1939 Studabaker Commander

The Studebaker Commander is the model name of several automobiles produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (United States) and Studebaker of Canada Ltd of Walkerville and, later, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). Studebaker began using the Commander name in 1927 and continued to use it until 1964, with the exception of 1936 and 1959-63. The name was applied to various products in the company’s line-up from year to year. The Commander was the company’s mainstream product, the Studebaker Champion was the junior model, and other models were short lived or renamed as market conditions required.

By the late 1930s, Studebaker was hardly a stranger to the low-priced field. The South Bend, Indiana automaker had previously explored the lower rungs of the market with the 1926-30 Erskine and the 1932-33 Rockne. However, these vehicles weren’t Studebakers, technically, but companion brands that stood apart from the company’s main product: Larger, higher-priced cars of the Olds/Buick class that carried the imposing names Dictator, Commander, and President, but unfortunately, they didn’t sell all that well.

In 1935, the Commander was dropped from Studebaker’s product line, only to be reinstated in 1937 when the name was applied to Studebaker’s least expensive range formerly known as the Studebaker Dictator. Studebaker introduced the Champion in 1939, and the Commander line was again repositioned, now as the mid-range vehicle.