1964 Studebaker Lark

1964 Studebaker Lark Commander 4 Door Sedan The '64 Studebaker line up was a rather eclectic one. The Lark Challenger and Commander were touted as family cars, leaders in the low priced field. Daytona was the spirited fun car while the Cruiser was the luxury model. The Wagonaire was available with a sliding rear roof if you thought the 2004 GMC Envoy was the first to do it. Then there were the performance models, the completely different Gran Turismo/Hawk models and the wildly unique Avanti.  For consignment, 1964 Studebaker Lark Commander four door sedan with a title verified 102,687 actual miles. Studebaker touted its full size convenience and beauty, with features not found even on many expensive cars.  Exterior The unique shape combines boxy proportions with body lines that are both subtle as in the front fender, and quite pronounced like the rear fender's bump that continues to encircle the rear fascia over a central fuel cap. There's also a trim piece that rides the shoulder line of the car then swings around back where it bisects the tail lights and continues between them, becoming part of that trim. On the face, it's all trapezoids, from the bezels around the dual headlights to the grille itself and robust chrome bumpers occupy the front and rear. 15-inch Vision wheels spice things up a bit and carry 205/65R15 tires with a mid 2023 date code. Overall, the panels are straight; however, the paint, lenses, and some metal show its age and include some bubbling, cracking paint, surface rust, and chipped paint.  Interior The Studebaker S is stamped into the tan vinyl door panels, some of which show some looseness and a tear or two, but mostly intact. Brown vinyl surrounds cloth inserts on the bench seat up front and rear seat, and presents well with a stain on the passenger's vinyl upper and some looseness in the back seat noted. The two tone steering wheel and its horn ring show their age but hint at a unique style, fronting an intact dashboard with circular gauges in square sections, all subject to some patina and including the dash pad which has some damage. An AM radio sits front and center with white plastic push buttons and the adjacent glove box looks slightly askew. Tan loop carpet covers the floor, the white perforated headliner up top is nice, and the trunk is barren and shows use, carrying a spare tire. Drivetrain Under the hood, a driver quality 169.6 OHV inline six cylinder, rated at 112 horsepower and fueled via 1-barrel carburetor. A 2-speed automatic sends power to the rear axle with 3.07 gears.  Undercarriage Surprisingly clean and simple underneath with some typical surface rust and some residual oil on the pan. Drum brakes are supplied to all four wheels and a single exhaust flows through a stock style muffler on its way to the back. Suspension is also basic with coil springs up front and leaf springs in the back.  Drive-Ability We roll this former economy car out on to the test loop where it provides decent power and decent visibility via its open and tall greenhouse. We note it pulls to the left but turn ins are just fine and braking is responsive as can be. The clock and radio are not working, but all other functions operate as they should and we fly this Lark back to the mall. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.  Exact numbers are hard to come by on this one, but there may be as few as 6,000 Commanders produced in 1964 making a four door sedan a rare bird indeed! This one has great bones and could easily be brought into show level condition with some cosmetic work. Drive it in its survivor status however, and you'll still have a cool car that will turn many heads. And not just those of birdwatchers! Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controll