker WAGONAIRE
STUDEBAKER MAY HAVE A BEEN AN AUTOMOTIVE MINNOW BUT THE WAGONAIRE PROVED IT COULD STILL COME UP WITH BIG IDEAS.
The sharp-eyed among you may notice that we said ‘Aussie-built’ wagons on the cover. How in hell does a Studebaker fit in? Well, this car and many other models from the same maker were assembled here under the auspices of the Canada Cycle and Motor Company from 1960 through to early 1966 when Studebaker went out of business. That assembly happened in the Melbourne suburb of West Heidelberg, where cars were screwed together from CKD (completely knock down) kits. At the time, having some local manufacturing content was encouraged by federal tariff barriers.
Based on the Lark platform, the Wagonaire was the brainchild of designer Brooks Stevens, who was given the task of finding way to expand the firm’s limited range without spending too much money. Stevens, who is also credited with ‘inventing’ the Jeep Wagoneer, got the f lash of genius to rejig the Lark from the waistline up to include a sliding roof over the luggage area.
That one change effectively meant you could turn the wagon into a ute in a matter of seconds. Genius. The sliding panel is metal and manually operated in most cases, though there was an electric option available. Apparently the sealing and drain channels struggle in heav y rain, which can result in the occupants copping a bit of a spray – litera lly!
Studebaker’s mechanical platform was pretty straightfor ward. The Indiana company had two in-house V8s for this
“THAT ONE CHANGE MEANT YOU COULD TURN THE WAGON INTO A UTE IN A MATTER OF SECONDS”
range: a 259 and 289ci. Both had a good reputation for reliability and the 259 seems to be the more common powerplant in Austra lian cars. The ultra-keen American buyer could order a high-performance version, with the supercharged engine out of the Avanti and a four-speed floor-shift manual.
Later cars, built from t he sta rt of 1965, ra n Chevrolet st ra ight si xes or V8s.
Owner Richard Salter agrees t hese t hings are a rare beast. He estimates t here are only about 20 in t he countr y, with maybe 12 in running condition. This car was originally sold in NSW by York Motors and was bought from a f leet owned by the family of former Studebaker dealer and Bathurst class-winner Bert Needham.
Studebaker was active in racing here, in the USA and Canada (where t hey were a lso built) for many years, right through to the end. It was seen as a way of building up the brand image, even when funds were scarce.
Here t he marque still enjoys a ver y active nationa l club, which you’ll come across at a lot of classic car events.
“I like wagons for some reason, don’t rea lly k now,” says Richard, “This one particularly caught my eye because of t he sliding roof – ver y unique. I t hink t he marketing people from Studebaker back in t he si xties t hought it would be great for t he fa mily because of extra storage, carting ta ll t hings, plent y of room for t he k ids, t he surf boards,