Not much is left of Studebaker, the long-defunct car manufacturer. There's the Studebaker National Museum, located in South Bend, Indiana near the company's original factory, and the Studebaker Driver's Club, dedicated to preserving the company's history. However, the company's most enduring legacy may be a row of trees planted near Bendix Woods County Park.
In 1926, Studebaker built what may be the first dedicated automobile test track by a domestic car company. It cost more than one million dollars and included an oval circuit, a road course with various turns, a skid pad, and other test sections. In 1938, the automaker planted a row of pine trees spelling out STUDEBAKER when seen from the air. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it was the largest living advertisement of its day.
