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Factory photo of a '64 Hawk, most likely taken out at the Proving Ground on Rte. 2 about fifteen miles west of South Bend. Oval badge near bottom of front fender indicates Avanti power, either R1 or R2.
'64 Hawks started at only $2,958, pretty reasonable for that type of car.
The trim styling wouldn't make one think so, but at 120.5 inches of wheelbase, the wheelbase is an inch and half longer than a 1964 full-size Chevrolet.
Easy to see a fair amount of the ‘53 in this ‘64, but supposedly only a handful of part nos. are shared between the two. The ‘64 Hawk is my favorite Studebaker, although Stude knew it was an old design. They usually used the term ‘classic’ in its advertising. 😀
Could be had with disc brakes, blower and three-speed automatic that could be held manually in second.
More of MB and Stude kind of existing in parallel universes in terms of some styling and trim elements. Technically, this W112 fintail was in its own world, with air suspension and an engine derived from the unit in the 300SL. A few of these were probably sold stateside via Stude dealers, but not many - production over 2 years totaled around 1500 units for worldwide consumption, not sure how many made it to the US with an original MSRP probably close to 10K. Due to complexity, not many survive in roadworthy condition today. Seller wants around 80K USD for it, which even as a rare MB, is optimistic.
Ausgezeichnet.
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there are cars lined up along the 3 lane boulevard in the parking in front of businesses and motels along the main strip.
Likely a thousand classics, junk, customs, modified, all types in the parking in 2 miles each side of the blvd. These are folks who apparently spend the week or drive in daily to show their car and trade.
We made two slow runs in the curb lane spectatoring. I'll give a free year's subscription to Postwar Studebaker forum here on Edmunds if you can guess what vehicle brand I did not see a single example of among the many cars and pickups.
Its name starts with "S."
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
Yes, 3 speed with overdrive. That chrome handle on the left is the overdrive handle.
I always hate the steering wheel covers as that tells me the wheel is crappy underneath, but they can be painted.
weren't any Studebakers at the Pigeon Forge rally because Studebaker did not sell well in those states.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I was told that the DM of my hometown Stude dealer told them that their market penetration in our area was greater than Stude's penetration nationwide. Probably due to a one-family dealership there for forty years.
I wonder if Stude marketing to the kind of European size and sometimes spec of the cars helped sales in CA.
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Fin, re.: California market share—I’m reminded that considering that only 4,647 Studebaker Avantis were built, a number of celebrities in film, TV, music, and literature seemed to have owned them. Of course most of that was centered in Cali.
Easy Greg; assuming that pic was probably taken in August '63, that lady woud be AT LEAST 80 I bet, assuming she hasn't shuffled off this mortal coil by now!
Lady who posted these pics isn't selling the car, but wanted opinions as to worth. She's interested in buying. Seller is asking $15K and has the original (new) sale documents with the car. At first blush that seems a bit high to me, but I'm an old guy. It's really probably not a bad price.
AND
I do see ONE Studebaker. Anyone interested?
"352" area code is Gainesville FL. No license plates so likely trucked in like
many others I saw on Monday and earlier today.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
15K isn't what it used to be, if it is a sound car and the buyer loves it, probably no harm done - cheaper to buy one with no real needs than to fix up a basket case.
I always liked how Stude integrated 1962's round taillights into the styling of the wagon.
1962 was the last year Studebaker sold over 100K cars, not counting trucks.
That metallic brown, I remember, on at least a couple of '62's in town when I was a kid.
The lack of a V8 emblem on the tailgate indicates a six-cylinder car.
Beautiful '63 Wagonaire on BaT now, already bid to $10K with six days to go:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-studebaker-lark-daytona-wagonaire/
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
'62-64 Studebaker cars, besides the Avanti, were primarily styled by Stevens, with details worked out by Studebaker's in-house team.
There's not a separate link to it, but if you go to the ad here and page down, the short video is pretty entertaining. It's a walk-around of the car, with audio of a '63 Wagonaire commercial playing in the background.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-studebaker-lark-daytona-wagonaire/
@uplanderguy
The 62 wagon has 46000 mi.
