As the decade of the 1960s opened up, Studebaker-Packard appeared for once to be in pretty good shape. After losing money steadily since 1954, the company recorded its largest profit ever in 1959, some $28.5 million, while boasting calendar-year production of 153,823 cars and 7,737 trucks. This surprising success was the result of introducing its new Lark compact. So, heading into 1960, Studebaker seemed to have the right momentum.
The company’s passenger-car range was limited to just the Lark series and the aging Hawk coupe. The truck model lineup also was not extensive, but for 1960 it offered plenty that was new. Studebaker’s basic truck cab had been in production since the 1949 model year and was looking rather dated by 1960. To correct this problem, the company introduced more modern-looking ½-