The Studebaker Big Six was an automobile produced by the
Studebaker Corporation
Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Ma ...
of
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...
between 1918 and 1926, being designated the Model EG (1918–21), the EK (1922–24) and the EP (1925–26); its name was due to the 127" wheelbase in comparison to the
Studebaker Special Six at 120". In 1927, it was renamed the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
(ES) pending introduction of a smaller and smoother straight-eight engine for new top-of-the-range models after January 1928.
Early models
All Studebaker models for 1918 represented an important milestone for the automaker because they represented a clean break from the legacy of
E-M-F Studebaker had been producing.
Between 1918 and 1920, the Big Six was offered only as a four-door
touring car
Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof).
"Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s.
Th ...
, the most popular body style for automobiles at the time.
As the price of enclosed cars came down and consumers discovered the benefits of closed and semi-closed passenger compartments, a wider variety of body styles was made available beginning with the 1921 model year. By 1926, the Big Six was available in a variety of body styles, including a dual-cowl
Phaeton and a Berline (sedan).
1918 and 1919 Big Sixes were powered by Studebaker's 354 in³ (5.8-liter)
Straight-6 engine, which produced at 2000 rpm.
By 1926, the engine was delivering at 2400 rpm. The car's wheelbase was varied between 1918 and 1926 when the car was available in either short or long wheelbases.
Studebaker's EK Big Six was popular with
rum runners, for its large size and ability to reach up to ; its C$3000 price was not a deterrent.
1920s production
![1923 Studebaker Big Six (9711943885)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/1923_Studebaker_Big_Six_%289711943885%29.jpg)
In the 1920s, twelve of the fourteen
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
counties issued Studebakers to their sheriffs, because of their reputation for power, reliability, and ability to withstand hard use and bad roads. In 1925, the company published a pamphlet about the Arizona sheriffs' Studebakers, and named their Big Six Sport Phaeton model the ''Sheriff''. One of the Arizona sheriffs' Big Six cars has been restored, and is on display at the
Arizona Historical Society museum in
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
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.
At the 1924
New York Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first S ...
, Studebaker featured a 1918 Big Six that had a verified odometer reading of over , as a testament to the longevity and durability of Studebaker vehicles.
Big Six President
![1927 Studebaker President Limousine (394185760)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/1927_Studebaker_President_Limousine_%28394185760%29.jpg)
In 1927, the model gained the transitional model name Big Six President as Studebaker began the process of converting all of its model names away from engine-type-based, and towards the more evocative
Dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...
(Standard Six) and
Commander (Special Six). In the case of the Big Six President, 1928 would mark the introduction of Studebaker's famed 313-in³
Straight-8
The straight-eight engine (also referred to as an inline-eight engine; abbreviated I8 or L8) is a piston engine with eight cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. The number of cylinders and perfect primary and secondary eng ...
which developed at 2600 rpm. The larger straight-six engine was utilised in the GB Commander before being replaced with a 248-in³ engine in 1929, marking the end of the line for the famous Big Six.
These sixes were the last descendants of rugged cars designed for poor roads in the early 20th century—loaded with torque and massively strong in construction. They were not suited to the higher cruising speeds which were made possible by better roads in later years.
[Maurice D. Hendry ''Studebaker: One can do a lot of remembering at South Bend'' in Automobile Quarterly, Vol X, No 3, 1972, p. 259]
Standard Big Six Sedan specifications (1926 data)
* Color - Studebaker blue with black upper structure
* Seating capacity – Seven
* Wheelbase -
* Wheels - Wood
* Tires -
balloon
A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...
* Service brakes - contracting on rear
* Emergency brakes - contracting drum on rear of transmission
* Engine - Six cylinder, vertical, cast en bloc, ; head removable; valves in side;
NACC
The nucleus accumbens (NAc or NAcc; also known as the accumbens nucleus, or formerly as the ''nucleus accumbens septi'', Latin for "nucleus adjacent to the septum") is a region in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area of the hypoth ...
rating
![1926 Studebaker Big Six Sedan - eng (4637320757)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/1926_Studebaker_Big_Six_Sedan_-_eng_%284637320757%29.jpg)
* Lubrication - Force feed
* Crankshaft - Four bearing
* Radiator – Tubular
* Cooling – Water pump
* Ignition –Battery
* Starting system – Two unit
* Voltage – Six to eight
* Wiring – Single
* Fuel feed – Vacuum
* Clutch – Dry plate, single disc
* Transmission –3-speed manual (3 forward, 1 reverse)) sliding
* Final drive – Spiral bevel gear
* Rear springs – Semi-elliptic
* Rear axle – Semi-floating
* Steering gear –
Worm and roller
Standard equipment
![1926 Studebaker Big Six Sedan - detail (4637320323)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/1926_Studebaker_Big_Six_Sedan_-_detail_%284637320323%29.jpg)
New car price included the following items:
*
Boyce MotoMeter
* automatic windshield cleaner
*
shock absorbers
* inspection lamp and cord
* bumpers front and rear
* spare tire
* rear view mirror
* headlight dimmer
* thief-proof lock
![1925 Studebaker California sedan (6712909665)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/1925_Studebaker_California_sedan_%286712909665%29.jpg)
* clock
* smoking case
* vanity case
* dome light and corner lights
Optional equipment
The following was available in new models at an extra cost:
* Hydraulic four-wheel brakes with disc wheels
* Spare wheel
See also
*
Carl Breer
Sources
*
References
*
External links
{{Studebaker historic timeline
Big Six
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Coupés
Sedans
1910s cars
1920s cars