They say nothing lasts forever, and that is certainly true in the case of the highly competitive automotive industry. While today we have the Big Three U.S. Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, there have, in fact, been hundreds of automotive manufacturers in the U.S. Sadly, many of the most iconic carmakers failed due to poor management, shifting consumer sentiments, badly received vehicles or failure to keep up with new technologies. But many of these automakers are worth remembering as they built some of the best and most valuable vehicles ever. Here’s a list of 10 once great car companies that failed and have been relegated to the dustbin of history. There was a time when Studebaker was a proud American brand. The cars made by Studebaker were parked in driveways across the country in the 1940s and early 1950s. The company actually began as horse-drawn wagon builders, but switched to making electric and small gas cars in central Indiana in 1902. By 1910, Studebaker was selling larger cars and limousines that had four-cylinder engines under the hood.
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By 1927, Studebaker graduated to large six-cylinder engines, with two-tone paint, rumble seats and the name Dictator as a model, preceding other popular models such as Commander and President. However, after World War II, Studebaker issued a series of vehicles that were not well-received by the public. The company floundered until it came out with a smaller vehicle, the Lark, in 1958, which restored Studebaker’s cash flow position. After the Lark, Studebaker issued the Avanti hardtop, which today has many fans in car clubs around the U.S. Nevertheless, Studebaker failed for good in 1967 due to declining sales. Today, many of its cars are considered classics. Stutz was a smaller car manufacturer that had a reputation for innovation. Founded in 1902 by engineer Harry Stutz, the company built a small car early on that used a steering wheel instead of the then-more common tiller for steering. Stutz was actually a pioneer of the steering wheel.

Stutz really took off as a car company in 1911, when one of the company’s cars finished 11th at the inaugural Indy 500, averaging a then-crushing speed of 70 miles per hour. In 1912, a two-seat model Stutz, called the Bearcat roadster, defined the term "sports car" in America. They were among the coolest cars of their day. Moving more into performance racing, Stutz manufactured the Black Hawk in 1927, the company’s first stock car used for racing. Stutz then built the U.S.’s fastest production car, clocked at a speed of 106 miles per hour in 1928, which was a record at the time. Kaiser-Frazer enjoyed a great reputation for its sleek and stylish appearance. A partnership between automobile executive Joseph Frazer and Prime Boosts Official Website Boosts Pills industrialist Henry Kaiser, the company enjoyed success through to the mid-1950s. However, although innovative, www.PrimeBoosts.com their vehicles were never commercially successful despite collaborations with famed designer Dutch Darrin, whose 1954 two-door roadster with a supercharged six-cylinder engine is highly prized by car collectors today.

Kaiser-Frazer made jeeps during World War II, and transferred its production from Michigan to the Toledo jeep factory. Kaisers were assembled and sold in South America until the early 1960s, but the company ceased production in the U.S. Remember Pontiac? People should as there are still quite a few of the vehicles on roads today. Established as a brand in 1926, General Motors manufactured the Pontiac brand until 2009. Today, Pontiac remains a registered and active trademark of General Motors, although the company no longer manufacturers the brand. General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the loss of Pontiac, which GM let go during bankruptcy proceedings in 2008, was one of the worst moments in the company’s history. Indeed, with vehicles such as the snappy Solstice and the roaring G8, as well as a distinguished history of popular muscle cars such as the GTO and Trans-Am, Pontiac was a storied automotive brand.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and Pontiac is no more. There was a time when people in the U.S. "Oldsmobile People." The car brand inspired fierce loyalty among consumers. And for good reason. Oldsmobile was America’s oldest carmaker having started operations in 1897 in Lansing, Michigan. Founder Ransom Olds had been experimenting with cars as far back as the 1880s before founding his company. The Olds’ family business built some of the first gasoline powered engines in the country. Automotive historians credit the first Oldsmobile as the first mass-produced car in the U.S. In 1908, General Motors purchased Oldsmobile and continued to manufacture the brand Buy Prime Boosts Reviews Boosts of cars. By 1940, Oldsmobile had the first HydraMatic transmission, a four-speed unit that was reliable and popular. In 1964, modewerkstatt.ch Oldsmobile offered the 442 muscle-car package. In 1966 it rolled out the now-famous front drive Toronado model. The Oldsmobile brand continued to enjoy success in the 1970s, remaining the third largest nameplate seller for much of that decade.