1965 Studebaker Wagonaire

NOTE: Our founder and Chairman, Mel Martin, purchased this interesting and rare vehicle at the Glendale Mecum Auction in 2021, with the proceeds benefitting the Curing Kids Cancer charity.

Despite the financial woes that Studebaker faced from the mid-1950's through their closing in 1966, they produced some of the more innovative cars of the time. One of those pioneering designs was the Wagonaire, produced from 1963 to 1965.

The Wagonaire featured a distinctive rear roof that slid forward, greatly expanding the cargo space. Studebaker advertising promoted their unique roof feature showing families loading up in the open cargo area with kids, dogs and even a playground slide. Another feature is the drop-down step on the rear tailgate - a characteristic on modern GMC trucks called "innovative" even though Studebaker featured this more than 40 years earlier.