The Top 10-ish Orphan Car Brands
by Sam Abuelsamid on Dec 1st 2008 at 8:00PM 
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Russ 8:12PM (12/01/2008)
Love the Sunbeam for honorable mention. My friend in high school had a '66 Sunbeam Tiger he drove around. I personally thought it was a better looking car then the Healy.
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casey 8:14PM (12/01/2008)
Edsels were discontinued shortly into the 1960 model year, but there were definitely 1960 edition Edsels. they were more or less the 1960 Ford with a slightly different grille and taillights, much less distinctive than the previous 2 years, '58 and '59. the '58s were the most distinctive, with 2 series based on the Mercury bodyshell and 2 series based on the Ford bodies. by '59 they were all based on the smaller Ford platforms, but were still highly differentiated from Ford sheetmetal.
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casey 8:18PM (12/01/2008)
Russ: that Sunbeam Tiger was a very similar car to the early AC Cobras. they were both UK roadsters with Ford V8 powertrains. i always thought the modified Sunbeam Alpine body was better looking than the AC Ace/Cobra, but history hasn't seen fit to remember the Tiger as well. great car though!
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Paul-Michael 8:25PM (12/01/2008)
Wait, no Merkur? I may be partial (I own three Merkur Scorpios), but this definitely deserves to be recognized as one of the best orphan brands. Great cars, just under-appreciated.
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zapperdude60 8:26PM (12/01/2008)
r.i.p. amc
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Nismodev 8:31PM (12/01/2008)
Seems to me some of the Honorable Mentions (i.e. Plymouth and Deusenberg) should have made the top ten instead of just thrown in for good measure. That being said, there are a lot of good classic car companies out there that simply couldn't hack it, so it's definitely difficult to come up with a list of the top manufactureres.
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geo.stewart 7:33AM (12/02/2008)
true, but for Geo and Edsel and Bricklin to be on the list but no Auburn or Cord or Dusenberg?
How long before Saturn, Lincoln, Pontiac Chrysler Hummer get added?
Farwest 12:45PM (12/02/2008)
Autoblog, nice post.
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Sea Urchin 8:39PM (12/01/2008)
Can you guys add Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Lincoln and Mercury to the list.
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Paul 8:40PM (12/01/2008)
Nice list, but it should be mentioned in the post that it is U.S.-centric, save for a couple of British brands. There are lots more important defunct or discontinued brands around the world that should be mentioned - or hey, make another post about it:
NSU
Simca/Matra/Talbot
Datsun
De Tomaso
Rover
Isotta Fraschini
Hispano-Suiza
Daimler
.....
go on! They all have very interesting stories behind them.
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Austin 8:55PM (12/01/2008)
How could you forget Cord!!!!
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Stinger 9:06PM (12/01/2008)
Oldsmobile and Plymouth should not be considered orphans. They were both divisions of companies that are still in business (for the time being). Also, I don't think Corvair is an orphan either. It was just a model from Chevrolet that was discontinued and, the last I looked, Chevy was still a division of GM. True orphan cars are from companies that no longer exist.
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Chris 9:48PM (12/01/2008)
Lets not forget Geo's cousin, Asuna.
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Torrent 10:41PM (12/01/2008)
Anyone forget Glas?
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David Wiles 11:05PM (12/01/2008)
This might have been an interesting list if whoever composed it had decided on a coherent idea of what constitutes "Orphan" brands. Instead you've got a car company, Hudson and a particular Hudson model (the Hawk); a particular model (the Corvair) of a particular current brand, Chevrolet, and you've combined discontinued brands (Plymouth and Oldsmobile) from car companies that are still in business with companies like Studebaker that no longer exist. So, I don't get it.
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spookiness 12:19AM (12/02/2008)
No DeSoto?
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BoxerFanatic 12:30AM (12/02/2008)
Have to agree with the slight schitzo nature of the list...
And the Hawk is much more known for being a Studebaker, more than a Hudson.
As much as I don't like the colors on the pictured Corvair, and the fact that it is a very unfortunately defunct nameplate on a still current brand...
The lines and shape of the corvair are still very cool, even in 4 door form. To think of what a Turbocharged Subaru EG33 flat 6, a Porsche transaxle, and a sorted rear suspension in a slightly modified Corvair shell, a boxer-engine mix and match.
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Alan44 9:42AM (12/02/2008)
Come on guys, read the actual names of the cars. Packard Hawk, not Hudson Hawk.
BoxerFanatic 10:34AM (12/02/2008)
Even so, I remember it more as a Studebaker, than a re-branded Packard, Hudson, or whatever.
boogaloo 11:40PM (12/03/2008)
Hudson Hornet (step down design)