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Correct on both points.

It is interesting and I'd like to believe it was an intentional Loewy decision for the benefit of rear seat passengers. But, there's no one left to ask.

Checker Cab - and they knew ugly!

Here is the link to the Hot Rod Magazine article about Mike Salamunovich and the Studependous. You can post the article or provide a link to the HRM article about Jim Bergener and the Studependous. https://www.hotrod.com/features/there-is-nothing-like-a-studebaker-december-1973-982-608-110-1

Interesting!

Let's start the week with an easy one........ What automobile manufacturer said the Avanti II was too ugly and declined Nate Altman’s proposal to build them for Avanti Motors?

Those would be the ones. For years, conjecture was that it was designed that way so rear seat passengers could have a less obstructed forward view. I don't know if that was the reason, or not.

This past week I test drove an Avanti I am interested in. The first thing I noticed was the high effort required during very low speed tight turns. It felt like almost zero assist in tight maneuvers. Like a manual steer car. Once you got rolling the car steered well. This cars past service history lists a p/s valve replacement. In searching the forum here, I see several discussions on p/s issues. I am trying to understand the nature of these cars. I have zero experience driving one until now. I have had GM cars of the 80's era, the same year as this Avanti. The p/s effort is minimal in the conditions described. Am I just accustomed to the GM level of assist? How much effort does a proper functioning Avanti p/s system require in low to no motion conditions?

Thanks MFG.... I still will be draining the tank.. Gun...The lines seem uptight but I will be looking all things over... Thanks Guys... I'm just thrilled She started and ran so well.

Yes.. that must have been an interesting visit! Once again, the HRM article was very detailed, with various photos of Bergener’s Lark, including an overhead shot of the R4 engine which had the standard Stude Avanti side mounted Paxton supercharger, and a custom ‘Y’ that split the boost into the two AFB carburetors…I was thinking that’s how those three pistons got cracked!

I can’t say that I saw an article on Berner’s car. It would have to have been late 60’s to early 70’s. I was at his place around that time frame looking at a white 63 R2 GT that he said was the test car for the first full pkg GT. I think tha car is up in Washington now and owned by the Bells. I think he was dismantling his race car at that time

Thanks Nelson… I was pretty sure we were speaking of two different Larks! Did you ever see the HRM article on Bergener’s car?

Hopefully this 1982 info fills in some gaps concerning B300… Rosters can be considerable work… For a time I was roster keeper for the President Speedster model… Starting with a prior roster that had about 185 cars in it, the Speedster roster had about 350 examples before I moved on!

Mike Salamanivich owned and drove Studependous,a straight axle 60 Lark sedan running an R3 with R4 intake. The R3 came from his mother’s Avanti. I still have correspondence letters from Mike from back in my college days. I even got the cam specs from him and had a duplicate cam made from the same company in California. If I remember correctly he was in the 10’s with the car. Bergner also ran a Lark with a modified Stude engine. I don’t have any real good info on that car. A B300 engine number would hint that it was built by someone later than the Granatellis. I think Studependous was featured in Popular Hot Rodding back in the early to mid 70’s?

Apparently, R5642 was ordered the way it was… a very expensive Studebaker Avanti… to try to recoup some of the investment capital loaned to a family member in an attempt to prop up a Studebaker dealership he opened. After Studebaker ended car production, ordering this car was apparently one way for the loaner to get some of his money back…. By ordering a new ‘very expensive’ Studebaker… at no charge.

We attended a ‘Cars & Coffee’ this Sunday morning in our ‘55 Studebaker President Speedster….. I think this is a great idea!… The show ran from 7AM till 11AM… and our Stude was back in the garage before the midday heat hit… leaving time to do other things later in the afternoon… My point is this… As I get older, attending a car show midday during the summer months, with the usual New England high temperatures and humidity, is something I’ve began to avoid over the last few years… My Avantis and other Studes are non-A/C cars!… So an early morning meet seems to me to be good way to ‘beat the heat’… (not to mention there being less traffic on the roads to contend with.) This summer it’s going to be Cars & Coffee for me !!

I don’t remember the PO for that car saying “sold rush” but I might be wrong. It was an R3 so would think they had to be ordered special.

Studebaker Avanti seats?

Jim Bergener’s ‘60 Lark drag race machine was definitely called ‘Studependous’! That name was written on the sides of the car, and featured in Hot Rod Magazine. Who is Mike Salamunovich? I believe you are thinking of a completely different car that used that same name.

Correct! Good job.

The cushion seating area.

DRW46, Here is the ad from the Fall 0f 1982 if it will help.

Besides a complete fuel tank cleaning and inspection…I would change every rubber fuel line hose and take a good, hard look at the metal fuel lines and replace if necessary. Once all that is done I would run a can of Seafoam through the intake…that will clean the combustion chambers and smoke up the neighborhood. Follow that up with a set of new spark plugs.

2"

The article on R 5482 doesn't mention damaged pistons. According to the article Jim Bergener's car was called the Lethal Lark. Mike Salamunovich raced the Studependous. Is it the same car with different names and owners?