1916 Studebaker DE6 7 Passenger Touring

Henry Studebaker was a farmer, Blacksmith, and wagon-maker who lived near Gettysburg PA in the early 19th century. By 1860, he had moved to Ashland OH and taught his five sons to make wagons. They all went into that business as it grew westward with the country. Clement and Henry Studebaker Jr. became blacksmiths and foundrymen in South Bend, IN. They first made metal parts for freight wagons and later expanded into the manufacture of complete wagons. John made wheelbarrows in Placerville CA, and Peter made wagons in Saint Joseph. The site of John's business is Chinas Historic Landmark #142.The first major expansion in their business came from their being in the right place to meet the needs of the California Gold Rush in 1849. When the Rush settled down, John returned to Indiana and bought out Henry's share of the business. They brought in their youngest brother, Jacob, in 1852. Expansion continued to support westward migration, but the next major decrease came from supplying wagons for the Union Army in the Civil War. After the war, they reviewed what they had accomplished and set a direction for the company. They reorganized into the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company in 1878, built around the motto of "Always give more than you promise." By this time the railroad and steamship companies had become the big freight movers in the east. So they set their sights on supplying farmers and others with the means to move themselves and their goods. Peter's business became a branch operation.

During the height of westward migration, half of the wagons were Studebakers. They made about a quarter of them, and manufactured the metal fittings to sell to other builders in Missouri for another quarter century.

Studebaker experimented with powered vehicles as early as 1897, choosing electric over gasoline engines. While it attempted to manufacture its own electric vehicles from 1902-1912, the company entered into a distribution agreement with two manufacturers of gasoline powered vehicles: Garford of Elyria OH, and theEverett-Metzger-Flanders (E-M-F) Company of Detroit.

Under the agreement with Studebaker, Garford would receive completed chassis and drivetrains from Ohio and then mate them with Studebaker built bodies, which were sold under theStudebaker-Garford name and at a premium price. Eventually, even the Garford built engines began to carry the Studebaker name. However, Garford also built a limited number of cars under its own name, and by 1907 attempted to increase production at the expense of Studebaker. Once the Studebakers discovered what was going on with their partner, John Moehler Studebaker enforced a primacy clause, forcing Garford back onto the scheduled production quaotas. The decision to drop the Garford was made and the final product rolled off the line by1911, leaving Garford to try it alone until it was acquired by John North Willys in 1913.

Studebaker's marketing agreement with E-M-F was a different relationship, one that John Studebaker had hoped would give Studebaker a quality car without the entanglements found in the Garford relationship. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case.

Under the terms of the agreement, E-M-F would manufacture vehicles and the Studebakers would distribute them through their wagon dealers. Problems with E-M-F made the cars unreliable, leading the public to say that E-M-F stood for "Every Morning Fix-it."Compounding the problems was the internal fighting between E-M-F's principal partners, Mr. Everett, Mr. Flanders and Mr. Metzger. Eventually, two-thirds of the trio left, leaving the bombastic Mr. Metzger to run the operation on his own. J.M. Studebaker, unhappy with E-M-F's poor quality, gained control of the assets and facilities in 1910. To remedy the damage done by E-M-F, Studebaker paid mechanics to visit each unsatisfied owner and replace the defective parts in their vehicles at a cost to the company of $1 million.

Studebaker also began putting its name on new cars produced at the former E-M-F facilities, both as an assurance that the vehicles were well-built, and as its commitment to making automobile production and sales a success. In 1911, the company reorganized as the Studebaker Corporation.

In addition to cars, Studebaker added a truck line, which in time, replaced the horse drawn wagon business started in 1852. In 1926, Studebaker became the first automobile company in the US to open a controlled outdoor proving ground; in 1937 the company planted 5,000 pine trees in a pattern that when viewed from the air spelled "STUDEBAKER."

From the 20's to the 60's, the South Bend company originated many style and engineering milestones, including the classic 1929 -1933 President and the 1939 Champion. During WWII, Studebaker produced the US6 truck in great quantity and the unique M29 Weasel cargo and personnel carrier. After cessation of hostilities, Studebaker returned to building automobiles that appealed to average Americans and their need for mobility.

However, ballooning lobor costs (the company had never had an official UAW strike and Studebaker workers and retirees were among the highest paid in the industry), quality control issues, and the new car sales war between the Big Three in the early 50's wreaked havoc on Studebaker's balance sheet. Professional financial managers stressed short term earnings rather than long term vision. There was enough momentum to keep going for another ten years, but stiff competition and price cutting by the big 3 doomed the enterprise. The last car to roll off the line was a turquoise Lark cruiser on March 16, 1966.

This fine example is a nice older restoration of a fine original car in excellent running and driving condition. It retains many original features, and comes with a wealth of documentation including the parts book, owners manual, and factory service advisories. Residing on 122" wheelbase, the Series 17 has a 235 Cu In Straight Six with a 3 7/8 x 5 bore and stroke producing 50 HP, and a rear mounted gas tank. Rolling on big 34 x 4 inch tires, this large car is quite impressive in person. It has some very interesting features such as the fully disappearing Jump Seats and the accessory running board step plates which hinge up for storage of luggage, mothers in law, obnoxious small children, or what have you, on the running board.

This car has a nice honest patina that you only find on cars that have been taken care of their whole life.