A Joint AOAI and SDC Event
AOAI is excited to announce the 2025 International Meet will take place in Meadowlands, PA, near Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania on September 15th through 20th.. The planning for this event has been in process for the past two years and two main goals have been met: 1. The meet will be a joint event with both the Avanti Club (AOAI) and the Studebaker Driver’s Club (SDC). Members of both clubs have been asking for a renewal of joint meets between the two clubs; there will be a full sharing of events, joint meetings, and activities. 2. Have the meet in a location outside of the Midwest USA. More east coast members should be able to attend.
The host hotel, The Doubletree, is located at The Meadowlands, site of the Meadows Hollywood Casino, just outside of Washington, Pa. and about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. It is located at the intersection of Interstate Highways Rt.70 & Rt.79, allowing easy vehicle access. Pittsburgh airport is about 22 miles distant. There are many restaurants. shopping malls. and other local hotels in the immediate area to handle the overflow. We anticipate the total attendance for both clubs will be more than 1,000 members. Hotel accommodations are attached. Make reservations early because of the expected heavy attendance.
Many of the activities will take place at the nearby Washington County Fairgrounds, a few miles away from the host hotel. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is adjacent to the fairgrounds and will host a social event and tours. The Trolley Museum was rebuilt in 2024 and is the largest museum dedicated to trolleys in the U.S. and displays the “Streetcar Named Desire” and 30 other trolleys. This is a unique, state-of-the-art museum with interactive displays. Trolleys will be available to shuttle members between the museum’s parking area and vendor and show areas at the fairground.
The Avanti Club will showcase the original Avanti Due Cento, 1962 Avanti prototype EX2942, the Bonneville Record Breaker, on display at the hotel. Long-time owner and Avanti enthusiast, Richard Bennett, will present a history of this rare Avanti and its accomplishments. Other events will be a social night at the Trolley Museum, lunch at the Grand Concourse restaurant and a tour of the Senator John Heinz History Center. The Grand Concourse restaurant is located at Station Square, on the south side of Pittsburgh and is a wonderfully restored 1901 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie train station dating from the golden era of train transportation. The Senator John Heinz History Center chronicles Pittsburgh area history from the pioneering era, the steel industry, and the now modern transformation to a digital economy. There will be separate (from SDC) judging of Avanti cars and a Friday evening awards banquet. Returning this year will be a Chapter Newsletter award and workshop. Other seminars include a presentation of the auto restoration process by the Hahn Auto Restoration shop that has won awards at Pebble Beach and other prestigious events. Our own Mike Baker will be a presenter and spokesperson at the meet.
The meet registration form will be available April 1, 2025 on sdcmeet.com and in future Avanti magazine. There are multiple hotel options available. See sdcmeet.com for a list of available rooms at various hotels. If you are a vendor, you can reserve your vendor space with the forms on sdcmeet.com
Get your Avanti running and we’ll see you in Washington County, PA.
Co-chairs: Mike Nicolella & Mike Baker
AOAI 2025 Washington County, PA Meet Schedule
| Tuesday, September 16 | ||
| 9 am – 4 pm | Registration, AOAI Hospitality and Silent Auction | Doubletree |
| 5 pm – 6 pm | AOAI Welcome Reception (Don Lindner, Sponsor) | Doubletree |
| Wednesday, September 17 | ||
| 8 am – 5 pm | SDC Swap Meet | Fairgrounds |
| 9 am – 4 pm | Registration, AOAI Hospitality & Silent Auction | Doubletree |
| 2 pm – 3 pm | AOAI Authenticity Seminar | Doubletree |
| 3 pm – 4 pm | AOAI Judging Seminar | Doubletree |
| 5 pm – 8 pm | SDC & AOAI Trolley Museum Social | Trolley Museum |
| 8:30 – 10 PM | AOAI (only) Social (Mid-America Chapter Sponsor) | Dual Devils Garage |
| Thursday, September 18 | Dual Devils Garage | |
| 8 am – 5 pm | SDC Swap Meet | |
| 9 am – 4 pm | Registration, AOAI Hospitality & Silent Auction | Doubletree |
| 9 am – 2 pm | AOAI Concours Judging | Doubletree |
| 10 am – 11 am | AOAI Chapter Newsletter Seminar & Judging | Doubletree |
| 10 am – Noon | AOAI Authenticity Judging | Doubletree |
| 9 am – 11 am | Bob Palma Memorial Live CO-Operators Seminar | Fairgrounds |
| 1 pm – 2 pm | “The Restoration Process” by Hahn Automotive | Doubletree |
| 2 pm – 4 pm | “Bonneville Due Cento Presentation” Richard Bennett | Doubletree |
| 7:30 pm – 9 pm | AOAI Board Meeting | Doubletree |
| Friday, September 19 | ||
| 8 am – 5 pm | SDC Swap Meet | Fairgrounds |
| 9 am – 4 pm | AOAI Hospitality & Silent Auction | Doubletree |
| 9 am – 10 am | Avanti Restoration Seminar by Mike Baker | Doubletree |
| 11 am – 4 pm | AOAI self-directed, luncheon at Grand Concourse $45), then | |
| Bike Heaven Museum ($5) or Pittsburgh History Museum ($18) | ||
| Noon | Silent Auction ends | Doubletree |
| 5 pm – 6 pm | AOAI & SDC Banquet Dinner Cash Bar | Doubletree |
| 6 pm – 10 pm | AOAI & SDC joint Dinner Banquet and AOAI Awards Presentation | Doubletree |