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Gone Forever: Forgotten Car Brands That Disappeared From The Auto World

Cameron Eittreim January 19, 2023

Photo Credit: TheClassicCars

American Motors Corporation (AMC)

Nowadays, the Detroit automakers are referred to as the Big Three. But there was once a fourth entry. AMC was the smallest Detroit automaker. It was founded on May 1, 1954, by George W. Mason. The idea behind AMC was to do what the other companies did but at a more affordable price. The AMC Eagle provided a crossover design with off-road functionality, something that’s quite common nowadays (via Fandom).

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There were periods of prosperity and declining sales for AMC. The company just didn’t get on its feet long enough to be profitable. The leading shareholder Renault put the company up for sale. Lee Iacocca then saw the potential in the Jeep brand. The AMC brand lived on for a few years as the Jeep/Eagle Corporation until 1997. Chrysler made the purchase of a lifetime with the assets from the AMC brand. This was especially true with the blueprint for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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Edsel

The Edsel was more than just a failed car model. It was also a new brand Ford attempted to market to the masses. The vision behind Edsel was to create a new, more advanced automotive brand. The new technology pushed the boundaries of what automobiles offered at the time. A car like the Edsel did a lot for the automotive industry and it showed designers what was possible with the limitations of the period (via Time).

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The problem with the Edsel was that the technology was untested. The car had a reputation for unreliability. Its lack of refinement also meant the Edsel was expensive to purchase and repair. The car just didn’t resonate with customers. The initial performance of the Edsel on the market underwhelmed Ford. The Edsel car and the brand were discontinued and are considered one of the biggest blunders in Ford’s history.

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Oldsmobile

Great automotive brands have come and gone quite often. If you grew up in the ’70s or ’80s, you knew about Oldsmobile. For a while, Oldsmobile was one of the most advanced auto brands on the market. The brand also homed the best-selling car in America which was the Cutlass Supreme. Oldsmobile was the pioneer behind most of the automotive safety technology that we take for granted today (via Top Speed).

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But like all great things, the luster of the Oldsmobile brand faded by the 1990s. It became home to rebadged GM cars. Oldsmobile was a leader in innovation and design and the automotive world was less exciting without it. The Oldsmobile brand was to be a technological leader and a trendsetter in the automotive industry. That plan came to fruition in the 1970s and ’80s but came unraveled by the 2000s.

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Pontiac

Pontiac was another well-known automotive brand that’s ingrained in the history of the muscle car era. But it is another victim of changing automotive tastes and bad management. What was once the home of favorite cars like the Trans Am and the GTO was nothing more than a collection of badge-engineered Chevrolets at the end.

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There was a time when Pontiac pioneered the muscle car segment and performance era of automotive history (via Autoblog). Pontiac was an innovative brand until the corporate grasp of GM changed it. The last car that offered authentic Pontiac design was the G8 sedan.

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Photo Credit: GM

Geo

The late 1980s and early ’90s were tough times for domestic automakers because Japanese competitors sold an abundance of compact cars. American compact cars lacked quality and refinement and it caused sales to slide. GM introduced the Geo brand in partnership with a few Japanese automakers to import affordable compact cars into the US (via Fandom).

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The brand originally sold four models with the most popular being the Geo Metro and the Tracker. The brand was discontinued in 1997. The Metro and Tracker stuck around until 2001. The Geo brand itself experienced a resurgence during the 2008 economic crash as consumers searched for fuel-efficient vehicles.

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Eagle

When Chrysler purchased American Motors at the end of the 1980s, the company had to do something with the leftover Renault models. The Eagle brand was sold alongside the Jeep brand and the remaining AMC dealerships were renamed Jeep/Eagle dealerships. The problem was that consumers were sold badge-engineered products and there was nothing unique about Eagle vehicles at the time (via Ranker).

