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More Than They Promised: The Studebaker Story
Thomas Bonsall
- List Price: $52.95
- Our Price: $39.71
- You save: $13.24 (25 %)
- Used Price: $28.62
- Publisher: Stanford University Press
- Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
Product Details
Product Description:
This lavishly illustrated book on the famous automobile manufacturer traces the Studebaker family from its arrival in America in 1736, to the beginnings of the wagon business under John M. Studebaker and his brothers in the nineteenth century, to the family’s entry into the automobile industry in 1902, to the last Studebaker automobile to roll off the assembly line in 1966.
The book, however, is much more than the story of a family business; it is also, in microcosm, the story of the industrial development of America. The Studebakers had always been industrialists in the sense that they made their living by manufacturing things, albeit on a small scale. When the Industrial Revolution hit the country with full force, spurred on by the Civil War, it transformed America from a rural-agrarian society into an urban-industrial one. The fortunes of the Studebaker family were transformed with it.
As the title suggests, the Studebaker story was mostly one of success. Studebaker wagons and carriages were long noted for their quality and popularity, and so, too, were Studebaker automobiles. The 1953 Starliner and the 1963 Avanti, designed under Raymond Loewy’s direction, are widely regarded as among the most innovative examples of American industrial design.
The book deals in detail with the soaring prosperity of the company in the 1920s, the bankruptcy and miraculous recovery in the 1930s, the stupendous success of the early post-World War II period, and the eventual decline of the company’s fortunes in the mid-1950s. It describes the development of such famous models as the Lark, Avanti, and Gran Tourisimo Hawk, with special attention paid to the Avanti II, a surprisingly successful spinoff from the dying company that continued to be produced until 1991. The final chapter, on why Studebaker died, is tightly reasoned and more convincing than previous theories. Throughout, the author has used personal incident and characterization to bring to life the rich, tumultuous history of one of America’s longest enduring industrial empires.
The book, however, is much more than the story of a family business; it is also, in microcosm, the story of the industrial development of America. The Studebakers had always been industrialists in the sense that they made their living by manufacturing things, albeit on a small scale. When the Industrial Revolution hit the country with full force, spurred on by the Civil War, it transformed America from a rural-agrarian society into an urban-industrial one. The fortunes of the Studebaker family were transformed with it.
As the title suggests, the Studebaker story was mostly one of success. Studebaker wagons and carriages were long noted for their quality and popularity, and so, too, were Studebaker automobiles. The 1953 Starliner and the 1963 Avanti, designed under Raymond Loewy’s direction, are widely regarded as among the most innovative examples of American industrial design.
The book deals in detail with the soaring prosperity of the company in the 1920s, the bankruptcy and miraculous recovery in the 1930s, the stupendous success of the early post-World War II period, and the eventual decline of the company’s fortunes in the mid-1950s. It describes the development of such famous models as the Lark, Avanti, and Gran Tourisimo Hawk, with special attention paid to the Avanti II, a surprisingly successful spinoff from the dying company that continued to be produced until 1991. The final chapter, on why Studebaker died, is tightly reasoned and more convincing than previous theories. Throughout, the author has used personal incident and characterization to bring to life the rich, tumultuous history of one of America’s longest enduring industrial empires.
- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: Stanford University Press
- ISBN: 0804735867
- Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
- Weight: 1.95 pounds
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Customer Reviews
- More than thay Promised
- Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
- Book on history of Studebaker Corp. Very good info on the life of the company and several reasons presented on why it failed.
- More Than They Promised: The Studebaker Story
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
- An Excellent Biography, no details were missed in the writing.
Also, product shipping and delivery were very much up to par. I am completely satisfied. - Self-inflicted tragedy
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
- I was born in South Bend and my neighbors and relatives worked at Studebaker. This book is an excellent portrait of a company sliding inexorably downhill. Some of the factors that killed Studebaker were internal (labor relations, high unit costs, lack of due diligence about the company's condition in the Packard merger) and some were external (George Romney's refusal to form a fourth major out of American Motors). Discussed in detail are the beautiful cars Studebaker built and their skill in managing the difficult transition from wagonmakers to automakers. (Lincoln rode in a Studebaker carriage to Ford's theater) Bonsall doesn't hesitate to point out the flaws and missteps Studebaker made, though. This book is an affectionate portrait of an American company that was part of the landscape for a century and has now vanished without a trace. Recommended.
- An interesting look....
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
- "More Than They Promised" was an excellent read. It detailed the entire history of Studebaker from its beginnings as wagon makers to its entry into the manufacture of automobiles.
Particularly interesting was the postwar era, especially after the disasterous merger with Packard. It SHOULD have worked, but in reality it was a total failure. The Sherwood Egbert era was very well detailed with his last-ditch efforts to save the automobile operations of what had by then become a conglomerate. At the time of their death, cars were but a small part of the empire.
I am fascinated by the Studebaker story, although I was only 8 years old when the last Studebaker was produced. I have often wondered what would have happened had they survived. Would they have survived the increasingly oppressive government safety and emission requirements? Would they have survived the fuel crises of '73 and '79?
I have had the pleasure of visiting the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, IN. Having seen these beautiful cars, particularly the "Loewy coupes" of 1953-55, I couldn't help but draw the conclusion that Studebaker was too far ahead of their customers.
Even if you are not a "car geek" as I am, you would likely enjoy reading "More Than They Promised".
- studebaker enthusiast must read
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
- awesome cronological of a great car company that should still be producing cars today
