AUTO HISTORY
Is anything thriftier than a Scotsman? Studebaker may have had that stereotype in mind when it launched a stripped-down model it called the Scotsman in the late ‘50s.
Studebaker enjoyed a long and respected reputation in the automobile business but by the late 1950s industry consolidation and stiff competition from the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) and American Motors was shrinking sales. It joined with Packard in 1954, but Packard's prestige was diminished and it disappeared in 1958.
Studebaker needed something to set it apart so for 1957 it decided to offer a bare-bones model it hoped would steal market share from the Big Three's lowest priced models and AMC's popular Rambler. There was also watching the rising import penetration led by a little beetle shaped car from Germany.
Although AMC was planning to bring back its small, 100-inch (2,540 mm) wheelbase Rambler in 1958 renamed the American, North America was still predominantly a big car fins and chrome market. Garish threetone paint was common, bumpers were massive and grilles were studies in flamboyance.
Some cars are out of sync with their times, and although a short economic recession had begun in 1957, Studebaker’s new austere model seemed at odds with that gaudy era.
It wasn't the first time there had been a disconnect in the market. Those huge multicylindered 1930s Cadillac V12s and V16s, Packard V12s and mighty Duesenbergs, for example, were all wrong for the 1930s Depression.
And so it seemed was the Spartan new Studebaker Scotsman in the flashy fin-fad fifties. But desperate companies do desperate things, and the Scotsman looked like one of them. There was no question why it was bought, and its name suggested a thrifty Scottish mentality.
The Scotsman was introduced in May, 1957, midway through the model year. Based on the Champion model, it came as a two- or four-door sedan or twodoor station wagon.
To create the Scotsman, Studebaker stripped the Champion so naked it evoked memories of the 1942 "black-out" cars built just before the United States entered the Second World War. But it met its goal of letting Studebaker advertise the $1,776 two-door as "America's lowest priced car."
To save money the Scotsman’s grille and hubcaps were painted rather than chrome plated, although a buyer could pay extra to have chrome. Bumpers were normally chromed but a very frugal customer could save more money by having them painted too.
In keeping with the Scotsman’s thrifty demeanour Studebaker offered few options. A basic heater, not the "Climatizer" fresh air type available in other models, was standard. Electric windshield wipers were extra (vacuum was standard) while inside, armrests and a passenger side sun visor were extra. The parsimonious buyers experienced their economy quietly because a radio was not available. Studebaker tried to turn this into an advantage by advertising that the Scotsman was "devoid of costly gadgetry," right down to an automatic choke.
Driver and passengers were reminded of the Scotsman's starkness as they rode on basic grey vinyl seats in a painted cardboard interior and rested their feet on rubber mats. Rear side windows did not open.
Underneath, the Scotsman was pure Champion, which meant body-on-frame construction with independent suspension via Aarms and coil springs in front and a solid axle on leaf springs at the rear. It had a 2,959 mm (116.5) in.) wheelbase.
The 3.0-litre (185.6 cu in.) side-valve, inline six traced its heritage back to the original 1939 Champion and sent 101 horsepower to the rear wheels through a three-speed, column shifted manual transmission (overdrive optional). No automatic was available.
In spite of Mechanix Illustrated's witty Tom McCahill saying the Scotsman "went over like girlie pictures in a nudist camp," Studebaker sold a surprising 9,000 its first short model year, more than double what the company expected. Apparently the recession put a lot of motorists in the mood for a back-to-basics, no-frills car.
Studebaker took the Scotsman into 1958 with minor changes. While the Champion got tailfins and quad headlamps the Scotsman carried on without them. It was offered through the 1958 model year and then, in spite of a good showing of almost 21,000 sales, it was discontinued in favour of the new 1959 Lark. Like the Scotsman, the Lark was fashioned out of the Champion it replaced.
For the Lark compact Studebaker cut the Champion's wheelbase by 203 mm (8.0 in.) and its length by 696 mm (27.4 in.), Decreasing the stroke 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) reduced the engine from 3.0 litres to 2.8 (169.6 cu in.) for better fuel economy. Horsepower dropped from 101 to 90. Zero to 97 km/h (60 mph) was in the 20-second range.
The Lark was an instant success. It sold more than 130,000 1959 models and the forlorn Scotsman was soon forgotten. But it had helped Studebaker over a difficult period, and while the ugly duckling didn't turn into a swan, it did post some unexpectedly good sales numbers.