Avanti listed among another silly list of failures

[BobPalma]

"Yesterday's Flops; Today's Collectibles."

The usual assortment of half-truths and confused writing from marginal "historians."

To be taken with a grain of salt unless you want to go batty:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=1156072&icid=autos_0106

[Chris Pile]

What do you expect from a Canuck educated in France?
She obviously cares not one whit about cars.

[studeclunker]

And yet the car was produced for nearly thirty years??? How is that a failure?

[JBOYLE]

The other week at Barnes and Noble, another book of the "worst" cars from the UK.

Yes, the Avanti is listed...not because it was a bad ca, but because it failed to save Studebaker.
I'm not sure Superman coild do that.

And what's up with know-nothing foreign "experts" bad mouthing American cars they clearly know nothing about?

[StudeRich]

I think the biggest mistake was the poorly researched "FORD" Pantera story.

I don't think some people know how to judge a failure when it comes to Automobiles.

The beautiful Lincoln Continental Mark II would hardly be called a FLOP!

The 1963 Pontiac Tempest 4 Cly. half of a V-8, rear Transmission clunker, the Pontiac Tempest OHC "rubber band" Six failure, the Pontiac Aztec -UGLY, now THOSE are failures!

Then there is the Chevrolet "Blue Flame Six" used until 1953 with the dip and splash engine with poured babbit connecting rods, little "scoops" on the Rods for Oil, no pressurized Oil feed, a "liquid driveshaft" to lube both the Trans. and rear axle, and ball bearing supported Trans. shafts, Guaranteed to blow up some part of the drivetrain before long, complete with Vacuum Windshield Wipers.
It SHOULD have been a flop, but because it was a GM car and a Chevrolet, it sold in the Millions!

[Sdude]

And yet the car was produced for nearly thirty years??? How is that a failure?

1963 to 2006 with only a couple of missing years. That's more like 40 years....

[Warren Webb]

This same reasoning would now give the Maybach added to the list of failures. The Tucker? only a failure if you put it to the corrupt political system of the day. The Continental Mark II? How could a car that is in such high regard then or now for its style & craftsmanship be a failure? It may not have made money for the company but it surly was a halo car, which is what the Avanti's purpose was also. Bring attention to the showroom, then sell the customer the car of their needs.

[avantilover]

A failure would be the desire to build a car and not do that, anyone who both conceived and actually built one was/is a success in my book.

[BobPalma]

As the various posted comments here suggest, it would take an awfully long time to dissect this whole article and refute most of it. Good mental exercise, though, eh, fellas? BP

[Gunslinger]

Journalism used to require accuracy in what was being research and reported. It's obvious that's no longer the case.

[studegary]

1963 to 2006 with only a couple of missing years. That's more like 40 years....

I think that there were more than "a couple of missing years." I believe that model year Avanti production was 1963-1985, 1987-1991, 2001-2007 (35 years).

[52hawk]

I don't agree with most of that list. Ignorant writer.