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The only reason consumers went to a Jeep/Eagle dealership was to see the popular Jeep models like the new Grand Cherokee. The Eagle brand offered some surprising value such as the Talon TSI, which was an AWD turbo-powered sports car that shared a design with the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Eagle brand was quietly discontinued in 1997 and Chrysler never offered a new brand to replace it. The Plymouth brand got phased out overall.

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DeSoto

Another defunct Chrysler brand was DeSoto, a brand that was surprisingly popular for a short period. There were over two million cars and trucks sold with DeSoto badging on them until the brand was shuttered in 1961. The DeSoto brand was more successful than many defunct automotive brands. Yet the fact that it served the same customers as Chrysler meant the brand wasn’t selling (via Ranker).

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The failures of the DeSoto brand were due to mismanagement by Chrysler and segment crowding by the Plymouth brand. Nowadays drivers forget how iconic the DeSoto brand was and how well-known it was in the automotive world.

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Packard

Packard was another well-known automotive company founded in 1899 that unfortunately didn’t survive the second World War. The brand was a luxury car builder and went head-to-head with the big three. Unfortunately, the company struggled due to odd design elements and a lack of consumer interest (via Classic Beyond).

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The Packard car company had many shortcomings that contributed to the downfall of the brand. The lack of an employee pension plan meant the executive team was drastically older than those at the helm of the big three automakers. The cars Packard was selling were dated and lacked the features other automakers brought to the market.

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Studebaker

Studebaker was another influential car company dating all the way back to 1852. The idea behind the carmaker was similar to other carmakers at the time, which was to develop a horseless carriage. The horse and buggy days were impractical and steam engine technology was improved (via Studebaker Museum).

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Unfortunately, Studebaker didn’t keep up with the times and the auto market was saturated with similar vehicles. The companies that didn’t have the funding to stick around were discontinued and Studebaker was one of them. The company was merged with Wagner Electric in 1967 and the automotive brand was discontinued.

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Hudson

Hudson was another automotive brand that rose to prominence during the rise of personal transportation only to be defunct by the 1960s. Hudson’s most well-known model was the Hornet, which lived on as an AMC car. Hudson emphasized price and quality like Hyundai and Kia do now (via Hot Cars).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

The last Hudson was built on June 25, 1957. From there, some of their models like the Rambler and the Hornet moved on to other automotive brands. Hudson was a company with a lot of potential but its executives lacked vision. Nowadays Hudson could stand out from the crowd but it never made it to the new millennium.

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Nash

The domestic automotive market is a mere shadow of what it once was. There were dozens of American-based automotive brands on the market. Now there is only a handful and the main companies are the big three. Nash was another automotive nameplate prominent up until the 1950s (via Ranker).

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The Nash Rambler was one of the most popular models for the brand and it was carried on as an AMC model. There are still imprints that the Nash brand left on the automotive market to this day and the cars continue to gain value.

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Photo Credit: Edmunds

Terraplane

Hudson, like General Motors in the ’90s and early 2000s, had quite a few brands under its umbrella. One of the most unique brands was Terraplane, in production from 1932-1938. Terraplane cars were two things, cheap and powerful, which were the main selling points for the cars initially (via How Stuff Works).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

The Essex-Terraplane Eight was the most popular model. It featured an elongated hood and a luxurious interior. The problem was that consumers just weren’t interested in the cars and the executives at Hudson decided it was best for the brand to be disbanded.

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Willys

Nowadays, every hipster in the world wants to own a Jeep, but the brand has humble roots that started in the military industry. The original Jeep brand started as the Willys-Overland Motors company. The early Willys Jeep models were versatile vehicles used as reconnaissance vehicles by the US military (via Ohio History).

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On civilian land, vehicles like the 1947 Willys Jeep station wagon were excellent family cars that offered significant bang for the buck. AMC acquired the brand in 1970. When Chrysler purchased AMC in the late 1980s it was reported that the Jeep brand was the driving force behind the deal.

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LaSalle

Cadillac has always been a top-tier luxury brand and is considered the pinnacle of automotive luxury. But in the 1920s and 1940s, Cadillac sold LaSalle-branded vehicles that were more affordable in price. An affordable Cadillac might sound like an oxymoron, but LaSalle models served a purpose (via August Chronicle).

