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The Top 10-ish Orphan Car Brands



In this era of automakers on the brink of extinction, it's worth recalling that car companies going belly up is not a new phenomenon. Henry Ford himself started up two other brands that failed before Ford Motor Co. finally caught on. Start-up companies are not something that was invented in Silicon Valley and among all start-ups, failure is much more likely than success. In the early part of the 20th century, as the car was just gaining traction, there were literally thousands of automakers, most of whom have been long since lost to history. In the next couple of years we will almost certainly see more brands disappear and consolidate, so let's look back at some of the more memorable examples that are already gone while we wait for others to go. For those interested in seeing some of these orphans in person, we recommend checking out the annual Orphan Car Show every June in Ypsilanti, MI. Most of the gallery photos were shot there.

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