My Avanti was given to its orignal owner as a Valentine's Day gift ...
Here's the story ... I bought my 1963 Avanti from JDP in Jan. 2001. It was an unrestored original daily driver which had been previously owned by a gentleman who was an attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After buying the car and having it shipped from JDP in Maryland to Oklahoma. It still had the little console plaque: "Avanti Quality Built Expressly for (the attorney's name). So I did a bit of detective work and after some internet searching found a phone listing for the gentleman.
I gave him a call and sure enough it was the original owner. He was an older gentleman was retired from praticing law and had lived in Fort Lauderdale all his life. The Avanti was his daily driver and he kept it garaged at home and at work had covered parking. It was an R1 with automatic and AC, PW, PS, AM radio and was white with tangerine interior. He told me a year later he bought a second Avanti a red 64 model.
He said his wife ordered the car from Studebaker had it shipped to the local dealer (see production order below) and then presented it to him as a Valentine's Day gift. On the phone all I could say was "WOW, I'm lucky to get a kiss from my wife on Valentine's Day much less an Avanti!"
The Avanti is undergoing a rebirth right now at Myers Studebaker. Will be reborn as an R2+, with AC, Inferno Red Crystal Pearl coat exterior paint a fawn-red interior with charcoal gray colored Avanti II Recaro leather seats. The engine work is complete, frame has been powder coated and the body is to be painted in the next couple of weeks.
John
63R-2386 under restoration & modification
Here's the story ... I bought my 1963 Avanti from JDP in Jan. 2001. It was an unrestored original daily driver which had been previously owned by a gentleman who was an attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After buying the car and having it shipped from JDP in Maryland to Oklahoma. It still had the little console plaque: "Avanti Quality Built Expressly for (the attorney's name). So I did a bit of detective work and after some internet searching found a phone listing for the gentleman.
I gave him a call and sure enough it was the original owner. He was an older gentleman was retired from praticing law and had lived in Fort Lauderdale all his life. The Avanti was his daily driver and he kept it garaged at home and at work had covered parking. It was an R1 with automatic and AC, PW, PS, AM radio and was white with tangerine interior. He told me a year later he bought a second Avanti a red 64 model.
He said his wife ordered the car from Studebaker had it shipped to the local dealer (see production order below) and then presented it to him as a Valentine's Day gift. On the phone all I could say was "WOW, I'm lucky to get a kiss from my wife on Valentine's Day much less an Avanti!"
The Avanti is undergoing a rebirth right now at Myers Studebaker. Will be reborn as an R2+, with AC, Inferno Red Crystal Pearl coat exterior paint a fawn-red interior with charcoal gray colored Avanti II Recaro leather seats. The engine work is complete, frame has been powder coated and the body is to be painted in the next couple of weeks.
John
63R-2386 under restoration & modification
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