Reply To: What would the never produced 1934 Studebaker-based P-A’s have looked like?

[Paul J. West]

High volume 133 wb sedan using 123 wb President body and Pierce’s 10 inch longer hood. Convertible sedan could have been offered too. Studebaker body stampings would have been shipped directly from stamping plant, pricing set at Studebaker cost or perhaps slightly higher, say 5%. Front fenders from 1933 836 with front fascia modified to look like either ’34 Studebaker or ’33 Silver Arrow show car. Grill could have been either a chromed version of Studebaker’s fixed design or identical to Silver Arrow show car including its thermostatically controlled louvers.

The businessmen would have needed to increase plant efficiency if they wanted to turn a profit. Job 1 would have been elimination of wood composite construction. Studebaker had already poured millions into the plant to enable all-steel body construction amongst other things, so the heavy lifting had already been done. Yes, some customers complained about the ’33 all-steel cars. But steel was the future and there was much more to like than dislike.

The line-up could have launched in November, 1933 since very little was needed by way of design and tooling, the new models hitting the market at the right time while allowing the businessmen to conserve cash. Pricing would have been very competitive and unlike 836A, would have delivered healthy margins.