The Innovations of Studebaker
At 201 Chapin Street in South Bend IN is a museum for a car. This is a car that many of us don't remember or saw first hand. Perhaps that's why there is a museum. The Studebaker National Museum opened in 2005.
The H&C Studebaker Blacksmith Shop opened in 1852. They were so big that they made Abraham Lincoln's carriage. They produced vehicles for Presidents Grant and Benjamin Harrison. As the horse and buggy method of travel gave way to automotive methods, Studebaker met the challenge.
In 1902, they made electric cars. 1902! We can't get that today. By 1904 they were using gasoline powered engines. They gave the world the bus in 1912. They made military vehicles.
This was the car for famous people. President McKinley had a Studebaker Phaeton. I believe the "King of Hollywood" Clark Gable did also.
They invented the "light six" engine in 1920. Studebaker was so diverse that in addition to the luxury, they made speed. They had five cars in the Indy 500 in 1932.
The Great Depression started in 1929. It hit Studebaker and they declared bankruptcy. In a sign of great management they got out of bankruptcy before the 1930s were over. They didn't get into muscle cars when that became the thing in the 1950s and 1960s and that hurt. Studebaker was seen as old and stodgy. Their South Bend plant where it all started closed in December 1963. They had opened a second factory in Hamilton Ontario, Cananda and that closed on March 17, 1966.
As I write this, I find myself annoyed with modern car manufacturers. This largely forgotten company made electric cars and fuel efficient cars while maintaining luxury status. Why can't they do that today? Studebaker declared bankruptcy and got out of it without a bailout from the government. Why can't they do that today?
Take a trip to the South Bend museum and maybe we can figure out what made this company so innovative. Why shouldn't we learn how to run a company?
Don't forget to visit the gift shop.
Info came from the museum website and Wikipedia.