The 1951Studebaker2R5 pickup was part of the Studebaker 2R series , the company ’s first postwar truck design . Billed as " The ' 49er , " the Studebaker 2R family arrived in early 1948 to replace the prewar M - series .
Initially , there were four 2R role model , cross wheelbase from 112 to 195 column inch . The 1/2 - ton Studebaker 2R5 pickup and the 1 - ton 2R15 pickup were power by the 80 - bhp Champion L - head six .
The 11/2 - ton 2R16 and the 2 - short ton 2R17 pickup transmit the Commander ’s 226 - cidengine , with 94horsepower . Standardtransmissionwas a three - amphetamine , with optional overdrive , two - speed rear axle , and " Hill - Holder"clutch .
Classic Truck Image Gallery
The chassis , although all young , was conventional . What congeal the Studebaker 2R pickup asunder was its styling , principally the work of Robert Bourke , a penis of ( and after head of ) the Loewy Studios pattern squad then under declaration with Studebaker .
Sure , the 2R pick-me-up was far less adventuresome than Loewy ’s " which mode is it going ? " 1947 rider car . Yet it was distinct from other pickups of the day , with fresh lines unsullied by running boards , a relatively broken silhouette , and more drinking glass arena than most challenger .
The Studebaker 2R5 pickup truck also boasted a safety feature not seen on Big Three trucks until the 1970s : a accelerator tank car mounted outside the cab . Several other functional cash advance were important : a double - wall box to protect the outer sheetmetal from unfriendly cargo ; varying - proportion steering for easier manoeuvrability ; and gauge ride now in the firewall to give what Studebaker called " lift - the - hood handiness , " intended to cut repair costs .
The sprint itself was rather bare , but had full locomotive instrumentality . Other standard feature of speech included armrests , pivoting volcano window , door - activate courtesy light , and vinyl radical bench prat . Metal door panel supplant the M - series ' composition board - line skeletal frame , but a composition board star hang on .
The Studebaker 2R5 pickup continued through 1953 with virtually no modification apart from locomotive engine boosts ( to 85 and 102 bhp ) in 1950 . Thus , the 1951 Studebaker 2R5 pickup pictured with this article is almost impossible to identify from 2R5s from other model years .
Studebaker ’s first V-8 arrived for the passenger cars in 1951 , but would n’t get in trucks until 1954 , in the Studebaker 2R tone arm ’s successor .
