Triumph & Tragedy: America’s Great Lost Auto Companies

There were over 160 American car manufacturers in 1919. That number dropped to about 15 by 1969 and the industry has consolidated at 11 today. Many of the automakers that disappeared during the first part of the 20th century didn’t leave a trace. New York’s Houpt doesn’t have an owner’s club and Ottokar (Cleveland) doesn’t have its own museum. However, others had a profound effect on American citizens and the country’s economy when they closedm like Studebaker (pictured). Thousands of jobs disappeared overnight and several factories closed, some never to re-open.

Source: MSN/Autocar