It's an automatic.
Owner left window down today so I stuck my head in to see.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Was there any upkick in sales after the Avanti was launched?
But it surely added interest to the '63-64 model years IMHO, which were my favorites of all.
The Avanti was introduced still in the 'regular' '62 model year, but at that point were few and far between.
This is a special that was shown on PBS in 1983 about Studebaker. At about 27:15 the Manager of Industrial Relations, Cliff MacMillen, spoke about the Avanti's initial production problems. Note that shortly after MacMillen spoke, the narrator says that "only the Hawk was selling". Not true at all, LOL.
fin, there's Egbert in the back of a fintail at 25:34 crossing the strike picket line. He was taken to the police station for getting out of the car and threatening to fight a picketer!
Funny about the Avanti wait time, as today a 6 month wait for what I assume was a special order would be considered fast.
Studebaker hourly employees were supposedly spoiled, in that management was known to bend over on almost any demand to keep a strike from happening. They were actually paid a bit more than Big Three workers, which is insane when one thinks about it. Egbert tried to get their contract down to what Big Three workers were making, which caused a strike. Sales were up in '62, but less than two years after the strike, no more cars or trucks were coming out of the plant. Sigh.
He was a big guy, 6'4", ex-Marine and someone who came from poverty and worked his way to the top at a younger age than most anyone else in the industry, becoming President of Studebaker at age 40.
I met his secretary twice, charming lady but definitely a 'gatekeeper' type. She told me his wife would call most every day before 5, asking when he'd be home (they lived in the 'mansion' out at the Proving Ground, 15 miles west of downtown South Bend), and asking her what kind of mood he was in.
My friend Bob Palma saw him at the counter of the Toasty Shop half a block from the Administration Building, his Avanti cooling off in the parking lot. He was drinking coffee and reading a paper. Bob said, "Believe it or not, at 17 I was too shy to approach him".
Fintail back seats aren't huge compared to American cars of the era either (although are pretty space-efficient, definitely not cramped, seats positioned so a man keep his hat on) - not usually a chauffeur car. I wonder if even by then in the eyes of the passerby, a MB had some prestige and arrogance with the stately grille.
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From what I remember reading in a couple of books, Stude management had acquiesced to labor for quite a long time. I guess they didn’t have the stomach for a long strike, being such a small manufacturer. But, in the long run, it really hurt the company, IMO.
model year 1963 from the one year that Studebaker actually
built the Avanti.
Maybe I'll see this one at a show near Indy this summer
if I'm lucky.
Wheels are different and the mirrors are not authentic?
Here's a photo from Wiki of 1963 Avanti in same color.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Stude built the Avanti for 18 months in total, although production got started very slowly. There were 1963 and 1964 model years. Here's a nice, gold example ('63) from the 'net, which I'm nearly sure was restored by the fellows who did my '63 Lark Daytona Skytop:
I wished they'd have put an emblem on the front fenders on the R1 model, as they did on R2 (supercharged) models, like the pic I just posted here. My eyes are always drawn right to that area.
Instrument were lit up in red, and over the windshield were three toggle switches.
Some of the buildings were from the 1880's. Production started in South Bend by them in 1852!
When I first started going to meets there in 1988, the Newman and Altman NOS parts place was in this building in the background. Very cool. You could still faintly see painted between the floors outside, 'STUDEBAKER", 'Harness' and 'Saddlery' wording! That building was torn down in around 2000 I think and the county jail is there now.
The guy in the pic is Arnold Altman, who owned Avanti II in the late '70's. The building to the right is where Avanti II's were built, by some of the old hands. Studebaker Avanti construction had been across the street but this building had been the final "doll up" line.
When I think of how much asbestos was probably in those buildings, that late.....
https://www.facebook.com/33007855/videos/181718454696551?idorvanity=2209016075
In the mix I spy a couple Studes:
I could probably enjoy a '58 two-door hardtop, with the glassy roofline, but a sedan, not so much.