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2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The Studebaker row starts at about 8:00 minutes. I get nausea from the zooming and the distortion due to the too short focal length. (The regular guy does a great job of taking vids. Sometimes the editing is troubling.) go4rider on youtube
But I did get a picture of the chassis on the back of the flatbed truck.
Anyone know what vehicle this chassis could be?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
It’s also got a bit of a Volvo Amazon vibe to the roofline .
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Looks a little 80’s Maserati-ish to me, with the cabin set back. Still a good look.
Not to flog the proverbial deceased equine again, but I was wrong on what that 300SL sedan representation reminded me of. It was an 80’s Aston Martin Lagonda sedan. That revelation came to me in the middle of the night. For some odd reason, I like the look of this AM. Different.
Wife is in a cleaning mode and brought some trim pieces I had taken off my old '63 Lark Daytona thirty years ago to replace with NOS, up from the basement. I'm going to the Studebaker Drivers' Club and Avanti Owners' Association national meets in Washington, PA in a couple weeks and I posted the parts for free online and have a taker I'll give them to, there.
One thing I always enjoyed about the NOS parts situation for '60's Studebakers (despite the old 'there are no parts for Studebakers', eye roll here), is getting stuff from the old Newman and Altman in South Bend, in the original boxes, as below.
The guy who is willing to take the old parts that came off the car probably really only wants the box, and I'd be OK with that.
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I am sure I have mentioned it before, parts availability is another area where Stude and MB have some similarity. I can still get mechanical parts for the fintail directly from the dealer (for a price) - other parts can be sporadic but every now and then some material shows up, MB seemed to know survival rates would be high enough to justify keeping some supply. MB having a "Classic Center" for old models helps too, I wonder if Stude would have the same had it survived.
Studebaker, in the last ten or so years of production, was always on the cusp of having no money--except for 1959, which was the Corporation's highest profit in its 107-year history.
That so many parts remained after production stopped, IMHO is because they were not a great-run company. They produced more parts than they could sell cars. That is great for the collector. I didn't know that when I bought my first Stude, but it was definitely a boon. In 1993, during a sheetmetal sale at Newman and Altman, I bought two new rear fenders, two doors, grille surround panel, rear panel (between taillights), and decklid--all NOS--for $700-odd. My restorer told me I could buy NOS less than he could repair what was on the car.
I think a common misconception out there, even among 'car guys', is that the Company filed bankruptcy and/or completely closed down in 1966. By then, Studebaker was a conglomerate. They only quit building cars.
Parts supply in South Bend was a division of Studebaker until mid-1972. It was then sold to local interests, mostly Newman and Altman, a former Stude/Packard/Edsel dealer who took on the Avanti II.
Corporate HQ remained in South Bend, in the old Administration Building, into the late '60's. That building was sold to the South Bend School Corporation in 1969 for $1. They used it for offices until the early '90's.
The last office in South Bend hung around until 1977, but by then was down to two female employees. They mostly handled retiree questions/issues.
Avanti R1 engine (240 hp.; chrome valve covers and valley plate, and brushed metal air cleaner), factory tach, column-shift automatic, power drum brakes all around (dual M/C chambers), power steering, Twin Traction, factory air, reclining seat backs, tinted glass in all windows, AM radio.
It underwent a complete restoration, as much as I could spend, but it was the family's favorite Studebaker of our four over the years.
It used to stop traffic at Stude national meets, as people love the Avanti engine badging and the Skytop but virtually never had seen one with both of those options.
It was fun to drive, went down the road very steady, had plenty of power and had a great, burbly dual exhaust.
Not gonna buy the old car back?
I'm not in particular a fan of any domestic compact in '63 other than a Lark, as I do think they were really unlike anything else offered at the time.
Looks like that 'Benz has a sunroof, but looks like a metal one. Didn't some 'Benzes in that era have the folding cloth (Golde) sunroof like the Studes had?
Fintail sedans and coupes could have a sliding metal roof from the factory. I have seen a few sedans with a cloth "Webasto" type roof like the Golde units (or maybe even made by Golde), I am pretty sure these were all aftermarket units. Pontons were more commonly seen with a cloth sunroof, I believe these were available from the factory:
I have seen Golde units too, metal sliding units even on later cars including the Pagoda SL.
Current pic of my former ‘66.
And a similar angle of the MB version of that hardtop:
The ‘66’s whitewalls are a bit too wide.
I have to admit, the pics you provided convince me that the Lark really doesn’t resemble it at all, lol! Well, white on the wheel covers.
No secret here, I normally am not enamored of import styling back then, but that car is lovely and timeless.
I can’t find it now, but I had a pic of one of those ‘Benz coupes in front of the Administration Building in South Bend, as a parade of new ‘63 Studes was preparing to head north on S. Main St. Black and white pic.
That said, that turquoise '66, my last one, was so original and low-mileage, and I'm a huge fan of that.
It always had a 'clunk' sound over low-speed bumps, that seemed like it could be in the steering column, but I could never figure it out. A body brace in the left front looked like a frown on the bottom--either a big thing was run over there, or it was lifted incorrectly there. I wondered if that could have something to do with it.
The car needed control arm bushings, as despite its low mileage (27K), the original rubber must've been brittle as at low speeds, the car sounded like mattress springs.
Still, the interior was beautiful, and I know the cars enough to believe the odometer mileage. It was also original paint.
I loved how the rear door detents were still stiff when opening, and the decklid sprung up like a new car. None of my earlier Studes did that, LOL.
Sorry for the small pic. No idea why.
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I have no illusions that they were that impressive, but I did like them.
They weighed a ton though. I bought the NOS regular '66 full wheel covers it wears now. I did give the current owner the five wire caps I had.
They were a dumb design so far as practicality. I'm told they were the same concept as on '55-57 Thunderbirds. Each wheel was supposed to have several clips--which were not on my car when I bought it. You were to pull the wheel cover away from the wheel near the air stem, which was beneath the wheel cover, to check the air.
The owner previous to me installed (welded?) four Chevy Rally Wheel clips on each wheel cover. They'd still get loose. I could pull them off with my bare hands.
In the Stude world, those covers are coveted though.
The Stude is on 1963 issue plates issued in the county where it was spotted, so an apparent longtime local car.
bhill2, since you like Gran Turismo Hawks....
Lovely '64 from the Studebaker National Museum.
ab348 won't love it, as it's black outside, black vinyl top, black inside!
'64 GT started at just $2,958, and at that price included clock, bucket seats, and full wheelcovers.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])