Editor’s note: While slavering over a brother’s new sports car, Rodan took me aside. “Did you know about Studebaker motorcycles.”
“No,” I said, “didn’t know they built bikes.”
“I’ve got the story,” Rodan said.
And of course I had to get my hands on it for Cantina members. Plus, here’s a brief history of Studebaker autos.
Studebaker Corporation, or simply Studebaker (English pronunciation: /’stju?d?be?k?r/ stew-d?-bay-k?r), was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868[1] under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the military.
Studebaker entered the automotive business in 1902 with electric vehicles and in 1904 with gasoline vehicles, all sold under the name “Studebaker Automobile Company”. Until 1911, its automotive division operated in partnership with the E-M-F Company and the Garford Company of Elyria, Ohio. The first gasoline cars to be fully manufactured by Studebaker were marketed in August 1912.[2]:p231 Over the next 50 years, the company established an enviable reputation for quality and reliability.[3] The South Bend plant ceased production on December 20, 1963, and the last Studebaker car rolled off the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, assembly line on March 16, 1966.
