The Lamberti papers #16

[Studebaker Wheel]

[HAWK64]

3. EXECUTIVE DINING ROOM.
With all the problems that confronted that confronted the Studebaker Department Heads at these Meetings there appeared to be an attitude problem with serving the requested food dishes from the kitchen. Surely they could have got it right in this area when a group is served their meals. After all, it was the Executive Dining Room. They probably all had intergestion later in the day!!!

[StudeRich]

That's pretty funny, "you people get chicken whether you like it or not!

[BobPalma]

Thanks again, Dick.

In light of the following:

3. Daytona Series

There will be no Daytona in the 6-cylinder line. The Daytona series will include a 4-door, and all the cars in the Daytona series will carry what was originally planned as the custom interior and exterior trim. A 259 engine has been released for it. Mr. Detzler remarked that Sales would like to have the 289 but can’t afford it.

I wonder when planning for the Canadian market takes place, since they had 1964 Daytona sixes available in Canada but not the United States. No mention of that here, or anywhere else I can think of. In fact, now that I think of it, I can't remember any of these Lamberti papers discussing a specifically Canadian market issue.

Curious. Were Hamilton operations that autonomous?

Also:

11. R3 Engine Pricing

Mr. Detzler wanted to know what the status of this is and when we are going to get the prices. We don’t have many orders for these engines, but they are old and the customers are crying for them. Dr. Lamberti indicated that we would be happy if we didn’t sell one engine. Right now, Mr. Granatelli says it will be in June sometime. He has given Mr. Egbert the date of June 20. He’s running his Novis in the 500. It won’t take him very long after the end of May because he has a lot of stuff in process, and he has almost enough material for the whole 100 engines. He has one engine ready that he will put into a car we sent out there.

Mr. Dredge strongly recommends that we have some engines pretty soon. We talked ourselves out of one blowoff, but he doesn’t think we can talk ourselves out of two.

Hmmmm.....'Makes you wonder if the original plan was to produce only 100 R3 engines, period.


But at least they got the menu in the Executive Dining Room straightened out. First things first! <GGG> BP

[COMMANDERPINK1]

3. Car Life Article

This is one of the three top motor magazines, and they have devoted almost an entire magazine to Studebaker; where they think we’re going, what some of our background has been, results of tests of our Wagonaire, Super Lark and Super Hawk and R3, the financial writer’s idea of what our overall Corporate future is, and the publisher’s idea of what he thinks Studebaker is headed for. (The staff members will get copies.) It is not a puff piece – there are some unfavorable comments. It is not the kind of publicity you can buy. Some magazines will print anything you give them if you buy advertising, but this is not that kind of thing. This is a constructive point of view.



Does anyone know what issue of Car Life this would be and if there is any out there that could be bought at a reasonably price?
Tom

[8E45E]

I wonder when planning for the Canadian market takes place, since they had 1964 Daytona sixes available in Canada but not the United States. No mention of that here, or anywhere else I can think of. In fact, now that I think of it, I can't remember any of these Lamberti papers discussing a specifically Canadian market issue.

Curious. Were Hamilton operations that autonomous?

It certainly seems that way, Bob! I guess when the Canadian operation was making money, it was best to leave well enough alone!

Craig

[8E45E]

3. EXECUTIVE DINING ROOM.
With all the problems that confronted that confronted the Studebaker Department Heads at these Meetings there appeared to be an attitude problem with serving the requested food dishes from the kitchen. Surely they could have got it right in this area when a group is served their meals. After all, it was the Executive Dining Room. They probably all had intergestion later in the day!!!

I thought the "Executive Dining Room" was The Toasty Shop down the street! Obviously, the Toasty Shop had a much better selection!
Craig

[BobPalma]

3. Car Life Article

This is one of the three top motor magazines, and they have devoted almost an entire magazine to Studebaker; where they think we’re going, what some of our background has been, results of tests of our Wagonaire, Super Lark and Super Hawk and R3, the financial writer’s idea of what our overall Corporate future is, and the publisher’s idea of what he thinks Studebaker is headed for. (The staff members will get copies.) It is not a puff piece – there are some unfavorable comments. It is not the kind of publicity you can buy. Some magazines will print anything you give them if you buy advertising, but this is not that kind of thing. This is a constructive point of view.



Does anyone know what issue of Car Life this would be and if there is any out there that could be bought at a reasonably price? Tom

Tom: The subject Daytona Wagonaire was Serial Number 63V18524. See its Build Order and more information about it on Page 8 of the July 2009 Turning Wheels. It's included in my interview of David Blackmer, who shepherded the car around Los Angeles automotive press people and such.

