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Car Forum / Antique and Collectibles / Studebaker / April 2005Remembering events that took place during the week of April 14,1957
In an article in Old Cars Weekly Studebaker-Packard has lost $85 million since 1954 and will bleed another $11 million this year. Bankruptcy is so close it is feared that the company may not have cars for dealers to sell. S-p officials announce an agreement to import and distribute Mercedes Benz automobiles in the United States. Mercedes cars range from $3,150 to $12,988 and add approximately 3,000 sales for the troubled South Bend company Bob Whiten Wagonmaster http://community.webtv.net/zzbob/StudebakersandMore On April 14, 1957, my Dad turned 40 years old. Having served in the mission field, as he called selling the Independents when he and his brother were Packard dealers (adding Studebaker before Packard went under), he was Sales Manager at Widdis-Nielsen Pontiac in Danville IL during 1957. He would reflect in later years, "Boy, it was easy to sell GM cars; people just came in anesthetized and wrote the check!" (What goes around comes around, apparently: GM's market share dipped below 25% for the first time in 2004.) Dad is still doing well and will turn 88 years old Thursday, April 14, 2005. For his birthday, from the Studebaker National Museum, I got him a copy of the WWII promo film "Men Bet Their Lives On It," the story of Packard's PT Boat engines. Packard was his first automotive love. If they still made them, I would have inherited the dealership years ago. Sigh; that's a big "IF!" Bob - That's a great idea for my own dad, who'll be 84 this July, Lord willing. He and his brother also owned a Packard dealership...theirs in Iowa. I know he'd enjoy that film too! Thanks. Also, Tom, your Dad will further enjoy that film as a former Packard dealer because: At the end, they have a "trailer" or "short" where a young veteran returns home from WWII and expresses an interest in securing a Packard franchise for the postwar car market. He visits Packard HQ in Detroit (still in his military uniform!) and is shown around by Packard's dealer development managerial types. In the end, of course, they determine there IS a Packard franchise and location available in his home town and he "signs on" as a Packard dealer. Great stuff; your Dad will enjoy it I am sure. Again, the exact title of the video is "Men Bet Their Lives On It." It is probably in The Studebaker National Museum catalog, or on their website. I just picked up mine from their display at York last month. Happy Birthday to your dad. It was a sad time loosing all the independants I'd sure like to see some of the independants cars today, maybe we would still have some style in todays cars. Wonder how LOW a Hudson would be today? or how thrifty a Henry J would be today or how Classy a Hawk would look. Or if this years Nash would be next years trash. We've lost a lot of styling since the 50s. Bob Whiten Wagonmaster http://community.webtv.net/zzbob/StudebakersandMore Well, You can envision a 2006 Hawk at Shrock Brothers... http://www.shrockbrothers.com/newsletters/Tommyhawk_specs.jpg "Wagonmaster" wrote... > Happy Birthday to your dad. It was a sad time loosing all the > independants I'd sure like to see some of the independants cars today, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > trash. We've lost a lot of styling since the 50s. > Bob Whiten |
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