Erskine

Erskine was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1926 to 1930 and named after Albert Russel Erskine, who was Studebaker's president at the time. Erskine had pushed Studebaker engineers toward advanced engines, which left the company without an entry-level car, and he saw a market for a short-wheelbase compact, especially one that could widen Studebaker's appeal in Europe, so the Erskine Six was first launched in Paris. For the 1927 American model year it was sold as The Little Aristocrat at 995 dollars, using six-cylinder Continental engines instead of Studebaker units, with body design by Ray Dietrich. Demand was promising at first, but within a year Ford launched the Model A at 525 dollars, and Studebaker answered by lengthening the wheelbase from 108 to 114 inches until the Erskine was no longer small. The brand was absorbed into Studebaker by May 1930, and Studebaker tried a low-priced marque again with the Rockne in 1931.