THE STUDEBAKER HISTORY
Henry and Clement Studebaker open the H & C Studebaker blacksmith shop at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson Streets in downtown South Bend.
John M. Studebaker joins the firm, buying elder brother Henry’s share of the business.
A devastating fire destroys over half of the Studebaker plant. The company promptly rebuilds.
Clement Studebaker commissions noted architect Henry Ives Cobb to design his new home Tippecanoe Place. The forty-room mansion is completed in 1888.
The first Studebaker Electric automobile sold to F.W. Blees of Macon, Missouri.
The Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company acquires the Everitt-Metzker-Flanders Company of Detroit to form The Studebaker Corporation. Electric vehicle production is halted.
Studebaker discontinues all horse-drawn vehicle production and begins transferring automobile production from Detroit to South Bend. A 1920 Light Six is Studebaker’s first South Bend-built automobile.
Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne takes part-time employment in Studebaker’s Sales Department. Rockne served as a Studebaker spokesman until his death in 1931.
Studebaker enters a five-car factory-backed team at the Indianapolis 500. Studebaker Special #22 driven by Cliff Bergere leads the team with a 3rd place finish.
Studebaker enters receivership and teeters on the brink of closing. The company reorganizes and resumes production under court supervision. President Albert Erskine is relieved of his duties.
Studebaker is “First by Far with a Postwar Car.” The company’s new 1947 Champions and Commanders debut in May and feature radical styling by Raymond Loewy Associates. Studebaker establishes itself as a styling leader.
Company officials and workers at Studebaker’s Chippewa Avenue plant celebrate the completion of the last truck of Studebaker’s first century. Studebaker’s last Farm Wagon was present to commemorate this historic occasion.
Studebaker’s Starliner hardtop debuts to critical acclaim. The award-winning design was penned by Raymond Loewy Associates’ Robert Bourke.
The Studebaker Corporation and the Packard Motor Car Company join forces to form The Studebaker-Packard Corporation.
The Packard line is discontinued; the Lark is introduced as a 1959 model.
The Studebaker Corporation closes its South Bend plant in December. Production continues at Studebaker’s Hamilton, Ontario, factory.
The last Studebaker leaves the Hamilton plant on March 17. The Studebaker Corporation’s vehicle collection and company archives are given to the City of South Bend.