patfoster
France, where it was the hit of the Paris Auto Show.
Its American debut came a few months later, in
January 1927, at the National Automobile Show
in New York.
The New York introduction drew a mixed
reaction. Everyone agreed the Erskine was a
sharp little car, but that price! $995 for a small
car? In America small invariably
meant low-priced, so the average
motorist had trouble accepting the
idea of a pricey small car.
The Erskine’s engine
received criticism as well.
European tax laws punished big
engines, so to satisfy overseas
customers the Erskine six-cylinder
displaced just 146 cubic inches;
Ford’s upcoming Model A would
use a 200.5-cu.in. four, with both
rated at 40 hp. Acceler ation was
leisurely, to be kind, though
Studebaker claimed its car could
do 60 mph effortlessly. That was
a stretch for a small engine and
a 5.125:1 rear axle ratio, and
folks who drove their Erskine at
that speed for very long usually
developed engine problems. The little engine was
just plain overworked.
Sales were mediocre, so mid-year the
company reduced prices and added a Sports
Roadster model. In the end a tad under 25,000
Erskine’s sold in America in 1927. For 1928, the
company offered a larger 160-cu.in. 43-hp six-
cyliner and lowered prices even further: The
four-door sedan was now $885, and a new two-
door club sedan was $795. Attempting to distance
it from its European design, advertising referred to
the revised cars as “The New American Edition of
the Erskine Six.” Sales dropped to just more than
22,000 for the year.
But with new styling and a 2-inch longer
wheelbase for 1929 Erskine sales rose to over
25,000 units. Encouraged, Studebaker debuted
an even larger Erskine for 1930. Powered by a
70-hp Studebaker straight-six, the Erskine finally
became the car it should have been all along.
However, by May of 1930, the company threw in
the towel, deciding the Erskine would sell better
as a Studebaker. So the Erskine became the
Studebaker Six.
Trying to sell European styling to Americans
was a costly lesson, but would have been worth it if
Studebaker learned anything from it. But as 1953
would prove, the company hadn’t.S
everal American Independent automakers
tried offering a companion make, usually
as a lower-priced alternative to their main
sellers. Willys had its Whippet, Hudson
had the Essex, Kaiser-Frazer its Henry J, Nash the
Lafayette, and Studebaker had its Erskine.
The Erskine got its name from the man
who first proposed it—
Albert Russel Erskine,
Studebaker’s president
since 1915. Once third in
industry sales, Studebaker
had fallen to sixth place
by 1924. Erskine was
determined to grow the
company by entering new
market segments. During
a trip to Europe, he began
to think about producing a
small car that could sell in
volume on the Continent—
where Studebaker was
quite popular—while
also taking on low-price
specialists Chevrolet, Ford,
and Willys in the U.S.
With no hope of
competing with Ford on price, Erskine decided to
offer buyers a much nicer car at a reasonable price.
He had the new car styled by Ray Dietrich, who
created a sharp design with unusually low, sporty
lines and neat touches like a European-style visor
and fender-mounted tool and battery boxes. With
sweeping fenders and a rounded rear, it was quite
stylish for a small car.
It was also rather expensive: $995 for the
Custom sedan or coupe, and $945 for a Tourer
(touring car) or Business Coupe. In comparison,
a Ford Fordor sedan was $545, a touring car
just $380! Erskine wasn’t even competitive with
Chevrolet, which offered prices ranging from $525
to $745, or Willys, whose Whippet sedan sold for
$610, its roadster for $525.
One reason for the price disparity was
Studebaker’s decision to market the Erskine as
“The Little Aristocrat of Motordom,” i.e., a small
fine car with stylish interior fittings and trim. But
a larger reason for the big price difference was
that the Erskine was essentially an assembled car.
Instead of producing a new engine, Studebaker
bought them from Continental, while bodies were
built by Budd. Everything came together in the old
Studebaker plant on Piquette Avenue in Detroit,
built in 1904 for the infant Ford Motor Company.
The new Erskine debuted in October 1926 inThe Erskine Error
Trying to sell
European
styling to
Americans
was a costly
lesson...
36 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR OCTOBER 2019 I Hemmings.com