0 The Studebaker

            There have been hundreds of American car manufacturers since the development of this mode of transportation. Most have fallen by the way side. Many of those no longer with us have all but been forgotten. Perhaps one of the now defunct companies that could be considered iconic in its demise was the Studebaker.

            Started in 1852 by the five Studebaker brothers of Indiana to make wagons, they made their first cars in 1902. By the way, those first efforts were electric cars so don’t think the Toyota Prius is all that innovative.

            What most people probably remember about Studebaker is their innovative, well, different, post-World War II designs. They were ultramodern and almost jet like in their appearance and in their appeal. To highlight this, the museum has a 1950 Starlight Coupe on display. The Starlight, first manufactured in 1947, looked like nothing else on the road. By 1953, though, even it was no longer on the assembly line. Labor unrest and diminishing sales prompted Studebaker to close its Indiana assembly plant in 1964 and the company faded away.