The Road Test appeared in the June 1963 Car Life. 'Not sure where you'd find a copy, but I would think an on-line search of literature vendors would scare one up in short order.

Edit: I seem to remember our reproducing that Car Life Road Test in Turning Wheels; possibly the September 1988 edition. For the life of me, I can't find that copy in my collection this morning; 'must have pulled it out for something else and mislaid it.

Anyway, if someone has a September 1988 Turning Wheels handy, would you please check to see if that Car Life Road Test appears as a reprint? Thanks. BP

[BobPalma]

I thought the "Executive Dining Room" was The Toasty Shop down the street! Obviously, the Toasty Shop had a much better selection! Craig

You got that right, Craig. Certainly a more congenial atmosphere, too, I surmise. BP

[BobPalma]

It certainly seems that way, Bob! I guess when the Canadian operation was making money, it was best to leave well enough alone! Craig

Yeah, Craig; maybe they should have been up there studying what was going on! <GGG> BP

[BobGlasscock]

Chicken and better pictures. hmmm.

[Jim B PEI]

I betcha the Canadian operation could have made money selling all those 6 cylinder Daytonas with A/C, automatic, and power steering, as a special Polar Bear edition. Make that a 'sleeping' Polar Bear. <ggg>

I think the "Executive Dining Room" episode would have likely tipped a vote or two into shutting down vehicle operations all by itself. ie, there is just no use talking to these people about serious stuff when there is this sort of nonsense about little things going on.

They could have sold those Diesels in Canada, with our perennially higher fuel prices. 50% better mileage would have just gotten the Canadian driver back to an equal footing with their US counterpart. Studebaker was smart enough to let Hamilton do its own thing and make money at it. Compared to the non-stop disasterous decisions which were taken when Renault took over AMC (ie, putting a Frenchman direct from France and located in the US, instead of say, a francophone Quebecer with Canadian ties to the Brampton operation--after all, the Canadian operation of AMC was much more vibrant, modern and successful, and Renault sold 60% of its product in Canada, and half of THAT in Quebec) and current idiocies from especially VW and above all Ford--again both US based and totally US focused, and completely misreading the Canadian market, I think Studebaker did good.

A company that DOES get it right and makes a lot of money doing it is Toyota. They sold a hatchback Eco here and it became their best seller, and didn't even both trying to sell it in the US. Americans 'don't like diesels' and 'don't like wagons or hatchbacks' and that seems to drive all the decisions taken. (for the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone would ever buy a 4 door sedan with a teeny trunk opening when they could get a 4 door wagon or 4 door hatchback with rear window wipers folding rear seats and the possibility of carrying something too large for or too awkward to load in a sedan, once or twice a year--but then again I'm a Canadian so there. BTDT, with two bargains being returned to the store cause I couldn't get them home in a sedan. Never again will a sedan other than a Studebaker sully my driveway)

[FlatheadGeo]

You have got to be kidding me:

"3. Executive Dining Room

Mr. Soelch told of an incident that occurred when he took the division purchasing directors to the executive dining room for lunch. No special menu had been requested, but the waitress began serving each of them chicken. Four men in the group, including Mr. Soelch, don’t care for chicken and asked to be served something else from the menu in the dining room. (There were three main-course choices.) When the girl went into the kitchen to get their orders, a man came out (presumably the manager) and told them they couldn’t have any substitutions, and that they had to eat what was served them and nothing else. Mr. Soelch said the entire group of 11 men was embarrassed and added that he will not take a group to the executive dining room again. Dr. Lamberti asked Mr. Soelch to send him a memo on this with a copy to Mr. Cox."

[PeterHawk]

Tom: The subject Daytona Wagonaire was Serial Number 63V18524. See its Build Order and more information about it on Page 8 of the July 2009 Turning Wheels. It's included in my interview of David Blackmer, who shepherded the car around Los Angeles automotive press people and such.

The Road Test appeared in the June 1963 Car Life. 'Not sure where you'd find a copy, but I would think an on-line search of literature vendors would scare one up in short order.

Edit: I seem to remember our reproducing that Car Life Road Test in Turning Wheels; possibly the September 1988 edition. For the life of me, I can't find that copy in my collection this morning; 'must have pulled it out for something else and mislaid it.

Anyway, if someone has a September 1988 Turning Wheels handy, would you please check to see if thatCar Life Road Test appears as a reprint? Thanks. BP

Bob...Right on as usual. Issue deals with 63 GT Hawks.

[BobPalma]

Bob...Right on as usual. Issue deals with 63 GT Hawks.

Thanks for looking it up, Peter.

Commander Pink Tom: Now you have a choice if you want to read that road test.

You can find either a June 1963 Car Life or a September 1988 Turning Wheels. BP