Studebaker Big Six

The Studebaker Big Six, also known as the Model EG was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana between 1918 and 1926. Beginning with the 1927 model year, the Big Six was renamed as the Studebaker President, and was one of Studebaker's largest and most luxurious models.

Between 1918 and 1920, the Big Six was offered only as a four-door touring car, the most popular body style for automobiles at the time. But 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 available beginning with the 1921 model year. By the 1926 model year, the Big Six had grown to include such specialty body styles as a dual-cowl Phaeton and Berline sedan.

1918 to 1919 Big Sixes were powered by Studebaker's 354 in³ (5.8-litre) Straight-6 engine that produced convert|60|bhp|abbr=on at 2000 rpm. By 1926, the engine was delivering convert|75|bhp|abbr=on at 2400 rpm. The car's wheelbase grew considerably between 1918 (120 in) and 1926 when the car was available in either short (120 in) or long (127 in) wheelbases.

In the 1920s, twelve of the fourteen Arizona counties furnished 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 Sheriff's Big Six cars has been restored, and is on display at the Arizona Historical Society museum in Tucson. [ [http://www.pimasheriff.org/CompleteHistoryBook.pdf History of Pima County Sheriff's Department] ]

At the 1924 New York Auto Show, Studebaker featured a 1918 Big Six that had a verified odometer reading of over convert|500000|mi|km, as a testament to the longevity and durability of Studebaker vehicles.

All Studebaker models for 1918 represented an important milestone for the automaker because they represented a clean-break from the legacy to E-M-F automobiles that Studebaker found itself producing following a less than successful marketing agreement collapsed.

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 (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 which developed convert|100|bhp|abbr=on 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]

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