Javillac
Although the 1930s were marked by a period of enormous economic hardship known as The Great Depression was also a time of great excess in the automobile world, in which V12 and V16 mechanics proliferated among the most luxurious manufacturers such as Packard, Lincoln or Cadillac.
By then Studebaker It was one of the most important automobile companies in America, but, although it had a very wide and diverse range, it was not at the level of the largest in Detroit. For this reason, and at a time when television was a practically experimental technology, the best way to advertise was with a large event, which is why This car brand set out to create a giant car that was going to break all records.
1931: THE 50-FOOT STUDEBAKER
Although the car they created was certainly impressive, the reality was that its size did not reach a length of fifty feet, instead From end to end the vehicle measured forty-one feet, which is equivalent to almost twelve and a half meters., with a wheelbase of 8,2 meters. The height was 4,26 meters and the width was 4,5 meters.
The car was built during the spring of 1930, its The body was made almost entirely of pine wood, which made the weight more than five and a half tons.. Other interesting facts are the tires that Firestone made to order and that measured more than two meters in diameter, or the gigantic steering wheel measured more than one meter from tip to tip.
The idea was to create an exact replica of the 1931 Studebaker President Roadster, but since the giant car was created before the launch of the model, it can be said that the colossus on wheels was based on one of the prototypes of this car, since The only apparent difference was that it had the spare wheel in the rear, while the final model that was released had two tires on the wings.
The great Studebaker President spent several years adorning the company's facilities in South Bend, Indiana, and was the star of various press advertisements, as well as a promotional film created by Studebaker in 1930 called “Wild Flowers,” in which The brand's orchestra plays inside this car with plenty of room for the 22 and twenty-two members that made up it.
1933: BREAKING HIS OWN RECORD
Just two years later Studebaker set out to create a car even larger in size than the previous one. While the 1931 President was created for no apparent reason other than to draw public attention, The next giant replica of the brand had to be a big draw for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair.
The model chosen this time was a 1934 Studebaker Land Cruiser, and its size was double that of the car that previously held the world record. The new replica It measured more than 24 meters long, 11 meters high and the wheels measured more than 3,5 meters.
Once again the body was made of pine wood, and the function that this car fulfilled was to have the enough space for eighty people, as the interior of the car served as a projection room in which a Studebaker promotional film was seen. Afterwards, as a souvenir, a small model of the gigantic Land Cruiser was given to all those who had decided to visit the Studebaker stand at the fair, and which was one of the ones with the largest attendance.
All this may seem like an environmental nonsense for which the brand had to cut down hundreds and hundreds of trees, but the company's last great advertising strategy that we remember in this article was to plant a forest of 5.000 pine trees that form the word Studebaker, and which remains a living vestige of a company that disappeared almost sixty years ago.
A TRAGIC END FOR BOTH CARS
You would think that these gigantic vehicles would be kept safe simply because of the importance they had and the effort it took to build them, but that was not the case. In the case of the 1931 Roadster, It was left outdoors for several years, something that took its toll on the vehicle. especially considering the harsh climatic conditions of the northern United States.
In addition, the car was a great advertising claim, but as the years went by It caught the attention of people who broke into the Studebaker facilities to vandalize the gigantic car. or take a souvenir. Furthermore, at that time the American industry had the habit of redesigning car models almost annually, so the Studebaker President became quite outdated in a short time.
In May of 1936, In the purest style of the Valencian fallas, the company gave the order to set it on fire, and in a matter of thirty minutes the colossus turned to ashes. For her part, the 1934 Land Cruiser had a lesser-known end, but it was also destroyed after her stellar presence at the Chicago World's Fair.
Studebaker images.
