AOAI 2026 Palm Springs Meet
Avanti Design 65th Anniversary Celebration
April 6-8, 2026
By Mike Baker and Ronit Levy
AOAI 2026 Meet Co-Chairman
The AOAI board members and chapter presidents are welcoming all members to the AOAI 2026 International Meet: Avanti Design 65th Anniversary Celebration in Palm Springs, California. In December 1960, Sherwood Egbert became Studebaker President and he desired to turn Studebaker around. We are going to celebrate what happened next where it all began in this southern California city. The meet planning committee has created an exciting action packed three days of FUN.
Don Lindner was the first person to sign up for the meet followed by Jennifer and Carl Salatino from New York, who plan to drive their 1977 Avanti RQB-2586 and the third registration is Ed Will from Plano, Texas. AOAI Board members are signed up along with half of the chapter presidents. We’re excited to share Don and Jere Cox, the new Studebaker Drivers Club president and his wife, are attending as well. Most importantly, we want you to celebrate this historic milestone with us.
We hope you drive your Avanti and put it in one of the several Avanti photo shoots. We need at least 65 Avantis there for this anniversary photo shoot. Please note on your meet registration form if you are bringing your Avanti. Canadian members, Jill and John Bainbridge, are registered and ready to drive their prototype 1964 Studebaker Avanti R5650—one of the first 10 pre-production cars—to Palm Springs. If you missed seeing it at the St. Louis meet, now is your opportunity. Seventy-five members are already registered for this event during the AOAI 2025 meet and LaPalma Car Show in September along with notification through local chapter email. We have members coming from 21 states and a few from Canada.
The AOAI host hotel is the spacious DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Golf Resort Palm Springs, 67967 Vista Chino, Cathedral City, California, 92234 (760) 322-7000. Room rates are $149 per night plus tax with no resort fee.
You can purchase the delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel. You will see Dan Greve’s black Studebaker Avanti R2 in the lobby. This was originally purchased by his dad who will share stories about what it was like purchasing a new Avanti from the Studebaker dealership.
We need 65 Avantis at this event to celebrate this Avanti Design 65th Anniversary. Get your Avanti running or tow it to the event for the historic photo shoot. We are planning to have Rodger Ward’s white 1963 Studebaker Avanti R-1 with air conditioning on display.
Monday, April 6, 2026
You will pick up your meet registration packet at the Doubletree Hotel. The AOAI Hospitality room, silent auction, seminars, board meeting, concours judging will all take place at the Doubletree hotel. Joan and Gary Gand are hosting the Palm Springs Brunch Experience at their Mid-Century Modern house. This event sold out quickly considering Avanti owners remember reading about the fantastic Avanti Palm Spring Brunch every year in the Avanti magazine.
AVANTI Design House:
Avanti driving caravan to the Avanti Design House, 2788 E Via Escuela, Palm Springs. This former tract house that Loewy rented for his design team to craft the drawings and clay model of the Avanti has undergone a major renovation and remodel still reflecting its mid-century modern roots is on the market for $995,000. It is located about halfway between the AOAI host hotel and Loewy’s own home.
During the 2006 Palm Springs meet, while I was the AOAI President, I signed up Frank Wenzel to AOAI and he purchased a Studebaker Avanti during the meet to add to his Studebaker collection. I’m excited Frank is hosting the Welcome Reception with an Italian Dinner. Frank said he can host up to 250 members (ticket required) at his unique house with impressive five car garage built on half of a tennis court. He has an outstanding classic car, memorabilia, STP can and radio collection. There is so much to see.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
The AOAI Board of Directors Meeting will start at 8 a.m. We encourage members to attend to learn more about what’s happening with AOAI as we move forward (Avanti) in a positive direction with growing membership, new chapters, updating our website, and most importantly, stabilizing our finances given rising costs. Time is allocated at the end of the board meeting for members to ask questions or provide suggestions. We welcome your participation and input.
Twenty Avantis are needed for a unique Avanti display and photo-shoot to spell out 6-5 to celebrate the 65th Avanti Design Anniversary. Email aoaisocal@gmail.com if you want to volunteer your Avanti for the photo shoot. At 9 a.m. we plan to take 15 minutes to stage the Avantis at the DoubleTree hotel and 15 minutes for photos and 15 minutes to move Avantis.
For those of you who sign up for the Raymond Loewy House Tour, look at your meet badge for tour time. Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour time so we can load the AOAI shuttle bus promptly at the front of DoubleTree hotel. Everyone must take the AOAI shuttle bus for the Loewy House tour since NO PARKING is allowed along the street by the house. The owner of the house will be giving the tours along with a few docents. You must depart the house when your tour is over and get back on the AOAI shuttle since we only have a limited time to spend at the home. This is a private residence so be respectful of his time and property.
At noon, the AOAI Board of Directors and chapter presidents strategy luncheon will be held at the Mountain View Grille at the Desert Princess Golf County Club which is walking distance from DoubleTree hotel.
