In 1938, Ford was in shaky condition and was nearly bought out by Studebaker. The old man managed to get it together sufficiently to rebuff overtures from South Bend.
But what if Studebaker decided that, having lost out with Ford, there might be other possible acquisitions--like, perhaps, Hupmobile and Graham, or their erstwhile partners (now on their last legs as an independent), Pierce-Arrow--or even a pennies-on-the-dollar acquisition of the assets of Auburn Motors?
Let's say Studebaker acquired all three of the still-going concerns, and scaled back Pierce-Arrow to one notch above a custom/boutique manufacturer--that is, with just enough units out the door in a year to retain status as a main-line manufacturer. Meanwhile, the assets of the Auburn company would be plowed into Studebaker, Hupmobile, and Graham, including the body dies for the Cord Beverly and Westchester sedans and convertibles. Styling from Graham--the (in)famous sharknose--would also be propagated to Studebaker and Hupmobile. A top-to-bottom overhaul of styling for 1939 would yield some of the more head-turning and popular cars of the late 1930s, as the renovated Studebaker Corporation became an analog to Chrysler Motors.
This would permit all four marques to survive the war, but it might well also butterfly away Kaiser-Frazer: after all, Joseph Frazer was a former executive with Graham who threw in with Henry Kaiser after the war (in fact, the early Kaiser/Frazer products used prewar Graham engines). On the other hand, one didn't say "no" readily to Henry Kaiser, and he might have found an opportunity with Hudson, Nash, and/or Packard. Perhaps a fifth top-to-bottom manufacturer might have evolved after the war, with newcomer Kaiser as the solder to hold together Hudson, Nash, and Packard into a comprehensive line of vehicles (to which would be added the Allstate in the early 1950s as the first reasonable postwar compact car).
If these had come to pass, probably GM would still be on top, but I don't think there would be a clear-cut second banana: I suspect the other four would likely battle neck-and-neck for the second spot perennially. Comments?
But what if Studebaker decided that, having lost out with Ford, there might be other possible acquisitions--like, perhaps, Hupmobile and Graham, or their erstwhile partners (now on their last legs as an independent), Pierce-Arrow--or even a pennies-on-the-dollar acquisition of the assets of Auburn Motors?
Let's say Studebaker acquired all three of the still-going concerns, and scaled back Pierce-Arrow to one notch above a custom/boutique manufacturer--that is, with just enough units out the door in a year to retain status as a main-line manufacturer. Meanwhile, the assets of the Auburn company would be plowed into Studebaker, Hupmobile, and Graham, including the body dies for the Cord Beverly and Westchester sedans and convertibles. Styling from Graham--the (in)famous sharknose--would also be propagated to Studebaker and Hupmobile. A top-to-bottom overhaul of styling for 1939 would yield some of the more head-turning and popular cars of the late 1930s, as the renovated Studebaker Corporation became an analog to Chrysler Motors.
This would permit all four marques to survive the war, but it might well also butterfly away Kaiser-Frazer: after all, Joseph Frazer was a former executive with Graham who threw in with Henry Kaiser after the war (in fact, the early Kaiser/Frazer products used prewar Graham engines). On the other hand, one didn't say "no" readily to Henry Kaiser, and he might have found an opportunity with Hudson, Nash, and/or Packard. Perhaps a fifth top-to-bottom manufacturer might have evolved after the war, with newcomer Kaiser as the solder to hold together Hudson, Nash, and Packard into a comprehensive line of vehicles (to which would be added the Allstate in the early 1950s as the first reasonable postwar compact car).
If these had come to pass, probably GM would still be on top, but I don't think there would be a clear-cut second banana: I suspect the other four would likely battle neck-and-neck for the second spot perennially. Comments?
It was a desperate attempt revive failing fortunes. By '39, the sharknose facelift was all Graham could afford, & Hupp was buying body dies from Cord & contracting out for production. They weren't all the way under yet, but they needed an angel. Stude could've been.