Pre 1930 Accessory information

[avantilover]

A club friend was asking me today whether there were any factory accessory lists prior to 1930. He is compiling some data books and has no information before 1930.
Can anyone help???

[avantilover]

Bump Bump Bump

[8E45E]

Mr. Quinn will have to answer that one for you, but from what I remember reading in his Almanac column in TW, the first of the 'AC' numbers started around that time.

Craig

[avantilover]

Thanks Craig, Daryl said that but thought there must have been some kind of listing beforehand.

[Studebaker Wheel]

Mr. Quinn will have to answer that one for you, but from what I remember reading in his Almanac column in TW, the first of the 'AC' numbers started around that time.

Craig

A condensed version of an article I did for the May/June 1984 issue of the Antique Studebaker Review


A BRIEF HISTORY OF EARLY STUDEBAKER ACCESSORIES
By Richard Quinn

Studebaker owners may be surprised to learn that the Studebaker Corporation did not begin to actively market accessories until March 1930. Surprised, perhaps, since there was such a wide variety of accessories on the market during the 20's. These accessories were marketed through various jobbers and parts houses, as well as new car dealerships. (A 1926 issue of Automotive Industries even mentions farm stands were realizing the potential for this simple means of income enhancement.)

Except for Ford, few of the accessories being sold in these years were made especially for a specific make. To do so, of course, would simply limit the market. Few automobile manufacturers were offering accessories through their regular parts depots until the early 30's. Ford had tried the idea in the mid 20's, but later dropped it in 1926. .

It may be helpful to our readers to distinguish the difference between optional equipment and accessories. Optional equipment would include those items that could be installed most easily and conveniently at the factory. Accessories, on the other hand, were those items that could be easily added by the dealer or customer. These items were of tremendous variety and would include such non-automotive items as a folding umbrella (AC-130 from 1931) a folding Kodak camera (AC-147 year 1932) and a Philco “Sportable” table radio (year 1939 AC-891).

The Studebaker Corporation began its active marketing of accessories during March of 1930. In a sales department letter to dealers at that time parts manager E. C. Mendler wrote:

The profit possibilities from the sale of accessories is recognized as an important factor in dealers' operations the diversification of items warrants careful selection from the standpoint of desirability and probable effect on dealers' operations. Our Engineering Department stands ready to assume this important responsibility to investigate, approve and classify as to desirability, material in this class The known combined volume of accessories sold by our dealers offers a splendid opportunity for pooled buying on an extensive scale and should result in materially lower prices to dealers It is therefore pro- posed that the factory Parts Department act as a clearing house in this respect.

From this statement we can see the goal was to provide a standardization of quality factory approved accessories purchased by the company in huge quantities from individual suppliers and passing the savings on to dealers. Virtually all accessories were produced by outside manufacturers and generally these items were sold with that company’s name on the product. Later, however, as volume sales increased, the Studebaker name was placed on many of the items though the item may not have been manufactured by Studebaker. (Hadees heaters for the '32 models carried a Studebaker label.)

Shortly after the sales department letter mentioned above, the parts department began issuance of a new illustrated publication called the Parts and Accessories News, and in Oct. 1930 issued its first accessory book (a large 28 page nicely executed catalog). Additionally, the dealer publication The Studebaker News and the owner's magazine The Studebaker Wheel began carrying regular advertisements on new accessory offerings. It is principally from these sources and the dealer sales letters that the information contained here was made.

Nearly all Studebaker accessories (early trunks were an exception) carried a part letter- number designation beginning with the prefix AC (AC-3 for example was a model 7 Philco Transitone radio). This practice was continued through the end of vehicle production. These numbers were not always sequential and continuous, and the omission of a number in sequence is to be expected. Your editor can find no particular logic to their numbering system and it might be assumed numbers were given in a rather haphazard manner.

The March 1930 introduction of the first accessory announcement coincides with late production of the FE-FH Presidents, the FD Commander, the FC and GL Dictators, and the Model 53 Six. (The 1931 Model 80-90 Presidents and Model 70 Commanders were introduced in June 1930.)

[avantilover]

Thanks Richard, that explains it perfectly.