Studebaker Transtar

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Studebaker Transtar Pickup 3-E (1957/58)

The Studebaker Transtar was a range of pickup trucks manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation in South Bend, Indiana from 1956 to 1958 and from 1960 to 1963.

The name Transtar was introduced in model year 1956 (model 2E) for vehicles with a load capacity of 1/2 t, 3/4 t, 1 t, 2 t and 2 t heavy loads. The three smaller models were available with factory-made pickup bodies. The basic styling of the trucks dates back to 1949, but changes were made in 1954 and 1955. The name Transtar was also used for the 3E models of 1957 and 1958, with a stripped-down Studebaker Scotsman being introduced in late 1958 without the Transtar name. The Transtar from 1957/1958 got an aggressive grill made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic , which made Studebaker's outdated design of the driver's cab look much fresher. For unknown reasons, the 1959 Studebaker truck (model 4E) was left out of the name Transtar.

In 1960 Studebaker introduced a new range of 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks under the name Champ . These had the snout and the driver's cab from PKW Lark , which was built onto the chassis of the light truck. The Champ was seen as a competitor to the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino (introduced in 1957/1959 ) , which also combined the styling of passenger cars with the basis of light trucks. The name Transtar reappeared in 1960 with Studebaker's medium and heavy trucks (1 t and 2 t) and was used there until the 1964 models. In December 1963, Studebaker closed its factories in the USA and thus ceased all truck production.

Web links