Forget The Grumman LLV, Studebaker Made The Ultimate Mail Truck

For years, the legendary Grumman LLV has been a forbidden fruit for the kinds of postal vehicle enthusiast who wants a durable way to haul stuff. Sadly, the LLV remains so rare in the public marketplace that they might as well not exist. Fear not, because there’s another mail truck worth considering out there and you may end up wanting it even more than the Grumman. The Studebaker Zip-Van is cooler and rarer than a Grumman LLV, but you can sometimes find them for sale.

There is a madness within me. Yes, I suppose there is that madness that has me as the caretaker of two dozen vehicles, but there is a part of me that yearns to experience a mail truck. It has been the driving force behind me researching mail trucks and trying to buy the few that pop up for sale. I’m not sure what it is about a mail truck that gets my motor running. Perhaps it’s the utility of a freight truck, but shrunken down to a maneuverable size.

For others with the postal truck affliction, the grail may be the backbone of the United States Postal Service, the Grumman LLV. Sure, it’s just a Chevy S-10 with an aluminum body and nothing for creature comforts, but can you imagine anything else delivering junk mail straight to your door?

For some of our older readers, or perhaps readers around Seymour, Connecticut, the iconic truck might be this, the Studebaker Zip-Van. I got highly specific there because as of 2023, one of these vans was still driving around out there.

Studebaker’s Possible Savior

This wonderful truck came at a dark period in Studebaker’s history. The ancestors of the Studebaker family emigrated from Germany during the 1700s. The first Studebaker wagons were built in 1740 out of a factory next to the Studebaker home in Hagerstown, Maryland. Amazingly, that home is still around today.

The Studebaker we know today was formed in 1852 in South Bend, Indiana by Henry and Clement Studebaker. Back then, the firm was known as the H & C Studebaker blacksmith shop and it was here where the Studebakers continued the family tradition of building wagons. The company would expand into electric cars in 1902 with the Studebaker Electrical Automobile. This car was pitched as being so simple that a child could drive it no harder than riding a horse.

Just two years later, the company would produce its first gasoline-powered car, a touring car with a two-cylinder, 16 HP engine. A period of expansion followed in the 1910s with Studebaker acquiring the Everitt-Metzker-Flanders Company and rising to become America’s third largest car company behind Ford and Overland. Eventually, cars became such a big business for Studebaker that wagon production finally ceased in 1920.

Sadly, Studebaker’s history is filled with peaks and troughs. Studebaker lost momentum during the Great Depression, necessitating its rescue. Yet, Studebaker also managed to capture a portion of the heavy truck market while also introducing hot sellers like the Champion. Studebaker even managed to capture the famed Raymond Loewy to design its vehicles in 1938.

The company would struggle again in the 1950s. Joining forces with Packard and updating its lineup produced some gorgeous vehicles with neat inventions, but not a profit. Eventually, Studebaker started grasping at straws. By the early 1960s, Studebaker had its hands in commercial refrigeration, Onan generators, Gravely tractors, home appliances, STP, an airline, and even some missile technology. The company kept its truck business alive thanks to military contracts.

In 1963, Studebaker made another bid to rake in more cash by developing the Model 8E5-FC.

Studebaker raided its parts bin to make an appealing vehicle for the postal service. The Model 8E5-FC had a 169.6 cubic inch 112 HP gross Skybolt Six from the Champion, a Borg-Warner Flight-O-Matic transmission, plus Champion platform components including a frame and suspension. The finishing touches include a steel body from Met-Pro of Pennsylvania and an instrument cluster borrowed from the Transtar truck. Reportedly, these came with Packard’s Twin Traction limited slip-differentials, too.

One unique feature of the Model 8E5-FC was its seat. The driver — the sole occupant — entered the vehicle through the sliding door on the right and could drive sitting down in their seat or standing up with the seat folded out of the way. To get a sense of the scale, the Zip-Van rides on an 85-inch wheelbase, and total length is 12 feet. So, it’s about as long as a small wagon.

The Post Office liked what they saw and awarded Studebaker a contract for $9 million. That year in 1963, the Post Office introduced the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) system and as a way to educate the public, the Mr. Zip cartoon character was created. The Studebaker vans driven by mail carriers would be called Zip-Vans. Just 4,238 of them were built and while they helped Studebaker, the company wasn’t able to score another Post Office contract. A story in Ride-CT suggests that Studebaker lost the next contract by a margin of just 19 cents per unit. Unfortunately, pivoting to mail trucks couldn’t stop Studebaker’s bleeding. The company faltered just a couple of years later.

You Can Still Buy Zip-Vans

Thankfully, the Zip-Vans stuck around after they were retired from postal duties. That means you can still find and buy one for sale today. However, there are reasons to temper your excitement.

The first problem is just that there weren’t many made. These trucks were made from 1963 to 1966 with steel bodies. It’s been 60 years since then and who knows how many Zip-Vans have been lost due to rust. Then there’s just the fact that there are only 4,238 of them to the six-digit numbers of postal trucks running around today. So, these are rare everywhere. Still, you can find them if you look hard enough.

I found just one Zip-Van currently for sale and it’s an interesting one.

The Studebaker engine was removed for the fuel-injected 1.6-liter four from a Geo Tracker. That should be making about 80 horsepower and 94 pound-feet of torque, or probably roughly about what the original Studebaker engine made in net power. The seller claims work in the form of brakes, tires, a master cylinder, and sealing in the patina of the body. That’s the catch with this one. The rust appears to be largely of the surface variety, but it’s everywhere. So, if you want to bring this truck back to its prime you’ll be spending a lot of time or money.

Here’s what these look like inside when they’re all dolled up:

Even less appealing is the asking price of $25,000. You can get one of the super rare Grumman LLVs on GovDeals and have cash left over for that price. A minty Zip-Van sold for $28,500 on Bring a Trailer in 2021. Other rougher examples have sold for far less.

So, maybe you won’t get this one, but keep your eyes peeled. If you’re a postal enthusiast with a soft spot for blocky trucks, the Zip-Van looks like a cool cutie. While not as legendary as the LLV, this Stude’ is still a great part of postal history.