And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Studebaker Avanti
The tail end was better, but it was unique, for sure.
Back when I was two, my father would give me one of those 25 cent plastic cars every time he came home from work. My mother used to brag about the fact that I could name every car on the road in 1958. I had a big problem because I could not pronounce the word Studebaker. It always came out tootabaker.
The Avante came in several versions. The one with the hottest state of tune was (I think) the series III. I have also forgotten the name of the American racer who headed the project, but he was the Shelby or Hennessy of his day. The car had a turbocharger and it was the fastest production car in the world.
In the 90's I was at a restaurant with a buddy of mine who looked out the window, and asked what the hell is that? I told him it was a tootabaker Avanti. The series ones and twos are quite affordable by today's standards. The high end models are rare and very espensive. I want one of these more than CW wants a Powerwagon!
I was just at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend Indiana last week and they have a few of them on display. There was also one sitting in a yard across the street for sale.
My brother had an old Commander when he was in college. The thing had orange-glowing gauge cluster, first one I had ever seen. It also had a slightly out-of-round bearing somewhere in the tranny, and at around 50 mph it would commence to 'humming' as the bearing got into some weird kind of resonance, getting really loud until it got past 60, where it got quiet again. Built like a tank and it always reminded me of the Checkers motor company cars.....
It's an Avanti II, which had GM drivetrains. The II's were built after Studebaker went bankrupt until the late '80s. There are probably more Avanti IIs on the roads than original Studebaker Avantis. Al_in_Ottawa
I guy I worked with had one back in 1972. it was unique way back then. I believe it had a V-8 with a 4-speed and was white.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind one now, if you could get parts.
DeleteBack when I was two, my father would give me one of those 25 cent plastic
ReplyDeletecars every time he came home from work. My mother used to brag about
the fact that I could name every car on the road in 1958. I had a
big problem because I could not pronounce the word Studebaker. It
always came out tootabaker.
The Avante came in several versions. The one with the hottest state
of tune was (I think) the series III. I have also forgotten the name
of the American racer who headed the project, but he was the Shelby or
Hennessy of his day. The car had a turbocharger and it was the fastest
production car in the world.
In the 90's I was at a restaurant with a buddy of mine who looked out
the window, and asked what the hell is that? I told him it was a
tootabaker Avanti. The series ones and twos are quite affordable
by today's standards. The high end models are rare and very
espensive. I want one of these more than CW wants a Powerwagon!
I was just at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend Indiana last week and they have a few of them on display. There was also one sitting in a yard across the street for sale.
ReplyDeleteMy brother had an old Commander when he was in college. The thing had orange-glowing gauge cluster, first one I had ever seen. It also had a slightly out-of-round bearing somewhere in the tranny, and at around 50 mph it would commence to 'humming' as the bearing got into some weird kind of resonance, getting really loud until it got past 60, where it got quiet again. Built like a tank and it always reminded me of the Checkers motor company cars.....
ReplyDeleteIt's an Avanti II, which had GM drivetrains. The II's were built after Studebaker went bankrupt until the late '80s. There are probably more Avanti IIs on the roads than original Studebaker Avantis.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa