I was buying steaks for my ritualistic Fathers Day cook-off at the grocery store, and I was arriving at my car at exactly the same time as an older gentleman and his granddaughter were passing the car.
"Beautiful Studebaker" he says, stopping in his tracks for a moment.
"Thanks so much. It's really a lot of fun to drive" I reply.
"Oh, I know," he says, "my dad was a Studebaker man all his life. I grew up in them. My first car was a '59 Hawk. Man, I still wish I had that one!"
I'm impressed at this point. I meet a lot of people who have heard of them, but it's not every day you meet someone who started driving in one.
He continued to impress me, saying "it looks like you've got the flightomatic selector on the column. Do you have the 259 under there?"
"Wow, good guess! Totally right." I tell him.
Now for the funny part.
He continues. "The Avanti had come out, and it was about time to trade the old car in anyway, so dad brings the whole family to the Studebaker dealership. On the lot is an R2 supercharged Avanti, and the dealer is more than happy to let us take it for a test drive. Mom is hesitant about needing a car so flashy, but she goes along with it, getting in the back seat. Dad hops in the drivers seat, and we all go out for a spin."
"On the way back, Dad pulls over, and switches places with me. When we're situated, dad tells me "Go on, give it some gas". So I do, tromping the pedal to the floor. Everyone was pinned to the backs of our seats as the supercharged engine rocketed us down the road. Dad and I had never had so much fun in our lives."
"Mom on the other hand, wasn't amused. We wound up buying a Studebaker that day. But it wasn't the Avanti. It was a 6 cylinder Lark station wagon!"
Poor guy. He was just trying to do what his dad asked him
And on that note, happy Fathers Day!
"Beautiful Studebaker" he says, stopping in his tracks for a moment.
"Thanks so much. It's really a lot of fun to drive" I reply.
"Oh, I know," he says, "my dad was a Studebaker man all his life. I grew up in them. My first car was a '59 Hawk. Man, I still wish I had that one!"
I'm impressed at this point. I meet a lot of people who have heard of them, but it's not every day you meet someone who started driving in one.
He continued to impress me, saying "it looks like you've got the flightomatic selector on the column. Do you have the 259 under there?"
"Wow, good guess! Totally right." I tell him.
Now for the funny part.
He continues. "The Avanti had come out, and it was about time to trade the old car in anyway, so dad brings the whole family to the Studebaker dealership. On the lot is an R2 supercharged Avanti, and the dealer is more than happy to let us take it for a test drive. Mom is hesitant about needing a car so flashy, but she goes along with it, getting in the back seat. Dad hops in the drivers seat, and we all go out for a spin."
"On the way back, Dad pulls over, and switches places with me. When we're situated, dad tells me "Go on, give it some gas". So I do, tromping the pedal to the floor. Everyone was pinned to the backs of our seats as the supercharged engine rocketed us down the road. Dad and I had never had so much fun in our lives."
"Mom on the other hand, wasn't amused. We wound up buying a Studebaker that day. But it wasn't the Avanti. It was a 6 cylinder Lark station wagon!"
Poor guy. He was just trying to do what his dad asked him
And on that note, happy Fathers Day!
'63 Avanti R-1384. sold 12/10.
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