[DMCForum] Re: Studebaker (Jack Stiefel)

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Studebaker closed its South Bend IN factory in the 1960's and
effectively went out of the automobile business (bet they wished then
they had merged with Nash when first approached!). If I'm not mistaken
all that remains is one building housing a museum.

Rights to all its products and trademarks have changed hands several
times, including a controversy with securities fraud or some such in
the 1980's. There's some entity doing business as "Studebaker" even
today, but it has about as much connection to the original company as
Sol Shenk had to DMC.

A crazy Canadian licensed rights to the Avanti in the 1970's and
started building them by hand (powered by a Chevy 350?). For many
years you could buy a "factory new" Avanti. Don't think he's still
doing it.

Studebaker was a wild company. They'd give a dealership to anyone with
a PO box (I think a physical address was optional). You had folks
selling Studebakers who had absolutely no way to service the vehicle
thereafter. The dealership network is what Nash coveted most when it
approached them with merger plans.

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Jack Stiefel" <jackstiefel@xxxx> wrote:
> Uhhhh, sorry I even made that joke.  No I was not saying the Pacer was a
> failure, just ugly as Hell and not a big collectible as far as I can
see.
> My family had a Pacer and from what I have seen most of the AMC line
(most
> likely good at the times, but looonnggg way past appealing IMHO) it was
> interesting by 70's standards, but not now.
> 
> As far as the comparison between AMC and DMC, why?  I never compared
them or
> said one was better than the other.  All I said was peoples passion
of the
> AMC looks like it equals ours of the DMC.
> 
> As far as your other comments, I believe Studebaker is still in
existence,
> and by the looks of the following concept car, quite a nice machine.
 Might
> give a gremlin a run for its money. 
> 
> 
>
http://www.conceptcarz.com/folder/vehicle.asp?car_id=7841&autoShowID=&vehicl
> eTypeID=0
> 
> 
> Jack Stiefel
> www.fmtimemachine.com
> Direct listen link: www.live365.com/stations/radiocape
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: content22207 [mailto:brobertson@xxxx] 
> Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 6:25 PM
> To: DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [DMCForum] ATTN: Jack Stiefel -- AMC vs DMC (Warning:
Automobile
> History Enclosed)
> 
> A brief comparison between AMC and DMC may be instructive.
> 
> But first: the Pacer was not a failure. AMC sold more Pacers than all
> Javelins and AMX's combined -- 354,228 versus 254,631. For 3 years
> they couldn't build them fast enough (sales did falter by 1979). For
> some reason the general public today thinks the Pacer didn't sell, or
> somehow bankrupted the company. Nothing could be further from the
> truth. The Gremlin wasn't a failure either (671,475 units built in 8
> year production run, and that same platform lurks under 1,655,755
> Hornets through Eagles).
> 
> I digress...
> 
> AMC is traditionally known as the "Last Independent". Of the many
> small automobile manufacturers in existence at the end of World War
> II, only AMC survived to see the the end of the 1960's. American
> Motors was of course the merged entity of Nash and Hudson. Gone by the
> wayside were Packard, DeSoto, Studebaker, Kaiser, etc. AMC produced
> 7,748,500 automobiles over 31 years, 1955-1986, in the oldest
> continuously operating transportation manufacturing facility in the
> United States (plant was making bicycles in the 1890's. Not many
> people know "Rambler" was originally a bicycle marque). And this
> doesn't include Jeeps built under AMC auspices (or buses and military
> vehicles for that matter)!
> 
> Some comparisons between AMC and DMC passenger automobile divisions:
> - AMC itself engineered 9 totally different vehicle platforms; DMC
> farmed out engineering of its 1 vehicle platform
> - AMC produced proprietary 6 and 8 cylinder engines in house; DMC
> purchased engines off the shelf
> - AMC built entire cars from coils of steel (galvanized in its later
> years); DMC farmed out metal stamping
> - AMC sewed its own interiors in a bewildering array of colors for any
> given model, some quite gaudy; DMC farmed out its interiors in black
> or grey "leather" only
> - AMC never filed for bankruptcy; DMC went bankrupt
> - AMC max'd production at nearly 2,000 cars per day (24 hour shifts);
> DMC max'd production at 80 cars per day (8 hour shift).
> - AMC raced and won in production class venues; DMC never subjected
> its product to competition
> 
> You get the idea...
> 
> Bill Robertson
> #5939
> 
> >--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Jack Stiefel" <jackstiefel@xxxx>
wrote:
> > The Lincolns don't confuse me as much as his passion for AMC --
> almost as
> > much as most of our DMC passions.  But I suppose you do see as many
> restored
> > AMC's out there as 70's Lincolns, maybe he is on to something new....
> > Hmmmmm, maybe we all should go out and pick up a vintage Pacer and
> get to
> > work.
> > 
> > (the following message was made purely tongue and cheek, no offense
> should
> > be taken personally)
> > 
> > Jack Stiefel
> > www.fmtimemachine.com
> > Direct listen link: www.live365.com/stations/radiocape
> >  
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Andrei Cular [mailto:andreic@xxxx] 
> > Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 10:08 AM
> > To: DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: Re: [DMCForum] Re: Farrar at SEDOC 2005
> > 
> > Farrar's truck is a cute little thing next to my new beast, which can 
> > seat 6.
> > 
> > >2 person limit is baby truck. 3 fit very comfortably in a full size.
> > >I am not good looking. Flavia is attracted to my *CARS* ("Oooh Bill,
> > >your hood is so LONG"). Martin is well advised to buy one for
himself,
> > >and a stick to beat off the hordes of women that will throng him soon
> > >thereafter.
> > >
> > 
> > Sorry Bill I don't know too many women that find 60's-80's Lincolns
> very 
> > sexy.  Personally I prefer the 60's continental convertibles, or as
> some 
> > call them the steel bricks or JFK's car.   Now you take my Karmann
> Ghias 
> > or even the Beetle and you will get the hordes.  And with the Porsche 
> > you get the flocks of 7-10 year old girls and then 60+ grannies, both 
> > groups that I want nothing to do with.
> > 
> > 
> > Andrei
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >  
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
> Yahoo! Groups Links

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