2018 Orphan car tour.

[wlfrench]

The 2018 Orphan Car Tour will be held in Harford/Baltimore County MD, on June 2. Will anyone from the club be attending?

[TWChamp]

What is an orphan car?

I always considered orphan cars as the corporations that only had one make of car, such as Studebaker, Stutz, Packard, etc.
Are discontinued cars, such as Olds, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercury, etc. also considered orphan cars these days?

[8E45E]

What is an orphan car?

Are discontinued cars, such as Olds, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercury, etc. also considered orphan cars these days?

Or how about marques that were considered orphans, but got revived: Bugatti, Maybach, and maybe Horch, if Audi carries through with their plans to revive it.

Craig

[whitehawk759]

Or how about marques that were considered orphans, but got revived: Bugatti, Maybach, and maybe Horch, if Audi carries through with their plans to revive it.

Craig

I have always considered "orphaned cars" to be those that no longer received factory (parental) support.

[Skip Lackie]

What is an orphan car?

I always considered orphan cars as the corporations that only had one make of car, such as Studebaker, Stutz, Packard, etc.
Are discontinued cars, such as Olds, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercury, etc. also considered orphan cars these days?

In general, in those states where orphan cars can receive special treatment under antique vehicle license plate laws, the answer is yes. I wrote the Historic Motor Vehicle Act for the DC in 1977 and based it on a model law that had been adopted by a number of other states. It allowed states to grant early adoption or special privileges to orphans, which included Stude, Packard, Hudson, Nash, and also DeSoto and Edsel -- so the vehicles in your list would presumably also qualify after they were discontinued. The stumbling block was always Corvair, because most states simply registered them as a Chevrolet. Of course Corvairs can be ID'd by their VIN, but most state DMVs didn't want to be bothered.

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

Prime examples of orphan cars, I have found, are the so-called "U.S. Independent" group. This segment is rather large, given the fact that something along the lines of 400 regional automakers were in business all across the U.S. during the automobile's infancy. However, the main examples are these: AMC, Hudson, Kaiser, Nash, Packard, Studebaker, and Willys. On another note, I personally extend the orphan car designation to any makes (not specific models) that are no longer represented by the parent company. Therefore, I would not consider the Corvair to be an orphan as Chevrolet and GM still recognize and support it.

[wlfrench]

Thanks for all that great info on orphan cars but what I really wanted to know is if anybody with a Studebaker besides me was going to do the tour? The northern Harford and Baltimore county country side along the tour route should be beautiful in early June. I would really love to see some Studebakers out on the road.

[whitehawk759]

Prime examples of orphan cars, I have found, are the so-called "U.S. Independent" group. This segment is rather large, given the fact that something along the lines of 400 regional automakers were in business all across the U.S. during the automobile's infancy. However, the main examples are these: AMC, Hudson, Kaiser, Nash, Packard, Studebaker, and Willys. On another note, I personally extend the orphan car designation to any makes (not specific models) that are no longer represented by the parent company. Therefore, I would not consider the Corvair to be an orphan as Chevrolet and GM still recognize and support it.

I don't think that Chevrolet really supports the Corvair any longer, ask any Corvair owner if they can order parts from Chevrolet. We have an Orphan car show coming up sponsored by the Corvair club, which I will be attending with the Hawk.

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

We have an Orphan car show coming up sponsored by the Corvair club, which I will be attending with the Hawk.

Really? Where is this orphan event? I would love to attend if I can!

[DougHolverson]

Or how about marques that were considered orphans, but got revived: Bugatti, Maybach, and maybe Horch, if Audi carries through with their plans to revive it.

Craig

I wonder what the new Horch Kommanderwagen will look like....

[GTCruiser]

The site, orphancartour.org provides details on the event and defines an orphan car. We will start at the Jarrettsville Methodist Church and end at Friendly Farms Restaurant. The site has the details. There are always some Studebakers. Cars or trucks are to be 25 years old or more. All Studes, and most Avantis, are within the definition.

[GTCruiser]

One Studebaker truck and three Studebaker cars are already registered for the tour.

[60ragtop]

The 2018 Orphan Car Tour will be held in Harford/Baltimore County MD, on June 2. Will anyone from the club be attending?

I'll be there, but because of some recent surgery won't have either of my Studes ready to go. Instead I'll be riding in my buddy's '67 Rambler Rogue (343 and 4 speed).

Frank Philippi