Stuart Chapman: Witness to Studebaker's Canadian Sunset

摘要

Over the years I've interviewed many automotive executives, but Stuart "Stu" Chapman is one of the most interesting I've ever had the pleasure of talking with. He's full of knowledge and amazing stories about his career at Studebaker. During our talk he related how Studebaker's end as a carmaker in 1966 was actually planned by the corporation heads in 1963, and how Studebaker's chief executives lied about the Canadian subsidiary's lack of profitability. He told me about Studebaker of Canada's plans to rebadge a Japanese car as a Studebaker, and how Studebaker might still be building cars today if only a planned sale of the auto division hadn't fallen through literally at the last moment. I'll add this: Stu Chapman is a living treasure in the Studebaker hobby and, personally, he has led me to a much better understanding of the final days of Studebaker as an automaker.