1962 Studebaker Spectre Concept

In the early 1960s, Brooks Stevens was commissioned to create several prototypes to signal the direction of the next generation of Studebaker automobiles. One example was called the Spectre, intended as a replacement for the Gran Turisimo Hawk. It was a 2 door coupe with a protruding front end that had a similar appearance to an electric razor. Below that was a grille with vertical louvers divided into 12 sections and flanked by orange turn signal lights and square headlights. There were pointy fenders and a tri-color emblem mounted in the middle of the hood. The exterior was finished in black paint with a silver stripe down the side and a white hardtop. It was given a large windshield and plenty of windows on both sides and in the back.

The interior was equally impressive, with all the gauges located directly in front of the driver, on top of the dash, in bubbles, that could be tilt-adjusted. Located behind the bubbles was the speedometer that could be pivoted up from between the two middle bubbles.

Located in between the driver and front passenger was a console angled toward the driver. The bucket seats were clothed in vinyl in black, brown, and silver.

This certainly was a futuristic design with many new design cues that were creative and useful. Unfortunately, the decision that led to this remaining just a concept was due to finances. Instead, the Studebaker decided to put the Avanti Prototypes, which had been designed by Raymond Loewy, into production. Its body was made of fiberglass, and it used the platform from the Lark convertible.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2017