When it was introduced in 1918, the Big Six solidified Studebaker’s name as a producer of sound, well-engineered automobiles.

Founded in 1852, Studebaker was a wagon manufacturer for half a century before it ventured into the auto industry. And probably as a result, its early steps in this new business were often tentative, as manufacturing arrangements with EMF and Garford were less than ideal. Things didn’t truly come together for Studebaker as an automaker until February of 1918, when a line of cars developed by the company’s three new lead engineers was introduced. Walter P. Chrysler would later hire this team—Fred Zeder, Owen Skelton, and Carl Breer—and make them known to the world as his “three musketeers.”

1918 Big Six Touring

The 1918 line consisted of three models: Light Four, Light Six, and Big Six, self-explanatory names if ever there were. An earlier plan to give the models nautical names including Battleship and Cruiser was abandoned. The Big Six was obviously the top of the line, with a 354 cubic-inch L-head six that offered 60 horsepower. Developed by Breer from the company’s previous six, it was the first Studebaker with a detachable cylinder head and an inertial crankshaft damper. According to Breer, on the dyno it nearly doubled the actual output of the original engine.

1918 Big Six chassis 

While it offered no earth-shattering advances, the chassis was state-of-the-art in detail. Studebaker’s obsolete transaxle setup was abandoned in favor of Hotchkiss drive with universal joints perfected in the company’s Detroit engineering laboratory, one of the first in the industry. The 126-in wheelbase chassis, featuring semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear a full 56 inches long, was extensively road-tested and tuned for best ride and roadability. The simple but handsome styling was executed by Studebaker’s own body engineering department, housed in the former Ford plant on Piquette Avenue, which had become part of the Studebaker complex next door.

1920 Big Six Touring police car

Inititally priced at $2,000, solidly in the Buick range, the Big Six was offered only in a touring body style for the first few years. A coupe and sedan were added in 1921, and a styling update came in 1923 (lead photo). While the Big SIx was outsold by Studebaker’s less expensive cars, the entire brand basked in the acclaim for the senior model, and when the Big Six became a favorite of law enforcement, its reputation for ruggedness and quality only grew. When Studebaker adopted its “leadership” model-naming system in 1927 with the President, Commander, and Dictator, the popular Big Six label was included in the name for another two years.

1927 President Big Six Custom Victoria