1937 Ford 73
Jun 07, 2023
Ford’s commercial vehicles of this era lagged several years behind contemporary styling trends and were notably spartan in appointments. While Ford sourced many components in-house, its truck cabs were produced by Budd Manufacturing Company, an innovator of all-steel body construction.
This truck...
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1948 Tatra T87
Apr 26, 2023
Czechoslovakian automaker Tatra licensed aerodynamicist Paul Jaray’s streamlined designs beginning in the early 1930s. Tatra chief engineer Hans Ledwinka was a champion of streamlining and rear-engine cars, as he believed these two features provided both fuel efficiency and increased speed. To fac...
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Studebaker’s Packards: The Corporate Collection
Apr 14, 2023
When the Studebaker Corporation and the Packard Motor Car Company joined forces in the fall of 1954, the newly-formed Studebaker-Packard Corporation aimed to become America’s fourth full-line automobile manufacturer and compete head-to-head with Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. This goal ultima...
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The Naming of the Lincoln Highway
Apr 14, 2023
Henry Joy, President of Packard Motor Car Company, believed that the road should be named after Abraham Lincoln. He urged Fisher to write a letter of protest to Congress, which was considering spending $1.7 million on a marble memorial to Lincoln. Joy thought a good road across the country would be ...
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1949 Studebaker 2R-5
Apr 04, 2023
This 1949 Studebaker 2R-5 was a part of the 2R series. Studebaker debuted its new 2R-Series truck line in mid-1948 to much fanfare. The 2R’s styling was penned by Studebaker designer Robert Bourke, who later designed the 1953 Studebaker Starliner hardtop.
The 2R was offered in a wide variety ...
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1933 Rockne 10
Mar 24, 2023
The Rockne was initially developed by freelance automotive engineers Roy Cole and Ralph Vail as a project for Willys-Overland. When Willy’s declined the car, Cole approached Studebaker President Albert Erskine who bought the design and retained Cole and Vail as engineers. The new car was built b...
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1939 Lincoln “K” LeBaron Convertible Roadster
Mar 07, 2023
This 1939 Lincoln is one of two “K” series LeBaron Convertible Roadsters known to have been built in 1939. After becoming President of Ford Motor Company, Edsel Ford focused on the styling of Fords and Lincolns, in contrast to his father who focused on practicality. The “K” chassis was desig...
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South Bend: The Next 100 Years” Poster Design Contest
Mar 01, 2023
TOPIC: “South Bend: The Next 100 Years” Poster Design Contest (deadline June 25, 2023)
CONTACT: Jo McCoy, Assistant Director, Studebaker National Museum (574) 235-9714, jmccoy@studebakermuseum.org or Marilyn Thompson, Director of Marketing, The History Museum (574) 235-9664, ext. 231 or mthom...
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Reaching the Masses: Studebaker Companion Models
Feb 24, 2023
Conventional wisdom of the late 1920s held that low-priced models could dilute the brand image of their higher-priced stablemates. Studebaker, along with many other manufacturers, marketed its new low-priced offerings as separate and distinct brands termed companion models.
Studebaker sought to e...
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The Lincoln Highway: Leaders in the Movement for Transcontinental Travel
Jan 20, 2023
In 1909 Carl Fisher and three partners James Newby, James Allison and Frank Wheeler opened the Indianapolis Speedway. The Speedway's immediate success was further enhanced with the placement of brick pavers on the two and a half mile track and the establishment of the Indianapolis 500 race in 1911. ...
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