Big Six logged a half-million miles
Celebrated auto getting well-deserved rest in South Bend.
ANDREW BECKMAN
On June 13, 1918, Fenton Norman of Santa Barbara, Calif., took
delivery of a new Studebaker Big Six touring car at the Joe Stewart
dealer****p in Ventura, Calif. Norman owned the car for just over two
years, but in that time he logged 94,000 miles on his Big Six.
This was an extraordinary figure for the day, as the national average
was about 6,000 miles a year. This particular Studebaker Big Six,
however, was just getting broken in.
After its tenure with Norman, the Big Six came into the possession of
the Associated Transit Co. of Los Angeles. Associated Transit
distributed newspapers throughout the Los Angeles area and assigned
its longest route to the Big Six. Each day 1,500 pounds of newsprint
was loaded into the car, and another ton of paper onto a trailer
pulled behind. The rig was then dispatched on the Los Angeles-to-Santa
Barbara run twice daily, traveling more than 400 miles six days a
week.
After learning of its stellar service record, the Studebaker Corp.
reacquired the Big Six in late 1923. Its history was thoroughly
do***ented via affidavits from its previous owners. A notarized
statement from Norman dated Dec. 22, 1923, states:
"... I drove the car a little over 94,000 miles, the same being used
in California, Oregon, Wa****ngton, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona and old
Mexico, under all kinds of road as well as climatic conditions...the
car averaged 14 miles per gallon of gasoline, and approximately 1000
miles per gallon of oil"
The Associated Transit Co. filed a similar statement dated a day
later:
"According to our records, this car, while in our possession traveled
in excess of 400,000 miles."
Gasoline consumption figures were consistent with Norman's.
Associated Transit Co. officials stated that the car had never been
rebuilt:
"Numerous minor repairs have naturally been made," stated garage
foreman F.J. Hudson, "but there has never been, to our knowledge a
complete replacement of an entire unit at any time. We have never
replaced the cylinder block, the axle shafts, the wheels or the body"
Additional records indicate that valves were reground about every
50,000 miles, and that the pistons and piston rings were renewed twice
in the car's lifetime. Mr. Hudson went on to state that oil
consumption was "meager."
After Studebaker's purchase of the Big Six, plans were made for the
car to make a brief stop in South Bend before heading off to New York
for the 1924 New York Automobile Show.
Given that there were 4,000 wintertime miles to travel, it is not
unreasonable to assume that car would be ****pped eastward. This was
not the case, however, as the Big Six embarked on a cross-country
journey on Nov. 26, 1923. The Big Six and its crew made stops at every
Studebaker dealer en route from Los Angeles to New York. Several
dealers arranged for other Big Six owners to greet the car upon its
arrival.
On Jan. 3, 1924, the Big Six arrived in New York City at the
Studebaker outlet at Broadway and 70th Street. The final tally was
more than 475,000 miles to its credit.
After the New York Auto Show, the Big Six returned to South Bend. It
was placed in the Studebaker Museum, where it resides to this day.
Andrew Beckman is the archivist for the Studebaker National Museum.
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