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  • Studebaker Advertising Omen? (Gulp!)

    Today's (Thursday, April 2, 2009) Indianapolis Star contains a full-page General Motors advertisement entitled:

    REINVENTING THE OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE: INTRODUCING TOTAL CONFIDENCE

    I thought that sounded hauntingly familiar, so I pulled out my large 1964 model year Studebaker dealer display advertising file.

    Yep, sure enough, there was a December 1964 Indianapolis Star full-page Studebaker advertisement published just after the announcement was made to "shift production to the Hamilton plant." The Studebaker advertisement headline is:

    NOW...AND FROM NOW ON...YOU CAN BUY A NEW STUDEBAKER WITH [u]COMPLETE</u> CONFIDENCE.

    For a second opinion (always advisable in such matters), I then carried both full-page advertisements upstairs and displayed them side-by-side to wife-unit Cari. She compared them, smiled real big, and said, "Oh my gosh, isn't that cute!"

    Hmmmm....I guess it's all in your perspective. BP
    We've got to quit saying, "How stupid can you be?" Too many people are taking it as a challenge.

    G. K. Chesterton: This triangle of truisms, of father, mother, and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.

  • #2
    Well, I guess that history has to repeat itself sometimes...but in the same publication? That is just bad karma.


    1963 Lark, 259 V8, two-tone paint, Twin Traction. Now that the salt is off the roads, she is getting back into regular rotation!

    Comment


    • #3
      Bob,

      I would copy those articles and write a short blurb to the editor about history repeating itself. I'm sure he would find it interesting how his paper advertised basically the same line from two car manufacturers facing bankruptcy 45 years apart.

      Allen


      1964 R2 GT Hawk

      1963 Daytona Convertible
      Oakville, Ontario.
      Hamilton Chapter
      See you in Cedar Rapids Summer 2009
      1964 GT Hawk
      PSMCDR 2014
      Best time: 14.473 sec. 96.57 MPH quarter mile
      PSMCDR 2013
      Best time: 14.654 sec. 94.53 MPH quarter

      Victoria, Canada

      Comment


      • #4
        Actually, GM has been through something like this before.

        When William Durant was running the company, he made some bad decisions that resulted in bankruptcy. GM emerged from that as a stronger company and became the industry power house we all remember.

        I have a feeling the same may happen this time. Bad decisions have made bankruptcy almost inevitable...but it could very well be that the company that emerges will be a much better one than GM became in the last couple of decades. Different than we know now, but hopefully much stronger, more nimble and more responsive to what customers want.

        Dick Steinkamp
        Bellingham, WA

        Dick Steinkamp
        Bellingham, WA

        Comment


        • #5
          I feel the same way Dick does on this. Not that I have money to do such with, but I've thought that it might be a good time to buy some GM stock!
          I bought shares of Rolls Royce in the early 70s - when they were on the rocks over aircraft engine production. The price was roughly 20 cents a share one day. I bought a whopping 300 shares in all (Yeah -BIG gambler!), but it paid off when I got nervous and sold them about a month later - at .56 cents a share. Man, if I held onto those things a coupla years!

          1957 Transtar 1/2ton
          1963 Cruiser
          1960 Larkvertible V8
          1958 Provincial wagon
          1953 Commander coupe
          1957 President two door

          No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.

          Comment


          • #6
            The reason I'd buy some GM stock -and I have been thinking about it- is because of the design of The Chevrolet Volt. If they can get this thing off the ground amidst all this turmoil, I think it has great promise.

            Here's why: It's not a complicated hybrid along the lines of the Toyota Prius. The Volt is always driven (powered; moved) by the electric motor system; never by the "pony" gasoline engine.

            The Volt essentially eliminates what GM tactfully calls "Range Anxiety;" the fear of running out of juice before you can recharge. Fully charged, it might go 50 miles with no recharging. But at the end of the 50 miles, the little gasoline engine kicks in and charges the batteries enough to keep you going; hundreds of miles if you want! As designed for weight and other considerations, the little gas-engine charging system won't fully recharge the battery pack, but will charge it enough to keep you rolling along.

            Then, when you get where you are going, even if it's been 300 miles away from your last full recharge, you just plug it in for a full recharge and you're good to go another round trip commute of up to 50 miles, or more if you let the gas engine kick in to provide enough charge to keep you going.

            This is a huge plus: Theoretically, a concerned greenie who never went more than 40-50 miles between recharging places could never use any gasoline; none at all! And to top it off, there's no complicated power-source switching back and forth all day long from gas to electric depending on operating conditions, so the whole vehicle is simpler and has fewer things to go wrong.

            I believe this is an excellent approach for folks who want an "electric" car but don't want to worry about running a couple errands on the way home and going beyond the previous overnight's full charge.
            Now, about The Volt's currently-projected $34,000 price.... BP
            We've got to quit saying, "How stupid can you be?" Too many people are taking it as a challenge.

