Studebaker’s diversification program created a broad-based corporation with many different divisions, including Paxton Products (superchargers) Clarke Floor Machine (building and grounds maintenance equipment), Cincinnati Testing Laboratories (CTL), Chemical Compounds (STP), Gravely (garden tractors) and Onan (gasoline-powered generators). The Chemical Compounds Division produced STP Oil Treatment and sponsored an Indianapolis 500 racing team led by Andy Granatelli during the mid-1960s. Studebaker utilized Paxton Products’ superchargers on its
1963-64 automobiles. CTL produced the heat shields for NASA’s Mercury spacecrafts. This diversification allowed the Studebaker Corporation to continue after automobile production ended.

In 1967, Studebaker merged with Wagner Electric and the Worthington Corporation to form the Studebaker-Worthington Corporation and described itself as “a major manufacturer of automotive and electrical products.” In 1977, “Studebaker” disappeared from the corporate name following S-W’s acquisition by McGraw-Edison. Few traces of Studebaker’s direct corporate lineage are visible today, although a number of its former subsidiaries remain strong.

About this Series

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

The post Studebaker Subsidiaries appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.

Studebaker entered into a similar arrangement with the Everett-Metzker-Flanders (EMF) company of Detroit in 1908.   EMF offered a broader line of cars than Garford along with much larger production facilities.   The EMF “30” and Flanders “20” models were a sales success, and Studebaker purchased EMF and its Detroit plants outright in 1910.

At the conclusion of the 1911 model year, the Garford, EMF and Flanders badges disappeared – all cars now carried the Studebaker name exclusively.  Studebaker sold its stake in Garford and sourced all of its automobile production at the former EMF plants in Detroit.  Although automobile production began in South Bend in 1920, Studebaker continued to produce cars in Detroit until the early 1930s.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

ADDITIONAL LINKS ON STUDEBAKER’S EARLY AUTOS

More E-M-F Information

More Garford Information

The post Studebaker’s Early Autos appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.

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 from the Willys-Overland board, but the company lacked funds to pursue the project. Vail and Cole retained the design rights as well as the two prototypes. Each man took one car and headed on vacation.

Ralph Vail owned a farm near Michigan City, Indiana. His journey from Toledo took him through South Bend on a Saturday afternoon. With nothing to lose, Vail visited the Studebaker Administration Building and managed to arrange a meeting with Studebaker President Albert Erskine that very day. Erskine was impressed with Vail and his automobile, and before the sun had set he hired both Vail and Cole and slated their new car for production.

The new car was built by the Rockne Motors Corporation, a newly-created Studebaker subsidiary named for the late Notre Dame Football Head Coach Knute Rockne. In addition to coaching, Rockne served as Studebaker’s Assistant Sales Manager from 1928 until his death in 1931. Contrary to popular belief, there are no images of Knute Rockne and the Rockne automobile. He died eight months before its introduction.

The Rockne was slotted as an entry-level model in Studebaker’s corporate lineup. The Studebaker Corporation, reeling from the Great Depression, had put all of its remaining resources into the Rockne. Although the Rockne was Studebaker’s volume leader, sales were not nearly enough to purge the red ink from the company’s ledgers.

In the spring of 1933 Studebaker entered receivership. The company reorganized and resumed production a short time later, but the Rockne was not among Studebaker’s new lineup. Just over 38,000 Rocknes were built in the car’s two-year production run.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

ADDITIONAL LINKS

Rockne Registry

Knute Rockne Bio

The post The Rockne Automobile appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.

Packard was an early leader in innovation and performance. In 1904 Packard’s “Grey Wolf” race car was the first automobile to exceed 60 miles per hour. In 1915 the company debuted its famous “Twin Six” (V12) engine, the most powerful engine ever fitted to an American automobile at that time. The onset of World War I saw Packard introduce its “Liberty Motor” airplane engine, the first-ever mass produced airplane powerplant.

The Great Depression devastated the luxury field. Although Packard survived the worst of the Depression, it realized a volume product was needed to complement it’s top-line offerings. Packard’s solution came in the form of the lower-priced “120” that debuted in 1935. The new “120” was a rousing success and led to Packard’s best ever year in 1937 when the company built 109,518 cars.

