1946 Studebaker M5 Pickup

The M-series truck was a pickup truck designed in the late 1930s by the Studebaker Corporation. Like most truck lines, the Studebaker M Series trucks could be had in any number of body styles. Only pickup beds were offered on the M5, M15, & M15A versions from the factory; however, through several custom body manufacturers, any number of configurations could be had on all versions. A maybe little known fact is that the back and front fenders are interchangeable.

Studebaker launched its new M5 half-ton pickup truck in 1941 just before the start of World War II, just in time for it to be enlisted into the war effort.  Following the conflict, Studebaker quickly resumed production of the civilian version with just a few stylistic updates.

The M5’s styling with its tall shape, swept-back Vee windshield, trim dimensions, simple ornamentation and nicely rounded fenders is particularly attractive and certainly stands out amongst the more commonly seen Fords and Chevys.

The interior features a brown bench seat contrasted by a ivory dashboard and door panels. A black liner covers the floor. Wiring for a trailer also was added at that time. The headlight switch was replaced and the push-button ignition switch was relocated to the dash. A two-spoke steering wheel frames instrumentation that includes a horizontal 100-mph speedometer flanked by four auxiliary gauges.

so maybe wide whitewalls were not part of the ensemble for these hard-working trucks, but otherwise, this Studie looks like it might have more than 7 decades ago. It’s not often that you see one of these trucks restored to original, more often done with modern resto-mod updates for improved drivability.