AutoducksVIN Decoder

Classic cars / Independents

Studebaker VIN decoder, 1946-1964

Classic Studebaker serial numbers use the maker's own format, which standard decoders cannot read. Ours reads each published format and shows the source for every rule, including where references disagree.

Type it exactly as stamped, with no spaces or dashes. We do not keep the numbers you enter.

Where's my serial number?

Example: G468101 (an example Studebaker serial).

Years we cover

1946-1953, 1959-1964. Not covered yet: 1954-1958.

What a Studebaker serial looks like, by year

Each example below is split into numbered groups of characters, with what each group means. Example numbers show the layout; they are not a specific car.

1946-1952

Looks like G468101 (7 characters)

1 Prefix letterG: Champion (six-cylinder) serial number unconfirmed [SDC1950]
2 Serial number (separate ranges at South Bend, Los Angeles and Hamilton)468101 [SDC1950]
Where sources disagree
  • 1951 South Bend start: one post says 1,000,001; the example G1120005 is a 1952 car. Years are not decoded.

Forum summary: Champions carry a G prefix and the number runs on through the years; separate ranges were used at Hamilton (Ontario) and Vernon (Los Angeles) with no code for the plant. First 1950 numbers quoted: South Bend G468,101; Los Angeles G851,801; Hamilton G709,401. Other quoted numbers: 1947 Champion G288050; 1949 Hamilton Champion G703101; 1951 South Bend Champions from 1,000,001; 1952 South Bend example G1120005; 1952 Vernon G907301 to G917641 (earlier notes).

Studebaker used the Roman numeral I for the digit 1.

The serial does not give a model year or model; nothing is decoded beyond the prefix. Commander and President cars of this era carry plain numbers with no prefix (for example Commander 4,398,601 at South Bend in 1950) and are not encoded.

Source is forum posts seen through search summaries only. Treat as unconfirmed.

Example is the first South Bend 1950 number quoted.

Sources: [SDC1950]

1949-1953

Looks like R542501 (7 characters)

1 PrefixR: Studebaker 2R truck serial prefix [STUDE2R]
2 Truck model5: 2R5, 1/2 ton, 112 in. wheelbase [STUDE2R]
3 Serial number42501 [STUDE2R]

Serial plate is below the driver's seat on the left side. First production was spring 1948 (1949 models). Starting serials by year from Studebaker service letters (STUDE2R): 2R5 1949 R5-001, 1950 R5-42501, 1952 R5-78579, 1953 R5-96238; 2R10 1949 R10-001, 1950 R10-20101, 1952 R10-31339, 1953 R10-34250; 2R15 1949 R15-001, 1950 R15-10801, 1952 R15-12770, 1953 R15-13398; 2R16A 1949 R16A-13201, 1950 R16A-24401, 1952 R16A-33041, 1953 R16A-39413; 2R17A 1949 R17A-7201, 1950 R17A-13501, 1952 R17A-22791, 1953 R17A-31039. 1951 numbers are not separated from 1950 for these models. Only starting numbers are published, so no per-year pattern is encoded.

Canadian 2R5 (HR5): 1949 HR5-001, 1950 HR5-1500, 1951 HR5-2986, 1952 HR5-4810, 1953 HR5-5446 to HR5-6550.

2R16 and 2R17 (the 226 cu in versions) appear in the production list but their serial starts are only given for the A models.

Example is a serial start from the list.

All prefix codes (2)
RStudebaker 2R truck serial prefix [STUDE2R]
HRCanadian-built 2R5 (HR5 series) [STUDE2R]
All truck model codes (8)
52R5, 1/2 ton, 112 in. wheelbase [STUDE2R]
62R6 (introduced about June 1950) [STUDE2R]
102R10, 3/4 ton, 112 in. wheelbase [STUDE2R]
112R11 (introduced about June 1950) [STUDE2R]
142R14 (introduced about June 1950) [STUDE2R]
152R15, 1 ton, 121 or 131 in. wheelbase [STUDE2R]
16A2R16A, 1-1/2 ton, 245 cu in [STUDE2R]
17A2R17A, 2 ton, 245 cu in [STUDE2R]

Sources: [STUDE2R]

1959-1964

Looks like 59V1001 (7 characters)

1 Model year59: 1959 [SDC]
2 Engine typeV: V-8 unconfirmed [SDC]
3 Sequence number (separate sequences for sixes and V-8s)1001 [SDC]
Where sources disagree
  • All Studebaker content here comes from enthusiast forum posts seen through search summaries; the forum pages themselves returned HTTP 403. Treat every code as unconfirmed until checked against the Studebaker National Museum or the factory shop manual.

Forum summary: a 1960 Lark number starts 60S for a six and 60V for a V-8, followed by sequential build numbers that are unique to sixes and to V-8s; the V-8 sequence for 1959 starts at 59V1001. One post names 64V-20202 as the last V-8 Lark-type or Hawk built in South Bend for 1964.

The 1961, 1962 and 1963 prefixes (61, 62, 63) are not confirmed by any source we could read, so they are not in this pattern. A capital I in a Studebaker serial is the digit 1 (forum).

Studebaker body tags are a separate record and are not serial numbers.

All model year codes (3)
591959 [SDC]
601960 [SDC]
641964 [SDC]
All engine type codes (2)
SSix-cylinder unconfirmed [SDC]
VV-8 unconfirmed [SDC]

Sources: [SDC]

1961-1963

Looks like 62S48575 (8 characters)

1 Model year62: 1962 unconfirmed [HAG62]
2 Engine typeS: Six-cylinder unconfirmed [SDC100067]
3 Sequence number (a capital I in the number is the digit 1)48575 [SDC100067]
Where sources disagree
  • Pace-car numbers: a forum post shows a Pace Car 62V 28419 and a Daytona 62S 28419 sharing the same sequence number, so the sequence is not unique across letters.

Pattern: two-digit model year, S or V, an optional C, then a sequence number of three to six digits. Examples seen on sale listings: 61V2572 (Hagerty), 62S48575 (Hagerty), 63V6787 (ClassicCars.com), 61S9409, 61S26278, 61V510, 62S7000, 63V23772, 63VI9595. The 1964 form (64S6153, 64V15196) is in the existing studebaker-1959-1964 format.

The S and V letters are read as six-cylinder and V-8 from forum statements about 1960 and 1962 (62S and 62V totals); the forum pages could not be fetched, so every code here is unconfirmed.

The sequence numbers are separate for sixes and V-8s and do not by themselves date the car; the Studebaker National Museum production order is the authority (forum posts).

Avanti numbers use a different form (for example 63R 1004) and are not covered.

Example is a number seen on a listing.

All model year codes (3)
611961 unconfirmed [HAG61]
621962 unconfirmed [HAG62]
631963 unconfirmed [CC63]
All engine type codes (2)
SSix-cylinder unconfirmed [SDC100067]
VV-8 unconfirmed [SDC100067]

Sources: [SDC100067] [HAG61] [HAG62] [CC63]

What a serial number cannot tell you

It identifies what the factory recorded in the number: typically the model year, assembly plant, series or body and production sequence, and in some years the engine. It cannot confirm a car is original or numbers-matching. Compare stampings, body tags and documentation.

Sources