Studebaker-Packard Corporation - Automotive Specimen Stock Certificate - Famous Car Maker

Specimen Stock printed by Security-Columbian Banknote Company.

The Studebaker-Packard Corporation, formed in 1954, was the result of the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, acquiring the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. While Studebaker was the larger entity, Packard’s financial standing and executive team were superior to that of South Bend. In the spring of 1962, Studebaker-Packard reverted to its original name, “Studebaker Corporation.� The following year, the South Bend plant closed, while its Canadian plant in Hamilton, Ontario, continued producing Studebaker cars until 1966.

Initially, Packard anticipated benefits from Studebaker’s extensive dealer network, while Studebaker sought to leverage Packard’s robust cash position. Once both companies stabilized their financials and enhanced their product offerings, the original plan proposed by Packard president James J. Nance and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation president George W. Mason envisioned the combined Studebaker-Packard company joining forces with the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company to form an all-new four-marque American Motors Corporation.

Had the intricate combination of companies progressed as planned, the new entity would have immediately surpassed the Chrysler Corporation to become the third of America’s “Big Three� automobile manufacturers. However, the sudden demise of Mason in 1954 (succeeded by George W. Romney) and disputes over parts-sharing arrangements between the companies thwarted any chance of completing the proposed merger. This failure to effectively combine the companies ultimately sealed the fates of all four.