I am a fan of Studebaker cars of the 1950s and 1960s. Studebaker was one of the last two independent car markers along with AMC.
This series of photos shows two different Studebaker Larks. I actually purchased the black '61 Lark in the photos on the left from a dealer in Mishawaka, IN, and had it shipped to my home. But it was too far gone mechanically to put a lot of money into it so I replaced it with a '64 a few months later.
The teal colored '63 Lark was parked at a used car dealer in Richmond, IL.
In late 1958 Studebaker entered the compact car market with its '59 Lark which was available as a coupe, hardtop, sedan or wagon. The '59 Lark was a big hit and saved Studebaker.
Studebaker's new president Sherwood Egbert brought in Milwaukee industrial designer Brooks Stevens to update both the Lark and Hawk for '62. Stevens made even bigger changes to the '63 Lark as pictured here with added length, a new and lower roofline, completely new rear fenders and rear end and a new grill for a more modern appearance.
Stevens would even more radically change the Lark for the '64 model year.
The last Studebaker car built was a '66 Lark-type car produced at the Hamilton, ON, plant as the South Bend plant shut down at the end of 1963 due to falling sales. Studebaker by that time had already diversified away from vehicles to become the Studebaker-Worthiington Corporation, a holding company with some $1 billion in sales by the time it was acquired in 1979 by McGraw Edison and the Studebaker name disappeared.
