South Bend, Indiana — Before Detroit became known as "Motor City," northern Indiana was already helping shape the future of the automobile. The Studebaker National Museum's newest special exhibition, Motor City, Indiana, which runs through January 31, 2027, telling the remarkable story of the entrepreneurs, inventors, workers, and manufacturers who transformed the St. Joseph...

South Bend, IN — May 18, 2026  —Be sure to come see the new joint exhibition at the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum this Memorial Day Weekend. Museums will be open Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday, noon–5 p.m, and Monday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.  Moments That Made US  is now open and invites visitors to...

The term “station wagon” has its roots in the nineteenth century, when horse-drawn carts or wagons were used to ferry people and luggage to and from railway stations. The early automobile age yielded similar utilitarian vehicles, but the traditional station wagon body style did not appear until the 1920s. In...

Many are surprised to learn that Studebaker produced automobiles in Canada over 44 years, which was one year longer than Studebakers were made in South Bend. Studebaker operated a plant in Walkerville, Ontario, from 1910-1936, and later in Hamilton, Ontario, from 1948-1966. Studebaker rapidly expanded its automotive market share in...

Ford’s commercial vehicles of this era lagged several years behind contemporary styling trends and were notably spartan in appointments. While Ford sourced many components in-house, its truck cabs were produced by Budd Manufacturing Company, an innovator of all-steel body construction. This truck features Ford’s diminutive 60-horsepower V8 engine that debuted...

Czechoslovakian automaker Tatra licensed aerodynamicist Paul Jaray’s streamlined designs beginning in the early 1930s. Tatra chief engineer Hans Ledwinka was a champion of streamlining and rear-engine cars, as he believed these two features provided both fuel efficiency and increased speed. To facilitate an air-cooled engine, body designer Erich Ubelacker incorporated...

Henry Joy, President of Packard Motor Car Company, believed that the road should be named after Abraham Lincoln. He urged Fisher to write a letter of protest to Congress, which was considering spending $1.7 million on a marble memorial to Lincoln. Joy thought a good road across the country would...

This 1949 Studebaker 2R-5 was a part of the 2R series.  Studebaker debuted its new 2R-Series truck line in mid-1948 to much fanfare. The 2R’s styling was penned by Studebaker designer Robert Bourke, who later designed the 1953 Studebaker Starliner hardtop. The 2R was offered in a wide variety of...

The Rockne was initially developed by freelance automotive engineers Roy Cole and Ralph Vail as a project for Willys-Overland. When Willy’s declined the car, Cole approached Studebaker President Albert Erskine who bought the design and retained Cole and Vail as engineers. The new car was built by the newly formed...

This 1939 Lincoln is one of two “K” series LeBaron Convertible Roadsters known to have been built in 1939. After becoming President of Ford Motor Company, Edsel Ford focused on the styling of Fords and Lincolns, in contrast to his father who focused on practicality. The “K” chassis was designed...