Studebaker

Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. The company held a location at 1600 Broadway in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the firm was originally a coachbuilder of wagons, buggies, carriages, and harnesses. Studebaker entered the automotive business in 1902 with electric vehicles, adding gasoline vehicles in 1904, and selling under the name "Studebaker Automobile Company". It's automotive division operated in partnership with the Garford Company of Elyria, Ohio until 1911; and with E-M-F Company and Flanders Automobile Company from 1909. The first gasoline automobiles to be fully manufactured by Studebaker were marketed in August 1912.Over the next 50 years, the company established a reputation for quality, durability and reliability. In 1962, the company reverted to its original name of 'Studebaker Corporation' due to an earlier unsuccessful merger with Packard (the Studebaker-Packard Corporation) in 1954, influenced by unresolved post-WWII cash flow issues. As a consequence, the South Bend plant ceased production on December 20, 1963, and Studebaker's final automobile rolled off the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, assembly line on March 17, 1966. The company continued as an independent manufacturer before merging with Wagner Electric in May 1967 and finally Worthington Corporation in February 1968 to form Studebaker-Worthington.