• From Horses to Horsepower

    Internal combustion engines in the vehicles that we drive was not always the norm. Renowned automotive historian Robert Casey, retired Curator of Transportation at The Henry Ford Museum, will take us through this history.  He will explore the triumph of internal combustion over steam and electric.  Through these conversations, we will learn what it was […]

  • The Rockne: A Finer, Greater Automobile

    Join Studebaker historian Richard Quinn for a look at the Rockne Motor Corporation.  This wholly owned Studebaker subsidiary and its sole product were named for Notre Dame football coach and Studebaker employee Knute Rockne.

  • The Edsel: Ford’s Famous Failure

    Introduced with much fanfare in the fall of 1957, the Edsel was greeted by car buyers with a collective shrug. Was it the bad economy, was it poor marketing, or was it that one-of-a-kind grille? Whatever the cause, Edsel disappeared after just three model years and $250 million in fruitless development costs.  Join Matt Anderson, […]

  • President Grant Visits the Studebaker

    Join us as Curt Fields, a renowned President Ulysses S.Grant portrayer, visits the Museum.  President Grant will reminiscence about his role during the American Civil War and his current presidency.  To conclude the program, visit Ulysses S. Grant's carriage, part of the Museum’s 1st Source Carriage Collection.  This is the last Speaker Series of 2019 […]

  • Taking Flight: Studebakers Hawks

    The 2020 Studebaker Speaker Series will kick off with Studebaker National Museum Archivist, Andrew Beckman. He will talk about the history and evolution of Studebaker’s Hawk line, beginning with its origins in the critically-acclaimed 1953 Starliner hardtop. The program will cover all Hawk models from 1956 through 1964, with a focus on the line’s design […]

  • South Bend: Then and Now, Part III

    New policies have been implemented to help protect our visitors and speakers.  Speaker Series modifications include: Speaker Series will have a maximum audience of 60 attendees and RSVPs are required. RSVP by calling 574-235-9714 or emailing mtekolste@studebakermuseum.org Members may register early, beginning on August 28. Non-members may make a reservation beginning September 7. No punch and […]

  • American Global Leadership in a Troubled World

    Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient General (Ret.) Jack Keane, Executive Chairman of AM General, explores the role of American leadership in the world today in his lecture presented by the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum in conjunction with their joint exhibit Manufacturing Victory. The lecture begins at 6:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 […]

  • Building a Better HUMVEE: Afghanistan, Iraq and Beyond

    Join us as Col. H. Donald Capps U.S. Army, Retired, explores how the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) affected combat vehicular operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through 2012 leading to the UAH (Up-Armored HMMWV) and the development of the MRAP family of vehicles and their deployment into theater. While the Jeep was a ubiquitous presence during […]

  • Stude Obscurities: Studebaker’s Lesser Known Models

    Join us as Archivist Andy Beckman introduces you to or reminds you about some of Studebaker's lesser known vehicles. The Studebaker Museum Speaker Series is held in the Wiekamp Auditorium. Regular lecture admission is $2. Regular admission fees apply to tour the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum. Studebaker National Museum and Campus members […]

  • Ford’s Willow Run Bomber Plant

    Join Matt Anderson, Curator of Transportation at The Henry Ford Museum, for a look at Ford Motor Company's extraordinary Willow Run factory, where the automaker used mass-production techniques to build more than 8,600 complete and partially-assembled B-24 bomber airplanes during World War II. At its peak, more than 42,000 people staffed the complex -- a city unto […]

  • Wired: The Rise (and Fall) of Electric Cars

    At the turn of the 20th century, the future of the new “horseless carriage” was anyone’s guess. Dozens of companies sprang up to build automobiles, and these were powered by everything from electricity to gasoline to steam. Yes, steam. Join Studebaker National Museum Curator Kyle Sater for an in-depth look at some of the earliest […]

  • On the Future of Electric Vehicles & Transportation

    Peter H. Bauer, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, joins us to take our electric car exhibition into the 21st century.  This presentation discusses current and future trends in electrical transportation, with a particular focus on battery-powered electric vehicles. The industry is currently undergoing a revolution not seen since the end […]