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San Francisco or vicinity circa 1921. "Studebaker 'Big Six' touring car." Cigar-chomping Army brass at the wheel. 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
The hassles with putting up those side curtains was one of the reasons that by 1925 closed-bodied cars outsold open-touring cars in the United States.
I wonder what it took to get out of the backseat with those curtains in place?
This model must have not lasted for long. Sorry to say, it is not at all attractive.
[Sorry to say, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927. - Dave]
Studebaker had a system called "Jiffy Curtains" that worked by suspending the top of each curtain to a cable that ran along each side of the top from front to back. Just unclip the bottom and side edges and fold up the curtain like an accordion, then slide towards the rear like a shower curtain. There was a flap over the rear window where it would all be stored.
My God, what a tremendous hassle side curtains must have been when skies started to threaten. Pull over, dig them out from wherever they were stored, sort them out, make sure you didn’t have the driver’s side rear when you wanted the passenger side, and how sweltering it must have been in a summer storm under all that black oilcloth, and how frigid in the winter. I’m sure this guy just had to shout and six enlisted men would appear from someplace and take care of it.
There's a spotlight mounted along the driver's side window. It's odd they photographed the car when it was so dirty, especially if for military use.
What a classic, but what a pain it must have been to put air in the tires! I wonder what the small round opening just ahead of the rear wheel is for?
[Access to the leaf spring front shackle grease fitting. - Dave]
Thanks!
That front tire might or might not be a retread, but in any case, it is coming apart.
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