Studebaker Super Lark
source: Wikimedia
Rounding out our list is a uniquely cool, compact piece of muscle car that pre-dates everything you ever knew about the great Americana combat of the Big Three, all those big motors, and all those coke-bottle bodies. The Lark became Studebaker’s primary export in the states and across the seas, and it marked the first time the company broke even on its books – it was only fitting the car maker took the base model and souped it up to garner new sales.
Studebaker wasn’t a brand known for making flashy, expensive vehicles. Overshadowed by GM, Ford, and Chevy, Studebaker focused on high-volume, affordable economy cruisers. Usually optioned with simple interiors and flat-six engines, no Studebaker ever turned heads for its performance until 1963. It was this year that the company, suffering from financial woes yet again, took the Lark and turned it into perhaps one of the first, true muscle cars, ever: The Super Lark.
The Super Lark was the result of Studebaker partnering closely with racing aficionado and hot rodder Anthony Granatelli. The Chicago native worked previously with supercharger developer Paxton before buying out a division of supercharger maker McCulloch to develop his own short-nose blowers.
Studebaker took note of Granatelli’s work and began working with him to improve the car maker’s V8 engine. The result was an upgraded R1 motor, dubbed the “Jet Thrust”. This 10.25:1-compression 289 boasted 225 gross horsepower, while an R2 version called the Super Jet Thrust came with 9.0:1 compression and a Paxton SN-60 blower making 6 pounds of boost.
source: Wikimedia
Granatelli took a Studebaker Lark equipped with the R2 engine took the Bonneville Salt Flats and started setting some impressive speed records. The specially equipped Lark made 132 mph with a 3.31 axle – an impressive figure for any sedan of the era. Studebaker caught up and introduced Granatelli’s modded Lark as the Super Lark.
Mated with a 4-speed manual trans, Dana 44 axle, and limited slip diff, the Super Lark started dusting competitors. The car made null to 60 in just about 7 seconds flat and managed the quarter mile in the 15-second range. Keep in mind, this was all coming from a car previously thought of as nothing more than a grocery-getter.
The Super Lark may look a tad quirky, and it might not exude the masculinity of mid-sixties pony cars, but it is a rather cool piece of muscle history. Its blown 289 and beefed up drivetrain could be considered the grandfather of the first modern muscle cars. For an underdog car from a failing company to plant the seed of 60’s hot rodding, the Studebaker Super Lark earns its place as the last (but certainly not least) car on our list of 25 stunning muscle cars.
