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Richie:

Something just occurred to me ...

There was a connection between Hudson and Packard that of which you may be aware. After World War II, Nash President George Mason sought to bring about the consolidation of the four major independents into American Motors in order to compete against General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Nash initially paired with Hudson, and in 1954, Packard purchased Studebaker, becoming the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Mr. Mason was dead by then and there was resistance to the final linking of Nash-Hudson and Studebaker-Packard. Nash morphed into AMC, with Hudson quietly disappearing in 1959, while Packard ceased car manufacturing in June 1956, with Packard-badged Studebakers continuing until 1958.

In previous posts, I have maintained that the optimal time to form American Motors would have been in the mid 1920s and at that time, possibly bringing the newly formed Chrysler Corporation and Dodge Brothers into the fold. Hudson, Nash, Packard, and Studebaker were all operating on solid ground at that time and could have started on a good foundation.

MrBumble, I was not aware of the Packard / Studebaker specifics but am familiar with the Hudson story. All great info., nice to be reminded about the history of our great cars. Thanks for posting it. Richie.