In 1954, the Studebaker Corporation (founded in 1852) and Packard Motor Car Company (founded in 1899) merged to form Studebaker-Packard Corporation. The dream was to form a fourth big car company to challenge General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.
 

1957 Packard Clipper
 
 

The dream turned into a nightmare. The Packard car, once the top selling luxury car in America, disappeared in 1958. Studebaker ceased production in 1966.

Why did these companies fail?
 

1962 Gran Turismo Hawk
 

Dr. Ebert's continuing research on the Studebaker-Packard Corporation has resulted in about a dozen published articles. In 1993, he was awarded the Society of Automobile Historians "Carl Benz Award for Outstanding Periodical Article" for his research on Studebaker.