Today in Studebaker History, March 1st, 1961:
On March 1, 1961 Studebaker-Packard Corporation acquired the Chemical Compunds Inc. as a part of it’s ongoing diversification process. Founded in Saint Joseph, Missouri in 1953, Chemical Compounds Inc. entered the marketplace with only one product, STP Oil Treatment. The name STP was derived from "Scientifically Treated Petroleum".
Studebaker tied STP into its advertising as an abbreviation for "Studebaker Tested Products". Sherwood Egbert, the President of Studebaker-Packard, felt that STP could, one day, out-pace its parent company and decided to recruite famous race driver Andy Granatelli as the CEO of STP to help raise the product’s image. Granatelli became the public face of STP, often seen wearing a white suit emblazoned with the red oval "STP" logo to races, passing out STP stickers. Granatelli fielded two Studebaker sponsored Novi specials in the 1964 Indianapolis 500. They were driven by Jim Hurtubise and Bobby Unser.
Bobby Unser in the Novi Special
Altough Studebaker shut down auto manufacturing in 1966, STP sales continued to climb to the point where it was spun off the corporation’s balance sheet and into a publicly traded company in 1969.
STP items marked with the Studebaker Corporation logo have now become quite collectible.
STP is a now division of the Clorox Corporation.
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