Classic cars are coveted for their prestige and performance, whether it’s an Aston Martin, or Ferrari. There have been various luxury car brands over the years, and many haven’t stood the test of time. Certain brands like Borgward Isabella have been discontinued, despite being very popular during the 1950s. Here are six brands that time has forgotten.
Napier
In 1808, an engineering company called D Napier & Son Ltd was founded in London. By 1895, D Napier & Son was struggling until the founder’s grandson, Montague Napier, inherited it. Montague introduced a new set of cars, with one of them completing a 42,000-mile trek around the world in 1902. However, the company stopped making cars after 1924 and focused on aircraft engines.
Horch
Horch was founded by German engineer August Horch, after he’d grown tired of working for Karl Benz. He formed the company in 1899 and created cars that had revolutionary technology in them.The first Horch had a 4.5 horsepower engine and an alloy crankcase. Another unique feature was that it had a drive shaft to power the wheels. Eventually, Horch went on to found Audi and the Horch name was discontinued during WWII.
Daimler
In 1886, Gottlieb Daimler licensed his cars under the Daimler Motor Company name. The company developed a reputation for creating luxurious cars and it became involved in World War I and II. Daimler was tasked with creating aircraft engines and war vehicles. One of the most famous cars to be made was the Daimler Dart in 1959. The Daimler name was purchased by Jaguar and then acquired by Ford in 2007.
Borgward Isabella
Borgward Isabella was founded by Carl Borgward and the company made various race cars and luxury cars. One of the best models was the 1954 Isabella designed to compete with Daimler at a fraction of the price. Borgward was at the height of popularity in the 1950s, manufacturing over one million vehicles. But it was Borgward’s refusal to compromise on their core values that led to them going bust. They went bankrupt because of high production costs and stopped making cars in 1963.
LaSalle
LaSalle was created in 1927 and based on the name of the French explorer Sieur de La Salle. Company founder, Alfred P. Sloan developed LaSalle because he wanted to fill pricing gaps in the General Motors product portfolio. LaSalle cars were created as a companion brand to Cadillac and sold at a cheaper price. LaSalle cars became more Cadillac-like in appearance over the years and they lasted until 1940.
Stutz
Harry Stutz worked as an engineer for hire in the early 1900s and according to legend he was able to design his first car in five weeks. The car won 11th place in the first running of the Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Later that year, the first Stutz cars were developed. Stutz left the company in 1919 and the new holders invested in fresh designs.
1930 saw the introduction of the eight-cylinder DV32 Stutz. But the company lacked the resources to deal with the Great Depression and stopped producing cars in 1937
