Studebaker predicted that its 1950-51 Aero Nose models were the future of automotive styling, but the trend stuck for only two short years.

Today the collector-car world calls these cars “bullet-nose,” but the preferred term at Studebaker when the 1950 models rolled out was “Aero Nose.” French-born Raymond Loewy, who then held the contract to lead the South Bend automaker’s design program, told stylist Bob Bourke to make the front end “look like ze airplane.” Bourke followed Loewy’s lead right down to the simulated propeller hub, creating the most radical styling of the 1950 season. Studebaker billed it as “the next look in cars.”

Apart from the redesigned front end, the exterior sheetmetal was largely a continuation of Studebaker’s 1947 makeover, including the famous coming-and-going backlite  treatment. The chassis was mostly a carryover as well, with updated front suspension and the mid-season introduction of the Automatic Drive transmission, co-developed with Detroit Gear. Studebaker recorded its peak year in history in 1950, producing more than 343,000 cars. For 1951, the company introduced its first V8 engine (see our feature on the 1951-64 V8 here) but the sales figures, while still decent that year, were now beginning their steady march south. In 1958, production fell to less than 50,000 units.

Critics were genuinely excited by the 1950 Aero Nose look. Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated gushed that the new Stude was the “best-looking car in its class.” Devon Francis, the esteemed automotive writer for Popular Science, offered that the pointy nose might even reduce aerodynamic drag and improve fuel economy (not likely). But as is often the case with far-out styling themes, the Aero Nose didn’t age well. Ater just two years, for ’52 the company reverted to a more conventional front end. In 1953, Studebaker would make real history with Bourke’s sensational Starliner coupe.