1930 Erskine pros and cons

[pgb123]

Good Day,

I am asking for the pro and cons of owning an Erskine. I would like to have feedback on parts availability, especially tune ignition parts, would this car make a good, long-distance tourer with medium size hills that are not a 90-degree angle, service manuals, just general over all feedback from owners what they like or dislike about the car.

Thanks for taking time to respond to my inquiry. 

[nzcarnerd]

Mechanically the 1930 Erskine is little different from the contemporary Studebakers. The owner of this one - the only known right hand drive two door sedan, has owned it for nearly 40 years and done a lot of miles in it. It sat in a shed for many years until he exhumed it in 1985. It has had a hard life in his hands and has now got a little tired and is in line for a rebuild. As I understand it 1930 was the last year for the engine design. It received a major redesign for 1931.

 

 

[starlightcoupe]

If our Studebaker vendors are not stocking ignition parts, this guy is. http://special-interest-autos.com/

[pgb123]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[starlightcoupe]

On 3/26/2023 at 12:11 AM, nzcarnerd said:

 As I understand it 1930 was the last year for the engine design. It received a major redesign for 1931.

 

That "major redesign" was the introduction of it's successor, the entirely new Rockne Six, the least expensive offering from the Studebaker Corporation. Independently designed and engineered by Ralph Vale and Roy Cole, under contract for Willys-Overland. They built two prototypes.

When W-O released them from their contract they got to keep the prototypes.

The full story is presented by Terry Cannon in the Nov-Dec, 1973 Vol. 3 No. 4 issue of The Antique Studebaker Review, and reasonably reprieved in the Wikipedia article covering the Rockne Automobile.

Edited March 28, 2023 by starlightcoupe (see edit history)

[pgb123]

Interesting,

I need to do more research about the car thanks

[studeboy]

The 1930 Erskine was the only Erskine to use a Studebaker made engine. All the previous years used a continental engine. It was rebadge half way through the year as a Studebaker instead of Erskine. It was a faster and more durable than the earlier models. The engine continued in production for a few more years.

[Old buicks 2]

Plenty of NOS ignition parts for Erskine in my warehouse.     tsvanmeet@gmail.com  or 402-359-576     Tom

[rbk]

That was the end of this engine design.

[nzcarnerd]

54 minutes ago, rbk said:

That was the end of this engine design.

Agreed. A neighbour has a 1931 Model 54 roadster and the engine is quite different, even though it is the same size - 205 cid. Manifolding swapped to the other side of the engine compared with the previous sixes.

[Tom Devoe]

15 hours ago, nzcarnerd said:

Agreed. A neighbour has a 1931 Model 54 roadster and the engine is quite different, even though it is the same size - 205 cid. Manifolding swapped to the other side of the engine compared with the previous sixes.

nzcarnerd - If you have any, post a few pics of the roadster, I'd love to see it!!

[nzcarnerd]

It was imported from the US and first registered in NZ in 2011. The current owner bought it from the guy who imported it I believe.  I have a GE cabriolet and have been meaning to get a shot of it, along with the Erskine (replica body) cabriolet which lives not too far from me, together with mine but have not yet done so. My cabriolet is one of two imported to NZ and at this stage the only known right-hand drive survivor.

 

I think there are only four known survivors of the Model 54 roadster - unlike the contemporary President roadster of which there are about 100(?).

 

The first pic was taken in 2012 at the International rally in Wanganui by Stephen Satherley - it is on Flickr. The other one I took in 2018, on a bright day where my camera makes it look a different shade of red.

 

Also added a couple of shots taken in 2018 when the engine was in the workshop where my son works. My son drove it briefly while it was there and said it is quite 'peppy', much more so than the older model like mine. It likely helps it probably weighs about 500 lb less than mine.

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

10 hours ago, Tom Devoe said:

nzcarnerd - If you have any, post a few pics of the roadster, I'd love to see it!!

Correction to my comment above about the survival of the 1931 President roadster - the actual figure is 53 known survivors. Provided by Stude guru Richard Quinn on a facebook post today.

[studebugga17]

I'm the original owner and restorer of the 54. I imported it as a complete car but in as a pile of parts from LA. The car was rebuilt over a number of years, and I still have a few parts lying around. I owned it when that picture was taken next to Doug Bixley's 4 seasons.