Before Detroit became synonymous with the automobile, northern Indiana was already on the move. Motor City, Indiana explores how South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, and other nearby towns became a hub of entrepreneurship and manufacturing in the industry’s infancy. From Studebaker’s global reach to the inventive designs of the American Simplex Motor Car Company, Elcar, Pratt-Elkhart, Milburn, and more, these companies turned local ambition into national innovation. These vehicles—and the people who built them—helped make northern Indiana an industrial powerhouse and are a vital chapter in America’s motoring story.
This summer, discover the machines, the makers, and the pioneering spirit that put Indiana on the automotive map as part of the ongoing America 250 celebrations at the Studebaker National Museum.
