In the early 1960s, the Studebaker Corporation began a diversification program to expand the company beyond automobile production.  Studebaker’s board also sought to use its tax-loss credits amassed from previous unprofitable years. These credits could be applied to the Studebaker Corporation’s profits as well as those of subsidiary companies. Studebaker’s...

Studebaker’s expanded its corporate family significantly in the early 1900’s in order to enter the automobile market.  One if its first additions was the assets of the failing General Automobile Company of Cleveland, Ohio.  The General plant produced Studebaker-branded two-cylinder automobiles in 1904-05.   As the market shifted to four-cylinder models,...

The automobile that became the Rockne was developed by Ralph Vail and Roy Cole, two independent automotive engineers from Detroit, Michigan. In early 1930, Vail and Cole were contracted to create a new automobile for the Willys-Overland Corporation of Toledo, Ohio. Two prototypes were built and received an enthusiastic response...

In 1899, brothers James Ward Packard and William Doud Packard built the first Packard automobile in their native Warren, Ohio. In 1900, they formed the Ohio Automobile Company in partnership with George Weiss, which was soon renamed the Packard Motor Car Company and moved to Detroit, Michigan. The company grew...

Pierce-Arrow was one of the oldest and most respected names in the industry. During the early 1900s, Pierce-Arrow, along with Packard and Peerless (the so-called “Three P’s”) were considered America’s finest luxury automobiles. The company was founded in 1865 by George M. Pierce in Buffalo, New York as a domestic...

Mercedes-Benz is one of the automotive industry’s oldest and most respected brands. During the mid-1950’s, Daimler-Benz, producers of Mercedes-Benz (M-B) automobiles, was looking to expand its market in the U.S. An agreement was reached in 1957 for Studebaker-Packard to serve as the U.S. distributor for Mercedes-Benz products. M-B, which sold...

What is Studebaker’s tie to NASA? Or Notre Dame football? Ever hear of the Garford automobile? The Flanders? What about Studebaker’s relationship with Mercedes-Benz? While many identify the Studebaker Corporation as builders of wagons, buggies and automobiles, the company’s reach extended far beyond its Studebaker-branded products. In the early 1900s,...