Studebaker

You have to go back a long way to trace the origin of the Studebaker company. The firm started out in 1852 in South Bend, Indiana, and at that time they produced mostly farming and mining wagons. As the decades passed and automobile loomed over the horizon, prescient makers of wheeled vehicles like carriages, wagons, and bicycles recognized the opportunity that the motorized vehicle presented, and many of them diverted their efforts to the development of early motorcars. Studebaker was one of them, entering the marketplace with electric cars in 1902, and following up with gas powered cars in 1904 in conjunction with a couple of partner companies.

They became fully independent in 1912, and they steadily grew to become one of the most recognizable automotive brands in the world. They were dominant from the twenties all the way through to the 1960s, and they produced many classics that will always be remembered and collected by classic car aficionados. Among them are the Special Six, the Studebaker Light Four, the Bib Six, the Commander, the Studebaker President, and the Champion. They had a fantastic run, but the last South Bend manufactured model was produced in 1963, and the last true Studebaker was made in Canada in 1966.