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I got a private message asking what my automotive timeline for this is. So that is what I'm posting here. Those entries with an asterisk (*) also happened in OTL.


(*) January 1952: Walter Briggs dies, was founder and owner of Briggs Body Company. Briggs Body company was the supplier of car bodies for both Packard and Chrysler.


1952: Packard contacts the heirs of Walter Briggs and offers to buy Briggs Body Company. Packard's concern is that Chrysler will buy Briggs leaving Packard without a source of car bodies. Negotiations begin that result in Packard buying Briggs.


May 1953: Packard buys Briggs Body Company. Packard leases the former Briggs plant on Connor Avenue to Chrysler with the option to buy.


June 1953: Packard begins construction of an in-house body facility at its plant on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit.

Packard begins construction of a new plant close to its proving grounds in Utica, Michigan. This will be a full production facility going from foundry through final assembly and will give Packard two major full production plants very close to each other. ((*) In OTL Packard did at this time begin construction of an engine and transmission plant close to their proving grounds at Utica, Michigan.)


July 1953: Production at East Grand Boulevard is shut down for nearly a month as body dies and tooling are transferred from the former Briggs plant on Connor Avenue and installed in the new facility at East Grand Boulevard.


Late July 1953: The first Packard and Clipper bodies are produced in the new facility, full production resumes.


(*) 1953: Kaiser and Willys Overland merge, form Kaiser Willys Corporation which builds Kaiser, Willys, and Jeep. Willys also builds the Allstate which is marketed through Sears and Roebucks catalog. Yes you could buy a car from Sears and Roebuck, it was the Willys with the Allstate name on it.


(*) November 1953: Packard and Studebaker begin merger talks.


December 1953: Chrysler exercises its buy option purchasing the former Briggs plant on Connor Avenue. Chrysler uses this plant to build car bodies and for special projects. In that capacity it serves Chrysler well for many years.


(*) December 1953: Studebaker breaks off merger talks as Studebaker president Harold Vance resists combining with another company.


(*) February 1954: Kelvanator Nash merges with Hudson Motor Car Company, forms American Motors Corporation which builds Rambler, Nash, and Hudson.


(*) April 1954: After posting a first quarter loss Studebaker re-opens merger talks with Packard.


(*) August 1954: Stockholders of both companies vote to accept an agreement by which the Packard Motor Car Company will purchase the Studebaker Corporation.


(*) October 1, 1954: Packard buys Studebaker, forms Studebaker-Packard Corporation which builds Studebaker, Clipper, and Packard.


November 1954: Studebaker-Packard's new production plant at Utica, Michigan becomes fully operational.


(*) 1955: Studebaker-Packard purchases Aerophysics Development Corporation a builder of airframes. This improves Studebaker-Packard's position in regard to getting defense contracts and broadens the company's corporate base.


Early 1955: Studebaker-Packard renovates and modernizes the Studebaker plant in South Bend, Indiana.


December 1955: Studebaker-Packard Corporation ends the 1955 calendar year debt free and posting a profit.


(*) 1955 is a record production year for the American automobile industry.


(*) Spring 1956: Studebaker-Packard builds a showcar first called the Packard Projector, later changed to Packard Predictor. It is a big hit at the auto shows.


(*) Spring and Summer 1956: A full line of Packards, Clippers, and Studebakers are developed for 1957 based on the Predictor. These cars will use a shared inner body structure which increases production efficiency and reduces production costs.


September 1956: Production of the 1957 models begins. To make the most efficient use of the common shared inner body structure all Packards, Clippers, and Studebaker Champion, Commander, and President models are built at East Grand Boulevard and the new Utica, Michigan plants. Studebaker trucks and Hawks are built in the South Bend, Indiana plant.


1957: Studebaker-Packard's 1957 Predictor based cars are very well received by the car buying public and sell very well. Studebaker-Packard's total corporate production for 1957 is just over 1,000,000 vehicles.

1955 and 1956 were outstanding production and sales years for the American automobile industry at large. The increased sales and the high profits from the 1955 and 1956 models allows Kaiser-Willys to do the following.

1. Bring back the Frazer name. 2. Develop a V-8 engine standard in the Kaiser optional in the Frazer. 3. Develop an all new in-line six standard in the Frazer and optional in the Willys. 4. Totally re-style the Kaiser, Frazer, and Willys.



1958: Studebaker-Packard totally redesigns the Studebaker light and medium duty trucks, and the Studebaker Hawk.

American Motors totally redesigns its full line for 1958. This means an all new Rambler, Nash, and Hudson.

Ford Motor Company introduces the Edsel. The Edsel proves to be the auto industry's biggest flop and the Edsel is discontinued early in early 1960.

October 1958: Studebaker-Packard introduces the compact Studebaker Lark and Clipper Osprey as 1959 models. Built in South Bend, Indiana they prove to be highly successful. ((*) In OTL Studebaker-Packard did introduce the Studebaker Lark at this time and for 1959 it was a very big success for the company.)


1959: The American automobile industry is now being referred to as The Big Six U.S. automakers. What we had then and still have today (2006) is a strong thriving highly competitive industry made up of six strong thriving highly competitive companies. The companies and makes they are building in 2006 are as follows.

General Motors Corporation
Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC trucks

Ford Motor Company
Ford, Mercury, Lincoln

Chrysler Corporation
Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler

Studebaker-Packard Corporation
Studebaker, Clipper, Packard

American Motors Corporation
Rambler, Nash, Hudson

Kaiser-Willys Corporation
Willys, Jeep, Frazer, Kaiser


1960: Studebaker-Packard totally redesigns its senior cars, this includes all Packards, Clipper Adriatic, Aegean, and Nautica, and Studebaker Champion, Commander, and President.


That takes us from 1952 to 1960. This is the timeline I invision for this.
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