A year after landing in receivership, Studebaker didn’t retreat — it redesigned its entire lineup and bet the company’s recovery on it. The 1934 Commander Regal arrived with an engineer-driven inline-eight and two features years ahead of their time, and sales more than doubled overnight. Here’s how a company on the brink turned one model year into a genuine comeback.
This Studebacker Commander Regal did not look this good when it rolled off the assembly line in1934.The four door sedan is the epitome of original, with matching numbers and as proven by the awards it has won.
221 CID In-line-8 cylinder 3-Speed Manual $99,000 Buy it here: goo.gl/BBEZkF
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In 1933, Studebaker was in receivership — one of the biggest names in American automaking teetering on the edge of collapse. Most companies in that position play it safe, trimming ambition along with the budget. Studebaker did the opposite. For 1934, the automaker rolled out a redesigned lineup engineered by one of the sharpest minds in the industry, wrapped it in advertising copy borrowing language from the aviation age, and dared the public to notice. They noticed. What happened to Studebaker’s sales that year is the kind of comeback story that gets buried in engine specs and forgotten.
A Comeback Built by a Racing Engineer
Chief engineer Delmar “Barney” Roos designed the Commander’s 221 cubic-inch inline-eight, good for 103 horsepower at 3,800 rpm, built around a sturdy nine-main-bearing crankshaft for smoothness and durability. Top speed landed around 78 mph — brisk for a full-size sedan in 1934.
Gadgets Ahead of Their Time
Two features stood out as unusually forward-thinking for the era. Free Wheeling disengaged the engine whenever the driver lifted off the throttle, saving gas and easing shifts, though it also killed engine braking — enough of a tradeoff that many owners simply switched it off. Startix solved a different annoyance, starting the car with a turn of the key and automatically restarting the engine if it stalled.
From the Skyway Comes Their Style
Studebaker’s 1934 advertising leaned on the tagline “From the Speedway Comes Their Stamina, From the Skyway Comes Their Style,” tying the car’s design to the glamour of aviation. The bet paid off: 1934 sales more than doubled the previous year, hitting 61,180 units.
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