Erskine (make of car)

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Erskine Model 50 Touring (1927)
Erskine Model 51 Sedan (1928)

Erskine was an American automobile brand operated by Studebaker Corporation in South Bend, Indiana from 1927 to 1930. The brand was named after Albert Russel Erskine (1871-1933), who was then Chairman of the Board of the Studebaker Corporation.

history

During his presidency, Erskine encouraged Studebaker engineers to develop modern engines. As a result, Studebaker won several car races and was able to gain more market shares in expensive automobiles. Studebaker was no longer able to offer its customers in the USA an entry-level model and Erskine, who was always fascinated by the smaller European cars, saw a market potential in a compact car with a short wheelbase, especially if it could expand Studebaker's market presence in Europe.

The car was introduced just in time for the 1927 model year, was named after its creator and was sold as "The Little Aristocrat". To make the Erskine affordable, Studebaker built in six-cylinder engines and not the more modern Studebaker engines and set the retail price at US $ 995. The body design was by Raymond Dietrich and the design turned out to be quite spectacular and received much acclaim in the British and French press. At first the car sold quite well. But a year later, Ford introduced its Model A at a price of US $ 525, which undercut the Erskine by US $ 470.

To remedy this, Studebaker's marketing department suggested making the Erskine larger, and so the wheelbase was extended from 2743 mm to 2896 mm. The Erskine was no longer a compact car, but rather resembled its Studebaker counterparts. Therefore, the Erskine brand was merged again into the Studebaker brand in May 1930. Less than a year later, Studebaker tried the same thing again with a brand called Rockne .

Albert R. Erskine

Albert Erskine ultimately strengthened Studebaker's core automotive business and provided the necessary technical progress that probably helped the company through the first few years of the Depression.

But Erskine also obtained dividends from Studebaker's stock of capital to be paid to shareholders when the Depression deepened; this caused the share price to fall and weakened the company. Erskine had not only created the two unsuccessful brands Erskine and Rockne , but also bought the luxury car manufacturer Pierce-Arrow during the golden 1920s, which they then had to sell to a group of investors in order to improve cash flow .

Before he lost control of Studebaker, Albert R. Erskine committed suicide in 1933 at the Studebaker test site outside of South Bend.

Production numbers

  • 1927: 24,893 pieces
  • 1928: 22,275 pieces
  • 1929: 25,565 pieces
  • 1930: 22,371 pieces

See also

literature

  • James H. Maloney: Studebaker Cars. Crestline Books, 1994, ISBN 0-87938-884-6 .
  • Beverly R. Kimes (Ed.), Henry A. Clark: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4 .

Web links

Commons : Erskine  - Collection of Images