Studebaker Fire Truck

History of this Vehicle:

This fine example of a 1926 Studebaker fire tender is privately owned. It has been restored to represent the Charters Towers (QLD) Fire Brigade where it served during the town’s heady gold rush days. The truck is fitted with a tray with seating for 10 people.

Studebaker was an American company that built electric commercials from 1902, however the company had been founded back in 1852 as a producer of wagons by the Staudenbecher brothers from Germany. Studebaker is the American version of the name. By 1913 the wagons were being replaced by petrol engine models and by 1917 Studebaker were only building passenger touring cars and light commercials. By the 1920’s Studebaker were building buses, fire engines and even small rail locomotives. In 1926 they launched the ‘Erskine Six’ of which this fire engine is based on. They went on to sell 26,000 world-wide.