Here is a fine looking classic 1946 Studebaker M 5 Express Pickup. The M-series truck was designed in the late 1930’s by the Studebaker Corporation. The M 5 trucks were half-tons.
Studebaker Trucks
Studebaker was a company that had it’s roots back in the mid 1800’s when they were building wagons. They sold a lot of those wagons to the government during the Civil war years and eventually transitioned into building automobiles and trucks.
It was the year 1914 that Studebaker launched a commercial vehicle division. One product this new division created was panel trucks built on car chassis. Ford followed the same formula building their Model TT Truck on the Model T chassis. I the case of Studebaker their truck production was short lived ending in 1917.
Studebaker began building trucks again in 1929 and this would last until 1963. After the company took control of Pierce Arrow they began making pickups again since Pierce had a few pickup truck designs in addition to their luxury car designs that most people remember the company for.
The 1946 Studebaker M 5
Srudebaker like other automakers returned to civilian car production after the war’s end. As a side note, World War Two had Studebaker providing nearly 200,000 military trucks.
The Studebaker M-Series trucks were introduced for the 1941 model year. This was just prior to the U.S. entering World War Two. The M-Series came with several models. The three main ones were the half ton M5, the one ton M15, and the 1-1/2 ton M16. All of these models were built with an inline six engine. The Studebaker M Series trucks could be had in a number of body styles however only pickup cargo beds were available on the M5, M15, & M15A
Regarding styling for the Studebaker M5, the trucks tall shape, swept-back Vee windshield, trim scheme, simple ornamentation and rounded fenders differentiated it from the more common Fords and Chevrolet pickups. The M Series trucks also had a more aerodynamic design than it’s competitors.
The 1946 model coming out just after the end of the war had just a few minor styling changes from the first M5 built just before the war. American automakers in general just carried over their 1941 designs to 1946 since civilian vehicle styling took a back seat to the war effort. One unique styling fact about Studebaker and the M5 is that the back and front fenders are interchangeable with the result of lowering some production expenses. Studebaker had to keep prices low so that the M5 could compete against Ford and Chevrolet. Aside from saving some money with these fenders they also were well incorporated into the design.
1946 Studebaker M5 Specifications
Engine for the 1946 M5 Studebaker is a 169 cubic inch inline six putting out 85 HP.
The only available transmission for the M-Series is a four speed manual.
Brakes are four wheel hydraulic drums.
Suspension is leaf springs and a straight front axle.
Dimensions include a 113.9 inch wheelbase,
Studebaker sold over 50,000 M5s before it ended production of the M5 in 1948.
Related Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below..
1956 Studebaker Custom Champion Wagon
1949 Studebaker Custom 2R Pickup
1951 Studebaker Commander Convertible
Reference material for this article includes..Studebaker 1946-1966 : The Classic Post War Years by Richard M. Langworth…Studebaker : The Life and Death of an American Corporation by Donald R. Critchlow…Complete Guide of Collectible Cars by the Editors of Consumer Guide.
The Studebaker M5 Collectible Truck
Studebaker was a great name among American automakers and many of their vehicles including the M5 Pickups have a good collector following.
The Studebaker post war M5’s offered more modern styling but at the same time had features pointing back to the 1930’s.
1946 Studebaker M5 Pickups in excellent and restored condition with high originality and reasonable low mileage have sold in a range from about $35,000 to $55,000.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)