Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum

Detroit may be considered the home of American automobile production, but a sizeable epicenter of the industry was positioned inside the borders of Indiana.

Consider this: The 2½-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway was long respected as one of the most demanding proving grounds the industry relied upon during the prewar era, accompanied by 249 other motorsports facilities within the Hoosier State. Joining these colosseums of speed were no fewer than 357 manufactures, 82 of which were located inside Indianapolis alone.

Hoosier natives included Blackhawk, Overland, and Stutz; Waverley, Anderson, and Elcar. Many were mere meager attempts on paper. Most have been nearly forgotten. Others, like Studebaker, are both fondly remembered and critiqued back into hypothetical existence.