Return of the Studebaker .... name

Studebaker is back! …. sort of

The trademark of the legendary automobile manufacturer, which ended production in 1966 when the last car rolled off the Hamilton production line, ended up in the public domain and now belongs to Colorado businessman Ric W. Reed.

Reed hopes to relaunch the brand and is recruiting investors with sleek plans on the new Studebaker Motor Company website.

The new Studebaker takes a strong stance against unionisation with Reed stating to WSBT-TV “I don’t need a labor union babysitting me, telling me what to do and not do.”

The WSBT-TV story provides good background and is worth the read.

The capitalisation required to launch a new automotive company is massive and the regulatory hurdles high. Could disruption arrive on the automotive scene? Could we return to the days of the backyard mechanic modifying their beauty?

We’ll have to wait and see.