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LaSalles were branded as vehicles that were worldly, fashionable, and reasonable to purchase. For the new young affluent generation of car shoppers, the LaSalle was welcomed with open arms. But the cars didn’t sell well overall and the brand was ultimately discontinued due to the close competition with GM’s own Cadillac brand.

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Durant

Durant was an automotive brand founded by GM CEO William “Billy” Durant following his termination from the board. The idea behind Durant Motors was to build cars that competed against GM makes like Buick, Oldsmobile, and Chevrolet. While Durant met the same price points as these automotive makes but the quality wasn’t the same (via The Henry Ford).

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Durant Motors tried to expand far too quickly and the company went under by 1931. Durant was nearly broke when he passed away at the age of 85 in 1947, the same year Henry Ford passed away. The company was one of the least successful automotive companies in history.

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Essex

Essex was a different type of automotive brand, with the mission of being an affordable family car. The Essex brand was also one of the first automotive manufacturers to move away from the convertible style of the 1920s and toward enclosed vehicles. The 1922 closed coach priced at $1,495 was one of the most affordable family cars on the road (via Hemmings).

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There were more than 1.13 million Essex automobiles sold, but the brand was eventually dissolved and became part of Hudson. Nevertheless, most of the automotive design and progress that you see today was due to the advances Essex Motors made.

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Photo Credit: Edmunds

Franklin

Franklin Automobile Company was another early innovator in the automotive industry. The company built sedans, touring cars, limousines, coupes, speedsters, taxis, and light trucks. The most interesting and innovative thing about Franklin vehicles was that they were air-cooled (via Daily Kos).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

Franklin’s cars were different looking than anything else on the road. That was because the styling was molded after Renault vehicles as is evident by the hood design. The cars were designed by J. Frank DeCausse and he innovated the original boat-tail styling.

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Graham-Paige

Graham-Paige was one of the most interesting automotive companies of the 1920s because it was a mixture of Ford and Dodge designs. Founded by Joseph B., Robert C., and Ray A. Graham the company began life by building conversion kits for the Ford Model T. The Graham cars originally used Dodge engines and the Dodge brand eventually purchased Graham-Paige (via Graham Owners Club).

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One of the most notable vehicles was the 1927 Dodge Graham truck, an early incarnation of the modern Dodge Ram. The 1937 Graham Custom Series 120 Supercharger Four-door Sedan was one of the fastest production sedans on the road.

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Photo Credit: Edmunds

Hupmobile

Hupp Motor Car Company (Hupmobile for short) was founded by Charles Hastings formerly of Oldsmobile. The first Hupmobile cost $8,500 to manufacture. The company was popular at the 1909 automobile show and their first car was the Model 20. The company was off to a great start, but by the depression of 1930, sales slid dramatically (via Live About).

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The final Hupmobile model that hit the market was the 1941 Graham Hollywood. The car was far cry from the originality that Hupmobile was founded on. But the economy was in a bad state and there just wasn’t room for another automaker.

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Jordan

Jordan Motor Car Company was an innovative force in the automotive industry and a catastrophic failure all at once. The company was one of the first automakers to use nameplates for each model such as the Sport Marine. The wheels on Jordan cars were designed to be different than anything else on the market (via Jordan Motor Car Club).

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Unfortunately, all these design elements only added to the cost of the vehicle to produce. Eventually, it took a toll on the Jordan Motor Car Company as a whole. Jordan cars are remembered for being fashion-forward innovations that didn’t connect with consumers.

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Photo Credit: Edmunds

LaFayette

LaFayette Motors Corporation was another one of the early innovators in the automotive world. The first innovation LaFayette contributed to the automotive world is the first digital clock in a car. The company was in business from 1919 to 1941 until Nash ultimately purchased it (via Abe Books).

