The Coconino sun., 1923-12-14
GRANDADDY STUDEBAKER
CALLED HERE RECENTLY

The automobile that won't wear
out" as it has been nicknamed, after
running 475,000 miles, was in Flag
staff the other day. 1t is a 1919
| Studebaker and its driver, on his way
to the New York auto show, after
which the car will be retired, stopped
I for several hours with Joe Waldhaus,
local Studebaker agent.
4 This "granddaddy" Studebaker big
six began its tumultuous existence in
I June, 1919 1t has been wrecked
twice. 1t has been in several auto
shows.
/ Every day for three years it ran
400 miles. Altogether, its grand
mileage is more than 475,000. 1t is
'still going strong"
The half million miles rolled up by
"Granddaddy" is the greatest known
distance ever travelled by any We
/ hicle in a like period of time, it is
said, and critics who examined the
old-timer here particularly noted that
"Granddaddy" had not been to goat
gland shop. 1t is no rebuilt" car.
For three years it was a newspaper
express" That is, it carried at limit
speed, heavy loads Of Los Angeles
morning papers to nearby southern
California cities, so as TO be in time
for subscribers at breakfast tables.
A daily run Of 400 miles, at 30
mile an hour average, with a three /
quarter ton load of newspapers in the
tonneau. This was "Granddaddy
Studebaker's" performance, rain or
shine, for three years.
Three-quarters of a ton Of news I
papers is burden equal to ten grown /
persons in the tonneau. Nor was that /
all. The indomitable motor pulled be- /
hind it a trailer with whole ton of
newspapers in that
"Granddaddy" was a rollicking
youngster then. It's run was between
Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
Sometimes it got Sunday afternoon
off. And when Sunday came, the
owner would pile into the car and go
for pleasure drive of 200 miles or
more.
When it got pretty well broken in,
somewhere around the 100000 mile
mark, the driver Of this Big Six fell
into competition with the "opposi-
ton" morning daily. Many stirring
race was run over those long ribbons /
Of highway in the early dawn 1t
used TO overtake the San Francisco |
"Owl" train at Bakersfield, leaving
two or three hours behind it. Some I
times, when the presses were late, the
papers missed an eastbound express.
The old Studebaker would make the /
55-mile run to Cotton and wait there
for the train.
Just going by average, now, Grand
daddy has worn out perhaps 22 sets
Of tires, with minimum tire mile +
age Of $4,000 and maximum of 30
600 miles.
And gasoline! That old motor burn
ed, at Ia miles to gallon, more than (
10000 gallons trainload of tank 4
cars! Twenty gasoline truckloads of
fuel it must have burned-$6, 900 /
worth, at 20 cents gallon.
But comparisons are futile. A half
million miles, or any parallel in dol
lars or height or breadth or volume,
is almost beyond the range of human
comprehension. With this prodigious
mileage, it's accuracy attested in sworn
affidavits, ample to satisfy the Stude-
baker corporation of America, there
seems to be no limit to the life Of a
well4built car.
So, spry old "Granddaddy Stude-
baker," chortling a youthful rythm
from its exhaust, heard its whining
Firestone treads kiss farewell to
California highways, plunged into the
tortuous wheeltracks that traverse the
Mojave desert, and Drawing December
snowdrifts and storm-bloeked noun
tain passes, is making its way "hofne"
to the Studebaker factory at South
Bend, for a place Of honor in the
Studebaker hall of fame.
In the hall of fame "Granddaddy"
will stand beside such famed vehicles
as Lincoln's carriage, Lafayette's car
riage, General Grants carriage and
the old prairie schooner used by John
Studebaker in crossing the plains in
1852.