Ahem, yes, well the 1953 Studebaker Starliner coupe is usually found on
every list of the "best looking cars...ever." If ANY car is at the top
of the list it will, of course, be a matter of personal taste and
opinion, but there is no doubt that the Starliner belongs somewhere on
it.
However, a little known fact is that Raymond Loewy did not actually
design the 1953 Studebaker Starliner coupe, although he is given credit
and the car is often called the "Loewy Coupe." Informed sources will
tell you that Loewy, although a great designer, was a greater marketer
and manager of a design empire. The piece of the empire found in South
Bend, where Studebakers were designed and made, was run by a fellow named
Bob Bourke. While Loewy ran his empire from New York and Europe, Bob
Bourke was actually in the trenches designing the Studebakers, including
the Starliner coupe.
I've done a lot of research on this subject, for reasons that will soon
become clear. According to my sources (which include Bob Bourke's sons),
Raymond Loewy's contribution to the Starliner was to fly into South Bend
once every blue moon, pick up a few pieces of chrome "embellishment" and
place them somewhere on the mock up of the car. Such as chrome "fins" on
the tops of the front fenders. Bourke and his team would then spend a
day or so talking Loewy out of his "embellishment" (hence no chrome fins
on the Starliner, thank God). Then Loewy would fly back to New York and
Bourke's team would get back to work.
Why do I care about this so much? Well, because the Jaguar E-Type I
bought this year had one owner from new: Mr. Robert E. Bourke. Bourke
ordered this car at the New York Auto Show in 1961, when it was
introduced to the U.S. (I have his carbon of the order form). He took
delivery later that year, then owned it until 1996, when he passed away.
I bought it from his widow earlier this year through the Barrett-Jackson
auction in Phoenix. I met one of his sons at the auction and got
interested in what his father accomplished and bought some books about
Studebaker and Bourke. His son is a great guy and has also sent me some
pictures of his father with the car and some other materials of his
father's.
Now, here we have an accomplished, famous automotive designer that walked
into the 1961 New York Auto Show and was so stunned by the E-Type that he
ordered one on the spot and owned it for the rest of his life! So even
if my opinion has no weight that the E-Type is the "best looking
car...ever," that of Bob Bourke's certainly should.
I rest my case.
David Littlefield
1962 MGA MkII (also on the list somewheres, IMHO)
1974 MG Midget vintage racecar
1951 MGTD
1961 Jaguar E-Type OTS (ex Bob Bourke)
On Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:20:43 -0500 "N" <twobees@sprynet.com> writes:
>
> How about the Raymond Lowey (sp?) designed '53 Studebaker h.t.
> coupe?
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