About this Site

From storied marques like Pontiac and Studebaker, who built millions of vehicles over a hundred or more years, to brief glimmers of light like Bricklin or Gaylord, where if you weren't paying close attention you might have missed them completely. There will be no more new cars built under these banners. They are gone, but they are too important, interesting, instructive, or just too beautiful to be forgotten. This site is meant as a celebration of all those Makes that Didn't Make It.

This site focuses mainly on American makes that existed after the end of World War II. This seems like a logical marker. The post-war period marked a new reality of mass marketing, collective bargaining and economies of scale. Each of these factors profoundly changed the way cars were designed, built and sold. 

The astute reader may notice that I sometimes take some liberties with definitions. Are DeLorean, Merkur and Geo really American? Are International and Hummer really cars? Is Continental really orphaned? For me, it depends on this: Does it make for a good story. 

And finally, I am a writer, not a photographer. Nearly all of the pictures appearing on this site were plucked off the web. Where they appear to be copyrighted I have or am attempting to get permission. Copyrighted or not, I make every attempt to credit the site on which I found the picture, and include a link where appropriate. If you own a copyright on any of these pictures, and either want it removed or be credited as owner, please let me know.

Mal Pearson     Oakland, California     jcrover@icloud.com