Studebaker Coupe Express
Encyclopedia
The Studebaker Coupe Express was a coupe utility
Coupé utility
The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....

, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...

, between 1937 and 1939. Unlike other concurrent pick-up trucks, the coupe express mated Studebaker's passenger car styling to a full size truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

 bed.

The Coupe Express was created by using the Studebaker Dictator
Studebaker Dictator
The Studebaker Dictator was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1927-1937. Model year 1928 was the first full year of Dictator production.In the mid-1920s, Studebaker began renaming its vehicles...

 passenger car frame, running gear, and front sheet metal. A new body stamping was made to form the cab back. An all-steel pickup box was built for the pickup models. The model was sold as a cab and chassis, with rear fenders attached, so a service box could be fabricated by the end user (such as a plumber, or depot hack).

The truck was powered by the larger of Studebaker's L-head six cylinder flathead engines and mated to a 3-speed manual transmission. Studebaker offered a Borg-Warner 3-speed transmission with overdive as an option. Other options included, a radio, heater, wire reinforced sliding back window and turn indicators. Two wheel options were available including a stamped steel disc wheel and a stamped steel 'artillery' spoked wheel.

Production for the 1937 model year was approximately 3,000 units.

The truck's passenger cab was restyled in 1938 to reflect the modernized passenger car sheet metal resulted a slightly longer pickup bed. Production for 1938 was approximately 1,200 units.

The 1939 model was again remodeled to reflect Studebaker's annual design updates. Production was approximately 1,000 units. The Coupe Express model was discontinued after the 1939 model year, and Studebaker did not offer a successor model for 1940.

Studebaker introduced the M-Series pickup truck 1941, while the company used the Coupe Express name in advertising for a time, but no M-Series trucks were ever officially designated as the Coupe Express.
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