Avanti #1001 Birthday Celebration

[Bellingham Studenut]

Join us for this upcoming Birthday Celebration at ACM.
Everyone with an Avanti are encouraged to bring them and park on the Museums front Plaza.

[8E45E]

Again, we would love to see this car in Chicago this November at MCACN as its a very significant Avanti!

Craig

[Commander Eddie]

We saw this Avanti at the LeMay during the 2018 International Meet in Tacoma. It is very well restored and gives one the idea of what these cars were like right out of the factory. Well worth going to see this car. And the LeMay Museum is one of the best in my opinion. See the whole thing!

[Milaca]

I love the white exterior with orange upholstery but am surprised that Studebaker chose orange upholstery for the very first Avanti as it seems unusual to me.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised being that the first 1955 Speedsters had yellow upholstery.
Perhaps the color was chosen so as to get the public's attention?
Were there any other automobiles in 1963 that were available with orange upholstery?
Does anybody have a white Avanti with orange upholstery for sale? I want one.

[StudeRich]

Remember that the "Cover Car" on Brochures and Magazine Ads were White with Tangerine Interiors.

[Commander Eddie]

If I remember correctly, the Avanti that Alice Cooper purchased from a dealer here in Newberg, Oregon was white with an orange interior. It might have been white seats with orange piping.

[StudeRich]

It would be cool if we could get as Many Avantis as possible to go.


The Last Pic is Rene` with 63R-1001 from the ACM Tacoma, who brought Avanti I001 up to Bellingham for our June 15, 2019 Avanti Appreciation Day.

[StudeRich]

It is not like we don't have Avantis in the Northwest, there ARE a LOT more than these 7.

[Green 53]

My first Avanti 63R4466 was gray/orange.

[Bob Caser]

Love this car. In the mid 1980's Gary Johnson had this car R 1001 in a storage facility along with other unusual Avanti's and Studebakers. The then owner of R1001 was behind in his storage payments to Gary. and I offered to buy the car and assumed that we had a deal. The then owner could never agree to a price but he wanted to sell the car. Believing that I was going to be the new owner I sourced a complete NOS orange interior for the car and a set of Halibrand wheels that I was going to use in the restoration. At the time I had several other Avanti.s but this was going to be an exciting project. The deal never came together and from what I understand a number of years later it was finally donated to the LeMay. With it's green metal flake paint and orange interior sitting on a dirt floor in Gary's dimly lit storage facility it was a sight to behold.

Bob Caser

[StudeRich]

I believe the way the Story goes is: a Local Tacoma Dentist bought it from someone, maybe Gary and HE sold it and 63R1002 to the America's Car Museum, they later sold off 1002 and Gary restored it for the New East Coast owner.

Both had Tangerine Vinyl Interiors, pretty sure that 1002, not 1001 got THAT Interior, but we got some Vinyl Rolls from Gary that we (the 63R1001 Avanti Team) had made up and installed in 1001.

If I got ANY of that a bit twisted that anyone knows better, please let us know.

James and my Son Dave and I picking up the Avanti 1001 at the Upholstery Shop.
The Seats etc. went in Dave's E-350 Van and the Avanti behind the 4X4 Transtar James owned in March 2015.

In March in the Pacific Northwest, of COURSE it was under light Rain.



Below is ONE of it's former temporary "Homes":

YES, it was a 1970's "Flower Power" Clown Car! . Complete with Lime Green Metalflakes literally falling off!!

Though many people donated Time, Money and Parts to this complete running driving correct Body Off Restoration, I think most of the credit goes to the amazing work that Ron Hockshalter (Sp) RIP, and Staff did to that terrible Body.

[BRUCESTUDE]

Ron Hochhalter, from Sunnyside WA, where he and his wife DeAnn owned a body shop for many years, did the body work. Ron passed away last year.

[Bob Caser]

The dentist is the person that I attempted to purchase R1001 from . I was not aware that the dentist had sold the car to the museum, I was under the impression that he had donated the car. My dealings and offer to buy the car took place in 1986 . I do believe that Gary found the car in Cape May, New Jersey, bought it and brought it to the Northwest. Some pieces of the orange interior pieces that I had were sold to the Dave Kinney and probably found their way into the restoration of 1002.

Bob Caser

[Hawklover]

I love the white exterior with orange upholstery but am surprised that Studebaker chose orange upholstery for the very first Avanti as it seems unusual to me.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised being that the first 1955 Speedsters had yellow upholstery.
Perhaps the color was chosen so as to get the public's attention?
Were there any other automobiles in 1963 that were available with orange upholstery?
Does anybody have a white Avanti with orange upholstery for sale? I want one.

Good luck with your search!........I have been looking for over 40 years for a white round HL 0range int Avanti..........talk about rare;-(

[6hk71400]

I love the white exterior with orange upholstery but am surprised that Studebaker chose orange upholstery for the very first Avanti as it seems unusual to me.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised being that the first 1955 Speedsters had yellow upholstery.
Perhaps the color was chosen so as to get the public's attention?
Were there any other automobiles in 1963 that were available with orange upholstery?
Does anybody have a white Avanti with orange upholstery for sale? I want one.

I know where there is one in Palm Springs, but it probably is not for sale. Same collection has a 1938 President 4 convertible sedan. I got to see both on the PSW Zone meet in 2018. I also saw the LeMay collection at the 2018 International meet.

Bob Miles
2018 was a busy year