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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsCool Car Find: 1948 Studebaker M5
The Studebaker M-Series pickup of the 1940s served in WWII and saw unprecedented success for the brand in civilian hands.
Wartime Workhorse
1948 Studebaker M5 – carsforsale.com | Shop Studebaker M-Series on Carsforsale.com
The story of the Studebaker M-Series pickup truck, today’s Cool Car Find, revolves almost entirely around WWII. For American carmakers, the 1940s was an era of high output. Not that you would know it from official production numbers. Practically all major automotive manufacturers were pressed into service building components for the war, their production lines converted to build tanks, planes, and munitions rather than passenger vehicles. This pause in automotive manufacturing lasted roughly five years, with most carmakers not releasing new designs until 1948. The entirety of M-Series’ history spans this unusual period in automotive history.
M-Series Begins
In the late 1930s, Studebaker’s light truck offering was the Coupe Express based off their Dictator passenger car (you are right, that was an awkward name for a car in the late 30s). The Coupe Express was not a big seller for Studebaker, its $850 price tag hampering its competitiveness against more affordable options from Detroit’s Big Three.
Studebaker decided to base their next truck on another of their passenger cars, this time the Champion. Debuting in 1941, the Studebaker M-Series of trucks ran from the ½-ton M5 to the M15 one-ton, the M15H 1½-ton, and the M16 which came in 1½-ton and 2-ton versions. The base engine was a 170 cu-in (2.8L) straight-six making 80 horsepower and 134 lb-ft of torque. While not especially powerful, the engine was economical, a distinct benefit in times of gas rationing. The 2-ton M16 carried a larger “Commander” 226 cu-in (3.7L) six-cylinder. Transmissions included three- and four-speed manuals.
The M5 features a “step side” style bed with running boards and large fenders. To keep costs down, those fenders were interchangeable front to back and the running boards interchangeable side to side. The M5’s interior is sparse and borrows its dashboard from the Champion, yet another cost saver. The truck’s “wind wing” ventilation windows were a unique feature among pickups produced at the time. The bed was a standard 6 ½ feet.
At the additional cost of $25, the De Luxe trim added a hood ornament, painted fenders (rather than all black), and a stainless-steel grille bar overlay. Other options included a radio, interior rearview mirror, heater, overdrive, bumper guards, and windshield washers.
Studebaker US6
Starting in June of 1941, Studebaker began producing the US6, a 2 ½-ton truck for the US military. This was built in either 6×6 or 6×4 configurations. Studebaker adapted the M5’s cabin for the US6, adding a military style swing-out windshield and top mounted wipers. This was referred to internally as the C9 cab.
To ease parts supply and maintenance, the US military typically limited vehicle models to specific theaters in the war. In the case of the US6, it was primarily used by the US in the Pacific theater, including on the construction of the Alcan (Alaskan) highway in 1942. The US6 was also exported as part of the Lend Lease program to Allied forces with approximately 100,000 sent to the Soviet Union, where it became renowned for its quality and durability. Great Britain also received Studebaker US6s, using them in the Middle Eastern and India-Burma theaters. In total, some 197,678 US6 trucks were built for the war effort. Excess US6s were later converted for civilian use, often becoming fire- or other heavy-duty trucks.
Post-War Success
As the European theater of war was winding down in early 1945, the US War Production Board authorized some US manufacturers to resume civilian use production, Studebaker among them. And so, in the spring of 1945, Studebaker restarted M5 production (still overlapping with US6 production at the time). The new M-Series featured the updated C9 cab with its swing-out windshield for 1945. Production on an updated 1946 model year began in December of 1945. These reverted to the original C2 cab design.
Studebaker’s sales of the M-Series improved in these years with 43,196 units sold in 1946 and another 67,809 in 1947. In total, about 145,800 M-Series were produced from 1941 through 1948, roughly 92,000 for the US domestic market. The M-Series was succeeded by the new Studebaker 2R-Series of trucks starting in April of 1948.
This Cool Car
1948 Studebaker M5 – carsforsale.com | Shop Studebaker M-Series on Carsforsale.com
Our Cool Car Find is a 1948 Studebaker M5, finished in beige with red accenting on the grille, running boards, and fenders. Condition on this truck is spectacular inside and out, top to bottom. Note the addition of a spotlight on the driver’s side. Other cool details include the small step below the tailgate, the presence of a hood ornament (indicating this was a De Luxe trim model), and red, paint-matching hub caps clothed in white wall tires. This truck is for those who want to upstage all those F1s and Chevy 3100s at their local Cars and Coffee. For the hipster’s choice among 1940s pickups, it is hard to beat the Studebaker M5.
