1956 Studebaker President Pinehurst Station Wagon
Few domestic wagons of 1956 competed at the Chevrolet Nomad’s price point, but Studebaker’s President Pinehurst did, at $2,529.
Its two-door body carried the 1956 restyle overseen by Vince Gardner, who succeeded Raymond Loewy’s office as Studebaker’s principal designer. Gardner kept the existing center body section and revised the front and rear sheetmetal, producing a heavier nose and adding rounded tailfins to the wagon.
The lightning-bolt side trim and white-painted window surround added more visual weight to the flanks than the cleaner pre-restyle Studebakers had carried.
At 116.5 inches of wheelbase, the two-door body ran noticeably shorter than most competing wagons. Despite sales demonstrating strong customer demand for four-door wagons, Studebaker held to its two-door-only body policy.
The new-for-1956 289 CI V8 produced 210 hp, available with the two-speed Flightomatic.
The Pinehurst topped a three-tier wagon lineup that also included the Parkview (Commander) and Pelham (Champion). Just 1,522 were assembled in a single model year, making it the rarest body style in the President series.
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