The Lamberti papers #16

[Corvanti]

no chicken for you!!!

[monomaniac]

Was that executive dining room more like a restaurant OR more like a staff cafeteria?
I recall working at Swifts many, many years ago. We had a "restaurant" in the plant/office.
But it was not like a restaurant in that you had menu choices. Everyday the chef would post that day's offerings
and if you didn't like it, there was always your bag (U.S. equivalent = sack) lunch. The food was very good BUT there was no choice.
I sort of side with the chef on this one.

[8E45E]

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.

I would say, in 1963, no way! Until the glow-plug was introduced, and turbocharging was more mainstream in a Diesel, they were impractical in Canada. First, they had to be plugged in if it was below only 32 deg. F, and a 0-60 time of >20 seconds sealed their fate here; not to mention, the 15-25% greater cost over its gasoline counterpart. Sure there were always Diesel Mercedes Benzes and the odd Peugeot Diesel, but they were few and far between.

Craig

[avantilover]

There are 2 copies of the Car Life magazine on eBay 1 for $7.99 the other $12. I just purchased the 3rd one.

[COMMANDERPINK1]

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

THANKS BOB
Tom

[garyash]

Some years ago, I bought a folder full of drawings at a swap meet. They apparently came from a company that made the chrome script for Studebaker. Based on a request from the Brooks Stevens organization, the company was quoting on the nameplates for the 1964 cars. There are pencilled notes for the quantities expected - wildly optimistic at the time. Note that the drawing date is April 1963, about the time of the board meeting. Here is the drawing with the notes:

[BobPalma]

Some years ago, I bought a folder full of drawings at a swap meet. They apparently came from a company that made the chrome script for Studebaker. Based on a request from the Brooks Stevens organization, the company was quoting on the nameplates for the 1964 cars. There are pencilled notes for the quantities expected - wildly optimistic at the time. Note that the drawing date is April 1963, about the time of the board meeting. Here is the drawing with the notes:

Actually, Gary; it's not as optimistic as we might think. The total for the four model scripts is 130,000. Since there are two scripts per car, that's "only" 65,000 cars...actually less than 65,000, because some of the script would be service stock for collision repair and such. ('Not sure on that percentage, of course.)

Now, I don't know what to make of the 50,000 count for the basic Studebaker script, however. That was used on all Commanders and Challengers plus the Hawk! So I'm not sure how they figured they needed to project script for 45,000 Commanders and Challengers (minus service stock) but only 50,000 of the Studebaker script that would have been needed for all the "Larks" plus the Hawks.

More mysteries, or they sure didn't plan on selling many Hawks. BP

[8E45E]

Now, I don't know what to make of the 50,000 count for the basic Studebaker script, however. That was used on all Commanders and Challengers plus the Hawk! So I'm not sure how they figured they needed to project script for 45,000 Commanders and Challengers (minus service stock) but only 50,000 of the Studebaker script that would have been needed for all the "Larks" plus the Hawks.
More mysteries, or they sure didn't plan on selling many Hawks. BP

Y3's (x3), and Zip Vans (x1) also used them. Add them to the count.

Craig

[BobPalma]

Y3's (x3), and Zip Vans (x1) also used them. Add them to the count. Craig

Good points, Craig. They sure would have needed even more than 50,000 of the base Studebaker script at that rate. BP

[8E45E]

Good points, Craig. They sure would have needed even more than 50,000 of the base Studebaker script at that rate. BP

Well, according to what I read, there were 4238 Zip Vans made, and maybe add 500 Y3's, that's over 10% of them!

Craig

[Jim B PEI]

I would say, in 1963, no way! Until the glow-plug was introduced, and turbocharging was more mainstream in a Diesel, they were impractical in Canada. First, they had to be plugged in if it was below only 32 deg. F, and a 0-60 time of >20 seconds sealed their fate here; not to mention, the 15-25% greater cost over its gasoline counterpart. Sure there were always Diesel Mercedes Benzes and the odd Peugeot Diesel, but they were few and far between.

Craig

I remember a return trip one midwinter day from near Ottawa to east end of Toronto with a 'gearhead and rallyer' friend of my dad's, using more backroads than main highways. He was driving his rallye car, a M-B 190D (diesel) and I do remember just how nimble it was, and how much it impressed me with its suspension. That 190D had a glow plug, and was a 1959 I believe. The car was a few years old, and I was about 8 or 9 at the time, so 1961 or 1962? I do remember that it started easy on a very cold day after about a 30 second delay for the glow plug--First start early that morning, and also from the Toronto end as it had cooled off to dead cold after a car parts shopping spree spree and then a long lunch and chat. I think that from 58 onwards that they had glowplugs. Like all non turbo diesels, it was deadly slow from a standing start, but it did just fine on the highway--it could accelerate and pass respectably once it was moving, like the early VW Rabbit diesels. It had a top speed of about 75 miles per hour, and was quite happy at 65 and 70, although he mostly drove it that day 50-60 mph. He had a special extra speedo/odometer/other gauges arrangement for his winter rallye time trials, which were extremely accurate, so what was displaysed was the real speed. I was really amazed that he was using a large, low power (48 hp?) 4 door sedan as a rallye car, but I was incredibly impressed how it scrambled up and down very steep and rutted snow and ice covered gravel lanes in the middle of nowhere. Since that day I was a diesel convert, and 'got' the idea. In our tiny town, there were about 5 diesel cars, all M-B. I don't think the Peugeots came with glowplugs until sometime in the late 60s?early 70s? I never saw a diesel in a 403 or 404 in Canada, and saw nary a diesel Peugeot until the 504 came along.

I do think diesel would have been a natural for Studebaker with the M-B tie-in. Odd that they never tried to source diesels from M-B, but likely Perkins was way cheaper as in "trying to get a foothold". The Checkers installed Perkins, didn't they? Same model engine as Studebaker?