55fireflite Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Greetings, Recently I posted this photo of an Indiana State Police car over in the What Is It? forum. The folks there confirmed it's a 1932 or 1933 Rockne. Someone suggested I post the photo here as well. It's a very nice quality copy print I purchased on eBay. I only came up with the Rockne theory after my library turned up nothing, and I Googled every independent make I could think of. A search for 1932 Studebaker finally produced a photo of a Rockne. Your thoughts are appreciated. Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Yes, it is a '32 Rockne. Have numerous photos and documentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 I believe it was Bayone, NJ that had a fleet of Rockne police cars. I have photos of some, they were roadsters as i recall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Studeq check your previous post. Photo says '33, text says '32. Was there much difference between the two? As I posted in the original thread relating to this it seems there were sizes of Rockne in '32, the 65 and the 75, and only the smaller 65 was carried over to '33, as a Model 10. It is this smaller model that has the sloped front edge to the door. The bigger one, '32 Model 75 only, has a vertical front edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 2 hours ago, nzcarnerd said: Studeq check your previous post. Photo says '33, text says '32. Was there much difference between the two? As I posted in the original thread relating to this it seems there were sizes of Rockne in '32, the 65 and the 75, and only the smaller 65 was carried over to '33, as a Model 10. It is this smaller model that has the sloped front edge to the door. The bigger one, '32 Model 75 only, has a vertical front edge. Yes, am aware of all of that. I have written articles on Rockne the car and Rockne the man! My post states the car in the initial photo is a '32. Did not state the car in the current photo is a '32 because it is not, it is a '33 "10" which is why I labeled it accordingly. Just a Rockne coupe photo that I had handy on the hard drive that was easy to access. The principal difference in the two can be seen in the front fenders. The '33s are longer in front and curve over the tires as is quite evident in comparing the two photos. Believe I can answer most any questions you might have on the Rockne car as I have probably the largest collection of original Rockne documentation on the planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlightcoupe Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 (edited) Between '32 and '33 there were subtle differences not obvious to the naked eye: wheel size, wheelbase, etc. Most recognizable difference is in the contour of the front fenders as they dip to the grill. '32 runs horizontal in front of the tires then dips to the grill. '33 swoops down in front of the tires, as Richard indicated. This difference can be seen in the two photos above. Even in my tiny avatar it is obvious mine is a '33. Mr. Quinn's photo of the '33 coupe was taken during the ASC tour at the 2008 International Meet in Lancaster. Edited January 30, 2017 by starlightcoupe (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 23 hours ago, nzcarnerd said: Studeq check your previous post. Photo says '33, text says '32. Was there much difference between the two? As I posted in the original thread relating to this it seems there were sizes of Rockne in '32, the 65 and the 75, and only the smaller 65 was carried over to '33, as a Model 10. It is this smaller model that has the sloped front edge to the door. The bigger one, '32 Model 75 only, has a vertical front edge. Yes, am aware of all of that. I have written articles on Rockne the car and Rockne the man! My post states the car in the initial photo is a '32. Did not state the car in the current photo is a '32 because it is not, it is a '33 "10" which is why I labeled it accordingly. Just a Rockne coupe photo that I had handy on the hard drive that was easy to access. The principal difference in the two can be seen in the front fenders. The '33s are longer in front and curve over the tires as is quite evident in comparing the two photos. Believe I can answer most any questions you might have on the Rockne car as I have probably the largest collection of original Rockne documentation on the planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Here is the photo I mentioned of the Bayonne, NJ police departments fleet of Studebakers. The four at left are 1933 Rockne 10 convertible coupes. Unusual I think to use a convertible for a cop car and more so to have white sidewall tires!? Guess we must assume that any wrong doers would be placed in the rumble seat for their trip to the pokey? The car at far right is also a '33 Studebaker though no way to tell the model. I suspect a Six or Commander. Incidentally I have see an old newsreel of these Rocknes in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55fireflite Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Great photo! Roadsters and touring cars were not uncommon for police cars up through the 1920s. Presumably cost was a significant factor.I have a photo of a Detroit police 1929 Lincoln 7-passenger touring, a circa '31 Wills St Claire, and several Model As in my collection. After 1930 the practicality of a solid roof took precedence, but convertibles occasionally show up. The North Carolina Museum of Transportation in Spencer has an original NCHP 1936 Ford roadster. After WWII they disappeared except for parade vehicles. A surprising number of two-seaters (coupes or ragtops) were used. If the perp was the non-violent sort, he might ride next to the officer, but more likely he'd call for a paddy wagon. Again, I my guess is cost was factor. The whitewalls are nice touch. They show up occasionally too. I have neat black and white '53 Packard Clipper sporting a set. Getting back to Studebakers, Inglewood, CA some 1950 sedans, and Missoula, MT had a fleet of 1955 models. I believe this LaGrange, IL car is 57 Commander, and St. Petersburg Beach, FL showed off a pair of new Larks in this press photo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Great photos, thanks for posting. LaGrange is only 30 minutes north of me. Never knew they used Studebaker. I have lots of Studebaker police car photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtown Commander Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Did the former mayor of Mokena get the city to use Studebakers during his term in office? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeq Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Tried but the board could not be convinced that a fleet of 15 year old cars made in Canada was a good idea. (I was mayor in 1981-83) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now