The afternoon is filled with multiple seminars to recognize the team involved in designing the Avanti. I’m delighted our seminar speakers could come to Palm Springs to share these stories with all of you. Nancy Egbert, daughter of Sherwood Egbert, will be with us and sharing “Avanti Beginnings-Palm Desert to South Bend.” The Avanti means so much to her and we can’t wait to hear stories we haven’t heard before.
Ted Andrews, son of Avanti designer Robert Andrews, will share memories of his dad, what it was like being in Palm Springs designing the new automobile and rescuing the Avanti clay model later in South Bend.
Dave Arland of Arland Communications, and Bill George, movie model maker, will present Tom Kellogg’s other design work. Carl Doughty, longtime friend of John Ebstein, will share design stories John shared with Carl over the years.
Do you want your Studebaker Avanti judged for authenticity? Lou Coté, AOAI Authenticity chief judge, said the drop-dead deadline for Studebaker Avanti Authenticity judging is Thursday, March 5. Owners need to email Lou Coté at dynolouCoté@gmail.com with three pictures of the engine compartment, including engine serial number, two pictures of the trunk area, including spare and jack assembly, three interior pictures: instrument panel, headliner, door panels and seats. Lou will also need a copy of build sheets, inspection sheets, and if available, copy of sale sheet from dealer to first owner. If accepted to be judged, Lou will contact you and then a check made out to AOAI for $85 is required prior to judging. See the Studebaker Avanti Authenticity Judging criteria and registration form in this issue on page 28 and 29 in this issue. Email Lou Cotéif you have questions.
The AOAI Authenticity and 100-point judging seminars are being held so you can learn more about the judging process and questions answered.
After a wonderful day, you can enjoy the evening social (first hour open bar—beer, wine) during the barbecue dinner at the DoubleTree hotel followed by “Mad for Mid-Century Show” with humorist Charles Phoenix, the King of Retro (tickets required). See Dave Arland’s article about Charles Phoenix.
Finally, you continue to relax and watch Gattaca, a 1997 sci-fi thriller featuring the late Dan Skidmore’s Studebaker Avanti.
Wednesday, APRIL 8, 2026
This is the final day to bid on items in the silent auction and purchase your treasures at the swap meet. Paul Sagoo who inherited John Hora’s Studebaker and Avanti collection will be selling some of John’s high-performance Studebaker vehicles and rare parts in the DoubleTree parking lot.
AOAI Authenticity Judging and AOAI 100-point concours judging starts midmorning. You must register in advance for judging. The exciting thing about having Avanti international meets throughout the USA is the opportunity to see Avantis you haven’t seen before. Each Avanti has a story.
This year, we added a fun three-hole Putt-Putt Golf Challenge at the Desert Princess Golf Course which is in eyesight of where the AOAI concours judging will be held. This is a free event for all attendees, just show your meet badge.
It will be thrilling to participate in the Police Escort—Avanti Parade through Downtown Palm Springs. At 2 p.m. we will line up all the Avantis at the Doubletree hotel and follow the police escort through the downtown area. For those interested, we are stopping at the SHAG Store open house reception. Artist renderings of the Avanti are in several of SHAG’s illustrations and other merchandise which are available for purchase.
The awards banquet will be held at the private Prescott Collection with 110-plus amazing classic cars on display in nine hangers with Go-go dancers and DJ music. Each hanger has a wide variety of vehicles from different eras. When you arrive at the Prescott Collection, 3690 Airport Center Drive, Palm Springs, we will park our Avantis in multiple wide rows for an Avanti group photo with owners standing by their Avanti. We sincerely appreciate Brad Prescott for his generosity to open his collection and facility to us and thanks to Jeff Stork for getting this exciting awards banquet set up and catered with live entertainment!
Who is going to win the long-distance Avanti driving award?
Jeff Grohs, Avanti Ltd Chapter Northern California, is planning an Avanti caravan to Palm Springs. Some folks from the Midwest are shipping their Avanti. Most are driving their Avanti with a few bringing their Avanti on a trailer. Regardless of how you get your Avanti to Palm Springs, we need at least 65 Avantis there. Maybe you will start your own Avanti caravan to Palm Springs. Call your Avanti friends and plan to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event. If your Avanti isn’t running or you can’t drive so far, then maybe you can ride with another Avanti owner or get on an airplane. If you don’t like to fly, you can Uber to the meet. There are lots of options. Register now and we’ll see you in Palm Springs!
If you or your chapter would like to donate to this historic meet, contact Jeff Grohs, AOAI 2026 Palm Springs Meet treasurer. Ad space is available in the meet booklet. $50 for half page horizontal ad (7.5×4.5) or $100 full page ad (7 ¼x 9 ¾). Send your photo ready ad to Dave Arland dave@arlandcom.com and the money to Jeff Grohs.
Have you seen the AOAI Palm Springs T-shirt, Polo shirt or coffee cup yet? You can order yours now. See meet registration form on the next page . Special thanks for logo and shirt designers: Brandon Greve and his wife, Momo Hayashi.
We look forward to seeing you in Palm Springs for the Avanti Design 65th Anniversary Celebration on April 6-8, 2026! Register now as events are selling out. Arrive early and stay late. Most folks are arriving on Saturday.