Raymond Loewy was an effing god.

"If you're thinking of getting a Studebaker -- though I suspect you probably aren't -- go for the optional big brake pack, or you won't be here in the spring..."

...and neither will Studebaker.

"with kids and dog as part of the luggage"

And a nice Leave it to Beaver soundtrack.

So if Studebaker is Pepsi, is DeSoto Coke?

@voodoojoo:

DeSoto is Dr. Pepper. Nash is Coke.

That woman's smile is scary.

@graverobber: Is Hudson 7-Up?

@Skydiver: Isn't that Pat Nixon?

@TomAnderson:

Yeah, and I guess Kaiser would be Mr. Pibb.

Was that commercial that totally overexposed when it first aired, or has something nasty befallen the film?

@FreeMan: I think it's one of the many old commercials on YouTube that was filmed using a cellphone camera shooting a TV screen. Normally I don't use such crappy videos, but these are Studebakers!

We need more Avanti's on Jalopnik... I worship Loewy.

@Skydiver: Get back in your cage, woman!

Wow, that Avanti was a fox among the hounds in the house of Studebaker. One forgets how amazing they were in person.

I tasted death once driving down Divisidero(?) in SF once in my 63 Nova Wagon, loaded to the gills, with overheated 9X1.5" drums on all four corners. A short phone call to Global West and $2600 later, it was a car I could feel safe making multiple stops on a hot day AND hitting 140 in.

Disc brakes are the shit. They should have been mandatory before seatbelts.

I remember having tastes of death driving my dad's '64 Commander (Canadian) with the 'regular' brakes. To make things more fun, it even had a leaky rear axle.

I still want an Avanti. I hope it gets resurrected yet again.

The late-era Studebaker badge looks like the South Korean flag.

When the Avanti showed up as the "II" and the four door models they really fucked up an American original.

Too bad Studebaker tanked. At least they had disc brakes. You think the big 4 would add anything before competition or the government forced them too?

Actually, AMC had discs around back in 65...Chrysler didn't have them until 67 (on the Imperial) and 68 (available on everything else) Not sure about the other Big 2...

Chrysler also toyed with some "self-energizing" disc-type brakes in the 50's, but they never caught on.

European cars were using discs earlier, also.

Chrysler's "Centerplane" drum brakes were better than first-gen street discs. GM quietly used them on the 57 Corvette SS prototype at Sebring, because they couldn't/wouldn't get the Dunlop racing discs like Jaguar.

Stude listed lots of innovations from 57 on, because they were essentially manufacturing engines, bodyshells, and brackets. Anything a supplier offered, Stude added to the options list. No need to worry about manufacturing complexity, because they had more space than sales anyway.

@Murilee Martin: Dick Nixon worked for the Studebaker parent company after he was VP.