            G. K. Chesterton: This triangle of truisms, of father, mother, and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.

            Comment


            • #7
              Straying well from the Studebaker link here, but one's gotta ask one's self what the impact would be if there WAS a mass switch to rechargeable cars. (?!) That charging power isn't just created in the walls behind an electrical outlet.[8]

              1957 Transtar 1/2ton
              1963 Cruiser
              1960 Larkvertible V8
              1958 Provincial wagon
              1953 Commander coupe
              1957 President two door

              No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.

              Comment


              • #8
                quote:Originally posted by BobPalma
                Now, about The Volt's currently-projected $34,000 price.... BP
                Don't worry about it.
                The Democrats and their friends in the UAW and enviromental lobbies will make sure anyone who buys one will get a hefty tax credit.
                It will save GM and keeps the greenies happy...assuring their continued support for the current congress and administration.

                So don't worry about paying for it, [u]we'll all</u> help!
                Cynical. Who me?

                63 Avanti R1 2788
                1914 Stutz Bearcat
                (George Barris replica)

                Washington State
                63 Avanti R1 2788
                1914 Stutz Bearcat
                (George Barris replica)

                Washington State

                Comment


                • #9
                  quote:Originally posted by studebaker-R2-4-me

                  Bob,

                  I would copy those articles and write a short blurb to the editor about history repeating itself. I'm sure he would find it interesting how his paper advertised basically the same line from two car manufacturers facing bankruptcy 45 years apart.

                  Allen

                  Please keep in mind that Studebaker never went bankrupt. (I know that you said "facing".)

                  Gary L.
                  Wappinger, NY

                  SDC member since 1968
                  Studebaker enthusiast much longer
                  Gary L.
                  Wappinger, NY

                  SDC member since 1968
                  Studebaker enthusiast much longer

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    quote:Originally posted by Mr.Biggs

                    I feel the same way Dick does on this. Not that I have money to do such with, but I've thought that it might be a good time to buy some GM stock!
                    I bought shares of Rolls Royce in the early 70s - when they were on the rocks over aircraft engine production. The price was roughly 20 cents a share one day. I bought a whopping 300 shares in all (Yeah -BIG gambler!), but it paid off when I got nervous and sold them about a month later - at .56 cents a share. Man, if I held onto those things a coupla years!


                    We also bought Rolls Royce stock in the early 1970s. We did not sell ours. Like with most bankruptcies and other things of a similar nature, the stock became worthless. New shares of stock were issued for the new company or companies. The net is that if you held onto those shares, you would just be holding onto some pieces of paper, collectable at best.

                    Gary L.
                    Wappinger, NY

                    SDC member since 1968
                    Studebaker enthusiast much longer
                    Gary L.
                    Wappinger, NY

                    SDC member since 1968
                    Studebaker enthusiast much longer

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      That design of the Volt is really intriguing. However, I can see a potential problem with some folks: they fill the tank of the backup motor when they buy the car, then one day five, six months, to a year later, they get stuck somewhere with little to no charge. No problem, they say, I will just rely on the backup motor...BUT the gas is so old the engine cannot stay running [:0] What now[?][?][B)]

                      (I realize that this would not be a problem for normal, responsible folks, like us, but how many other responsible people are out there?


                      1963 Lark, 259 V8, two-tone paint, Twin Traction. Now that the salt is off the roads, she is getting back into regular rotation!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        quote:Originally posted by Mr.Biggs

                        Straying well from the Studebaker link here, but one's gotta ask one's self what the impact would be if there WAS a mass switch to rechargeable cars. (?!) That charging power isn't just created in the walls behind an electrical outlet.[8]
                        Oh oh! I hear the thought police a-comin' for ya! [)]


                        [img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]

                        Clark in San Diego
                        '63 F2/Lark Standard

                        The Official Website of the San Diego Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club. Serving San Diego County

                        Clark in San Diego | '63 Standard (F2) "Barney" | http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          The problem with so many electric cars will be keenly felt when we have a major solar burst that kills the power grids across the country for hours or days. It will be ugly. Just plug it in and ...wha...?
                          "Madness...is the exception in individuals, but the rule in groups" - Nietzsche.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            All these hybrids are going to start wearing out soon. It will be like 1979 all over again when the first front wheel drive chrysler products were hitting the junkyards when the trannys went out and nobody could fix them reasonably enough to make it worthwhile.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Recently, I had dinner with a lady that was extolling the virtues of her Prius. I asked how much it will cost when the main battery pack needs to be replaced. She looked at me as if I was from Mars. That was her only response to the question. I doubt that this ever crossed her mind.

                              Gary L.
                              Wappinger, NY

                              SDC member since 1968
                              Studebaker enthusiast much longer
                              Gary L.
                              Wappinger, NY

                              SDC member since 1968
                              Studebaker enthusiast much longer

                              Comment

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