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'64 Hawks are among the most-wanted, and Avanti engines add a good bit to the value. Add that this car was restored authentically, and I thought this was one to watch. This seller sweated the small details, had over 100 good photos, added videos, and politely and fully answered questions. I know guys who wouldn't have the patience to do that, as a seller. Good for him.
I just love the car, myself. I do think there are people out there who like the rarity and different-ness of a late-year Studebaker.
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Pretty bad job of airbrushing "STUDEBAKER" on the tailgate in the lower pic, LOL.
I'd have thought the lettering would've been black on a white pickup, but just not sure.
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The '64-65 full wheel cover is Studebaker's best-looking cover IMHO....and this from a guy who owns a '66.
It does look like there are two M-B's and a Studebaker two-door sedan in the showroom.
Here's a pic. Not great background, but it's about ten miles from home, where I stopped for an ice cream, then turned around to go home. I was still running the factory wire caps at that point.
I'm surprised they had Saab that far back. I think a lot of Stude dealers got into the 'fringe' imports about the time U.S. production shut down, and the trucks, Hawks, and Avantis were no longer part of the model lineup. For the '65 lineup, they even took away the two-door hardtop and convertible.
I wouldn’t have guessed this, but those Pontons seem smaller than even those early Larks.
And 6cyl cars, which are slightly larger (with one exception where a base I6 was put in a 4cyl platform, fintails follow the same logic) - the 6cyl car is also the basis for coupes/cabrios:
Stude upholstery looks to be of good quality, hard to go wrong with brocade (or is it a stamped vinyl? I remember the 66 Galaxie had embossing in the vinyl in sections) in that era.
It looks nice in that size and price range for the day though.
Carl E. Filer Sr. drove a Ponton like the one in your bottom picture, black with red interior. Carl Jr. said he really liked it. I have a pic or two of it.
I vividly recall looking at a 65 Caprice when I was maybe 18 or 19. I am sure I mentioned it before - it was a pristine silver and black car, 396, maybe 50K babied miles. I remember the seller (small town Chevy dealer) wanted maybe 6K for it, a princely sum for a young person at the time, but I thought it was a lovely car. I seem to remember it had a vinyl cloth inset interior, black with the cloth having a subtle brocade pattern, very nicely done. Maybe one of the pioneers of the brocade trend.
The last couple years of the big Ponton could be had with fuel injection and a semi-automatic transmission - those are the uncommon ones.
For a Chevy product, a '65 Caprice was never often-seen. I like them. It was a mid-year option on only the Impala Sport Sedan (four-door hardtop). I remember the interior--very nice. And as you know, I think the '65 Chevy exterior was about perfect in every way.
Couple surprises in the pic. A '64 Rambler in the background, and that Hamilton was not using Studebaker tractor-trailers then as South Bend had.
Hamilton built convertibles and two-door hardtops through the end of the '64 model year, and the South Bend engine plant supplied Hamilton Studebaker-built engines through the end of the '64 model year.
I gotta say, I think the detail trim and styling features of the '64 and '65 are better than the '66 which I own.
Here’s my hometown dealer’s Ponton. He died in February ‘63.
A guy at the South Bend international meet last year had a Bermuda Brown, Hamilton-built '64 Cruiser that was original. He showed me on the firewall where you could faintly see the word "BROWN" hand-printed--apparently a wax pencil or something that bled through after the body was painted.
I went home and looked at my car and noticed a faint "TURQ" in the same place. In the pic you see mostly the "URQ" but the "T" is visible; the letter is smaller though. Confirms that at least under-the-hood, the car is original paint, LOL, as I was told.
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I find it interesting, or unusual, that management decided to hold onto the last car and was very specific as to colors and options. Here are a couple documents related to that car.
I've heard that once the car got to South Bend, it was driven by an exec named Ed Dunbar. I wonder if he chose the colors and equipment. South Bend was very specific about the colors and equipment, odd.
The car was driven 19K miles and in 1969 was donated to the City of South Bend, with the snow tires still mounted on the car.
The guy started at Studebaker in 1927 and was still working there in 1966!
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There's a guy who probably worked his entire life at Studebaker. How frustrating it probably was to see it fade away.
I always think, when I'm in South Bend for a Studebaker event, that I'd hope those who hung in there right 'til the end would be appreciative of the Studebaker Drivers' Club for maintaining a good bit of enthusiasm for the marque.
A couple times over the years I'd met, briefly, a man named Otis Romine at meets out there. He was a big man with a personality that reminded me of Willard Scott. He started in the early '40's, went to war, and worked until Nov. '63. He was primarily a truck engineer but was also called upon to work on the Avanti project and had gone to Ashtabula, OH to work with MFG on body construction.
At a meet in '93 I think it was, he gave a brief but fascinating talk, and he looked out and thanked the audience for coming and being interested. He said, dead seriously, "You are all that's left of Studebaker". I know some people gulped if weren't a bit teary.
He's right about the NOS and repro parts situation. That always has people surprised, including 'experts' who should know better.
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I liked the white wheels Stude used from '62 to '66, although they seem too bright white on this particular car in the video. Gives a bit of almost-whitewall-dress up, as opposed to the rest of the industry's monochrome look of body-colored wheels with dog-dish caps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HA7mrT2fCE
UPDATE: Watched the whole thing again. He makes a few errors of fact. All 1964 Studebakers, even those made in Canada, had Studebaker-built engines from the South Bend engine plant. The car shown is a '65. Canadian cars with GM engines did not use Powerglide transmissions. Still, he means well.