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The final car to have LaFayette branding was the Nash LaFayette, a car geared toward budget-minded consumers. The line was known for producing smaller, less expensive cars than the rest of the automotive industry. This could have finally contributed to the company’s demise.

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Plymouth

Plymouth was an automotive brand originally founded by Walter Chrysler on July 7, 1928. Up until the 1990s, Plymouth was a high-volume seller for Chrysler Corporation and one of the most profitable automotive brands in the world. The Plymouth brand name was also synonymous in the muscle car era with hits like the Superbird and Hemi Cuda (via Motor Trend).

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Towards the end of the brand’s life, there were interesting vehicles like Prowler and the Neon, but they just weren’t enough to keep it profitable. Chrysler intended for Plymouth to have a resurgence with the PT Cruiser but the company ended up pulling the plug on the brand in 2001.

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Photo Credit: Toyota

Scion

Remember the Scion brand? If you were a Gen X person, then you do. Scion was the brainchild of Toyota which secretly launched Project Genesis in 1999. The idea behind the brand was to attract younger car buyers to Toyota showrooms. The initial fruit of this project was the XB and the XA (via Motor Trend).

Photo Credit: Scion

The box-shaped XB with its customization options became a cultural phenomenon. But by the mid-2000s, the honeymoon period had to warn off and Scion was no longer popular. The brand offered a lot of potential but the car shoppers that the brand targeted grew older and gravitated toward modern crossover vehicles.

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Asüna

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, General Motors had a problem. The company needed to sell smaller gas-efficient cars and the way to do it was through imports. Asüna was the captive import brand that GM launched in Canada.

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The first model was the Sunrunner, which was a Geo Tracker with a different logo (via Autoweek). The cars weren’t that unique and consumers could cut through the red tape and see that the Sunrunner was a Tracker.

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Photo Credit: GM

Saturn

GM launched Saturn Corporation in the 1980s to compete with Japanese import cars. The idea behind Saturn was to launch a completely new type of compact car. The Saturn sedan was different than anything else in the GM brand portfolio. The brand was established as its own company with its unique dealership network (via Auto Trends).

Photo Credit: GM

The first model was the SL2 and it was a unique design. The problem was that the entire company was brand new from the factory to the workforce, and GM lost money. By the 2000s the Saturn brand was nothing more than a home for badge-engineered GM cars.

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Mercury

Mercury was one of the most successful brands of the Ford Motor Company. The Mercury brand launched to compete against Chrysler and Buick. The cars weren’t basic and they weren’t luxurious; it was a happy medium. The original Mercury models like the Monterey were unique, but as time went on, they became badge-engineered Fords (via Motor City Garage).

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Toward the end of the brand’s life cycle, the cars were nothing more than Ford models with upmarket trim options. The Mercury brand never had a focus in the Ford portfolio. The final model, the Sable, didn’t excite anyone.

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Merkur

Merkur is one of the shortest-running automotive nameplates in history. Lasting only from 1985 to 1989, the brand was one of the biggest failures in Ford’s history. The idea was to bring German-engineered cars to America. The models that Merkur sold weren’t bad, but they were overpriced (via Brands That Didn’t Make It).

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American car shoppers weren’t going to trust a relatively unknown car brand. The Merkur XR4Ti was the most popular model and the one you are most likely to see nowadays. The appetite for imports died in the 1990s as domestic automakers started to offer higher-quality products.

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Moon

Moon Motor Car Company was one of the fastest-growing automotive companies in the early 1900s. The company struck gold by building affordable cars that utilized quality parts. The sales were an instant success, so much so that the company couldn’t keep up with the demand. Model A was the original model and by far the most successful (via St. Louis Style).

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The company couldn’t keep up with dealership demand by 1924 and after the Great Depression. Moon Motor Car Company was responsible for several firsts including introducing one of the first eight-cylinder cars to the market.

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Daewoo

Daewoo Motors a South Korean automaker was more intertwined with the domestic automotive market than you’d think. The company supplied the base for the Pontiac LeMans compact and the Chevrolet Aveo. Daewoo utilized a unique sales strategy in the US where the company employed college students to advertise via word of mouth (via Curbside Classic).

