1955 Studebaker President Speedster
Diamond-stitched top-grain leather upholstery and an engine-turned instrument panel housing Stewart-Warner gauges (including a 160 mph speedometer and 8,000 rpm tachometer) defined Studebaker’s flagship personal luxury offering.
A chrome roof band and hood-length ornament with gold-finished fin distinguished the two-door hardtop coupe, while “Speedster” badging adorned the quarter panels.
Based on the Raymond Loewy-designed coupe riding a 120.5-inch wheelbase, the model represented Studebaker’s entry into the growing personal luxury market alongside the Corvette, Thunderbird, and Chrysler 300.
Power came from the 259 cubic inch Passmaster V8 producing 185 horsepower at 4,500 rpm, mated to either a three-speed manual with overdrive or a Borg-Warner Flight-O-Matic automatic transmission. Standard equipment included power steering, power brakes, triple horns, fog lamps, and an eight-tube pushbutton AM radio.
Priced at $3,253 (Studebaker’s only model exceeding $3,000), production totaled just 2,215 units for 1955 only, split between South Bend and Los Angeles assembly plants.
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