This is a custom 1927 Studebaker House Car, as the name implies, it’s essentially a house on wheels – what we might call a camper van in the modern day.
While the vehicle has an original 1927 Studebaker Big Six chassis, it now also has a 1984 Ford 1-ton pickup powertrain and mechanicals – headed by a 460 cubic inch V8 which offers far better highway capability than the original power unit.
Fast Facts: A 1927 Studebaker House Car
- The 1927 Studebaker House Car is a custom-built camper that combines early 20th century design with late 20th century mechanicals. Based on a Studebaker Big Six chassis and bodywork, it now uses a 1984 Ford 1-ton pickup drivetrain, including a 460 cubic inch V8 and C6 automatic transmission, giving it the power needed for highway use.
- Studebaker’s Big Six, launched in 1918, was a flagship touring car that offered size, refinement, and speed compared to earlier models. With a 353.8 cubic inch inline-six producing up to 75 bhp, it became a favorite of law enforcement and rum-runners in the 1920s, prized for its endurance, load capacity, and reliability in rough conditions.
- This House Car retains the Studebaker front end and vintage styling but adds custom camper construction at the rear. Interior features include hand-finished woodwork, an arched roof, stained glass cabinet pulls, a convertible bed, sink with hot water, and full electrical systems. It blends period craftsmanship with modern conveniences like refrigeration, air conditioning, and stereo equipment.
- Scheduled to cross the Mecum auction block in October, the House Car is both an unusual historical hybrid and a functional piece of motoring Americana. It carries the dignity of the Big Six era, combined with modern upgrades that allow practical travel.
History Speedrun: The Studebaker Big Six
The Studebaker Big Six was introduced in 1918 during a period when the company was moving firmly into the upper ranks of American automobile manufacturers. Studebaker had already established itself with more affordable mid-sized models, but the Big Six was developed as a flagship, offering greater size, refinement, and power – but at a higher price point.
The Studebaker Big Six was introduced in 1918 during a period when the company was moving firmly into the upper ranks of American automobile manufacturers. Image courtesy of Studebaker.
Built on wheelbases ranging from 120 to 127 inches, the Big Six was intended to compete with the likes of Packard and Pierce-Arrow, appealing to buyers who wanted a dependable touring car with ample power, and plenty of wheelbase for a variety of body designs.
At the heart of the Big Six was a 353.8 cubic inch inline-six, initially producing 60 bhp, later increased to 75 bhp. This isn’t a lot of power by modern standards of course, but it was quicker than most contemporaries and soon gained a reputation for both speed and reliability.
Arizona sheriffs soon adopted it as a pursuit vehicle in the early 1920s, while rum-runners valued its ability to carry heavy liquid loads at high speeds over rough terrain – often with those same sheriffs in pursuit. Studebaker entered the Big Six into endurance trials, and a 1928 Commander Big Six (by then a successor to the original), set a 15,000 mile speed record, averaging nearly 65 mph.
Styling followed the conservative trends of the era, with seven-passenger touring cars, sedans, coupes, and even speedster variants offered over the years. Despite its bulk, the Big Six was widely regarded as handsome and well proportioned, it was a car that gave off an air of dignity rather than flash or exuberance.
Production updates came regularly – the EK series in 1922, the ER in 1925, and the EW in early 1927, before Studebaker consolidated its line and rebranded the car as the Commander later that year.
Styling followed the conservative trends of the era, with seven-passenger touring cars, sedans, coupes, and even speedster variants offered over the years. Image courtesy of Studebaker.
The 1927 Studebaker House Car Shown Here
The camper you see here is a custom “House Car” built on a 1927 Studebaker Big Six chassis and front end. The original drivetrain wouldn’t have had the required power to allow the heft of the vehicle to keep up with modern traffic and highway speeds.
It’s now powered by a 1984 Ford 1-ton pickup powertrain and mechanicals, headed up by a big block 460 cubic inch (7.5 liter) V8 which is mated to a rebuilt C6 heavy-duty automatic transmission.
This engine has been upgraded with a Comp Cams camshaft, an Edelbrock Performer carburetor, an Allstar Performance distributor, and an MSD Blaster 2 ignition coil.
Inside the camper accommodations in the rear you’ll find custom woodwork and cabinetry, glass drawer and cabinet pulls, a beautiful wood arched roof, large windows on all sides, a refrigerator, a sink with running water, water tanks (including a hot water tank), and rear bench seating that can convert into a bed when needed.
It has an electrical system inverter and converter, 110 volt wall outlets, an American Autowire wiring harness and panel, Boom Mat sound-deadening material has been used throughout the interior, and it has a rear exterior storage chest.
Inside the camper accommodations in the rear you’ll find custom woodwork and cabinetry, glass drawer and cabinet pulls, a beautiful wood arched roof, large windows on all sides, a refrigerator, a sink with running water, water tanks (including a hot water tank), and rear bench seating that can convert into a bed when needed.
Up front you’ll find Captain’s chair front seats, air conditioning, a stereo system, an opening front windscreen, and some overhead storage with stained glass windows.
This unusual Studebaker House Car is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in early October, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or place a bid.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