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Needless to say, the plan failed and the cars didn’t sell well. There was a lot of value in the Daewoo brand, though, because GM purchased it in 2002 for $1.2 billion. Today, there are still Daewoo cars that live on vicariously through General Motors brands.

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Sterling

Sterling Motor Cars only sold in America from 1987 to 1991. The brand was initially very successful because consumers were hungry for the traditional British design of the cars. But with the rising British currency rates and the economy Sterling was losing money on every vehicle sold (via Car Throttle).

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The Sterling 825 sedan was built in partnership with Honda of Japan which is why the car shared most of its characteristics with the Acura Legend. Sterling cars were high-quality vehicles that offered a lot of benefits for the price, but it just wasn’t enough to stay in business.

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Checker

Checker Motors Corporation was once one of the most visible automakers in the country. The main reason for this was the Checker Taxi Cab, a commercial vehicle sold until 1981. The Checker Cab was synonymous with the taxi cab industry and there wasn’t another car that competed with it for decades (via Car Throttle).

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Checker also sold consumer cars but the main vehicle was the Checker Taxi. The brand sold consumer vehicles for a brief period but the commercial offerings were where the profit was at. The company hung on until 2010 when it was a consultant to other Detroit automakers for two decades.

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Oakland

The Oakland Motor Car Company was the precursor to the Pontiac brand. Founded by Edward Murphy who also owned the Pontiac Buggy Company, the brand was off to a great start. The company was named after the assembly plant that GM had in the Bay Area at the time (via Marconi Museum).

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Oakland Motor Car Company contributed to the early growth of General Motors, but like all major corporations, the company had to trim certain brands. Oakland Motor Car Company built some of the first mainstream General Motors models.

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Frazer

Many luxury cars have hit the market since the birth of the automobile. But aside from the industry standards like Cadillac, there were also brands like Frazer. The 1949 Frazer Manhattan convertible was the most notable model released and the first prominent convertible on the market (via Richard Langworth).

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The 1951 Frazer Vagabond hatchback boasted 50,000 orders within the first year. Founder Henry Kaiser and Joseph Frazer believed the big three Detroit automakers stopped the supply of their materials on purpose.

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Stutz

Stutz Motor Car Company was one of the most exclusive automakers in history for a long period. The brand specialized in high-end luxury cars, the type of vehicle the average person simply couldn’t afford. The build quality was top-notch and the styling was unlike anything else on the road (via Fandom).

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Unfortunately, the brand never had enough momentum to stay the course. There was too much competition in the market for high-end luxury cars. There are only 617 cars in existence. Stutz had what it took to succeed had the timing been right.

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Saab

Saab Automobile AB was a Swedish automaker that designed some of the most fun-to-drive cars on the market. The Saab 900 was a car that won numerous awards for design and innovation. The Saab 9000 changed the game for what a Swedish sports sedan should be. But the styling polarized consumers who otherwise wanted the car (via Autocar).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

General Motors purchased Saab in the late 1990s but the brand was not doing well. By the financial crisis of 2008, GM was winding down unnecessary brands. The Saab brand disbanded in 2010 with the final model, the 9-5 sedan. The 9-5 offered excellent performance for the price but the styling did not connect with the consumer. The company tried to build a better car but ultimately failed.

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Gone Forever: Forgotten Car Brands That Disappeared From The Auto World

American Motors Corporation (AMC)

Edsel

Oldsmobile

Pontiac

Geo

Eagle

DeSoto

Packard

Studebaker

Hudson

Nash

Terraplane

Willys

LaSalle

Durant

Essex

Franklin

Graham-Paige

Hupmobile

Jordan

LaFayette

Plymouth

Scion

Asüna

Saturn

Mercury

Merkur

Moon

Daewoo

Sterling

Checker

Oakland

Frazer

Stutz

Saab

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