World War II saw Packard once again supply aircraft engines, this time the Rolls-Royce Merlin powerplant for the P51 Mustang. The company also built naval engines for PT boats.

In the postwar era, Packard distanced itself from the luxury market and focused more on the larger-volume upper medium-priced field. Still, Packard struggled to compete as the 1950s began. Packard and Studebaker explored a merger beginning in 1953 and formally merged in October of 1954. The new Studebaker-Packard Corporation was promoted as a great triumph, but in reality, neither company was healthy. One industry veteran termed it as “two drunks helping each other across the road.”

The new Studebaker-Packard Corporation was unable to reverse either company’s fortunes. In the wake of falling sales and growing losses, Studebaker-Packard closed Packard’s Detroit plant in the spring of 1956. Packard production continued through 1958 at S-P’s South Bend facilities. The South Bend-built Packards were rebadged and redecorated Studebaker President models and, although fine automobiles, held little appeal to longtime Packard owners. The new Packard Hawk model introduced in 1958 also failed to make an impact, as 1958 was Packard’s final year.

About this Series

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

Additional Links

America’s Packard Museum

The post Packard appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.

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 goods manufacturer. It later built bicycles before debuting its first car in 1901. Pierce-Arrow (P-A) quickly gained a sterling reputation in the luxury car market due to its uncompromising quality. After World War I, however, P-A failed to keep pace with the industry’s engineering and production advancements, though it still built a very high-quality automobile.

Studebaker purchased Pierce-Arrow in 1928 to reach into the luxury market, and P-A used Studebaker’s investment to freshen its model lineup. Although P-A was now a Studebaker subsidiary, the two companies operated largely independent of one another. Studebaker cast P-A engines in its foundry, but no parts were shared between the two marques.

Faced with receivership proceedings in 1933, Studebaker sold Pierce-Arrow to a group of Buffalo investors for $1 million. P-A was unable to survive the depression era’s disappearing luxury market and closed its doors in 1938.

About this Series

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

Additional Links

Pierce-Arrow Society

The post Pierce-Arrow appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.

Following Studebaker’s closing of its South Bend plant in 1963, Daimler-Benz began negotiating a buyout of its contract with Studebaker. In the fall of 1964, an agreement was reached for $9 million and Daimler-Benz set up its own North American distribution network. Certain Studebaker dealers, including Freeman-Spicer, continued handling Mercedes-Benz following Studebaker’s shutdown. The M-B brand continues to be an industry leader, thanks in no small part to Studebaker introducing is products to U.S. consumers.

About this Series

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

The post Mercedes-Benz appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.

In the early 1900s, Studebaker partnered with the General Automobile And Cycle Parts Company of Cleveland, Ohio and later the Garford Automobile Company of Elyria, Ohio to produce automobiles which Studebaker sold through its vast dealer network. A few years later, Studebaker entered into a similar arrangement with the Everett-Metzker-Flanders (EMF) Company of Detroit, Michigan, before acquiring EMF outright in 1911.

In the late 1920s, Studebaker acquired the Pierce-Arrow Corporation of Buffalo, New York, to tap the luxury car market. In 1932, Studebaker introduced the Rockne automobile, named for Notre Dame football coach (and Studebaker Sales Executive) Knute Rockne. Studebaker’s most famous automotive “cousins” are the Packard Motor Car Company and Mercedes-Benz. Studebaker and Packard merged in 1954, and in 1957 Studebaker acquired the exclusive rights to distribute Mercedes-Benz automobiles through its domestic dealers.

The 1960s saw Studebaker become a fully diversified corporation as it acquired divisions such as Franklin Refrigeration, Chemical Compounds, and Cincinnati Testing Laboratories (CTL), among others. The Chemical Compounds Division became famous for its STP Oil Treatment, while CTL made heat shields for NASA’s Mercury Space Program. Studebaker’s diversification allowed the corporation to survive beyond the end of automobile production in 1966, and a few of Studebaker’s “cousins” remain viable products and companies today.

About this Series

Studebaker’s Cousins was on display at the Museum in 2014.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.

The post Studebaker’s Cousins: Subsidiaries, Partners and Associated appeared first on The Studebaker National Museum.