Boasting “First by Far with a Postwar Car,” Studebaker brought out the dramatic Starlight coupe for 1947, so sleek that passers-by debated which way the car was traveling. Alone among independent manufacturers, Studebaker introduced its own automatic transmission, developed in conjunction with Borg Warner, in 1950, the year the cars were facelifted with the aircraft-inspired “bullet nose” design. For 1951, a V-8 engine was in the offing, again a first for an independent, a sturdy overhead valve design that would remain in production for more than a decade.

The serial number informs us that this Commander is from the State series and was built at the South Bend, Indiana factory. Handsomely presented in colors, brightwork and tan power canvas soft-top; only 3,770 examples of the 1951 Studebaker Commander State Convertible are listed as produced. Running a V-8 engine with three-speed with overdrive column-shift manual transmission; the Studebaker is further equipped with hog’s hair wool carpet, AM radio, period-style whitewall tires, original-type “Moon”-style hubcaps, clock, original factory brochure and its personal standalone style.