The Rockne was initially developed by freelance automotive engineers Roy Cole and Ralph Vail as a project for Willys-Overland. When Willy’s declined the car, Cole approached Studebaker President Albert Erskine who bought the design and retained Cole and Vail as engineers. The new car was built by the newly formed...

Conventional wisdom of the late 1920s held that low-priced models could dilute the brand image of their higher-priced stablemates. Studebaker, along with many other manufacturers, marketed its new low-priced offerings as separate and distinct brands termed companion models. Studebaker sought to expand its traditional middle-priced product line. Commercial vehicles were...