murph the surf

Bob, Here's direct discussion of the muffler issue from the minutes of the 5/21/63 weekly staff meeting of Studebaker department heads: "Item #5. Quiet Exhaust System – Avanti A letter was received from AMA concerning setting up a panel discussion on the Avanti and one of the models in the Chrysler line which the States of New Jersey and California are also refusing because of the noisy muffler. Mr. Minkel stated that the quiet muffler is installed – and the customer is charged for it – on all the California and New Jersey orders, plus all other orders unless specified otherwise. Mr. Dredge asked what the proposal is for the muffler in the ’64 line. Mr. Minkel answered that the quiet muffler will be made standard on the Avanti at new model time, and the price will be changed to include it. Mr. Feuer suggested the change be made at a time other than new model introduction time to avoid the look of a new model change and the resultant rebate." Sounds like your car somehow escaped the scrutiny of the NJ authorities for the time you were there..

From the March 11, 1963 weekly staff meeting of Studebaker department heads.....The Lamberti Papers.....replying to mfg

No....he somehow managed to survive another year, until he apparently got a case of sticky fingers..

Correct on both counts....and discharged for "misappropriation of company property" just a little over a year after the "incident"

Have to agree, don't think that was the most strategic move on the part of Local 5 at that time...

During the Studebaker strike of 1962, Gloyd Richards was involved in an altercation with Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert as Mr. Egbert rightfully attempted to cross a picket line during the critical development time for the Studebaker Avanti. What was Mr. Richards' position within Studebaker-Packard, and what was his ultimate fate with the company ???

I like your thinking...

Correct

California and New York would be the usual suspects, but New York wasn't one in this case...

That was one of the states...

What state or states was/were the trigger for the Quiet Exhaust System on the Studebaker Avanti???

Someone at D'Arcy didn't think that one through......

Have to admit, might be pretty dangerous driving a car with "lullabye" wipers,especially after driving for 10-12 straight hours.....

I'm sure those companies who spent $7 million for a 30 second spoken/visual spot during the Super Bowl certainly hoped their "ads" paid off for them...

Yes, an unusual description, but during the initial introduction of the Avanti, the windshield wipers were described as "variable speed electric windshield wipers, lullaby type" at 8:53-9:01.....

I'm looking along the lines of the spoken word.....an unusual description, I'll have to say...

Interesting...wonder if that was addressed in a service bulletin, as you'd have to assume a different part number would be used from whatever serial # and forward..It would be pretty amazing to have uncovered another running change after 61 years...

No, that wasn't the word used....

As mentioned above, looks like it's going through Mecum Kissimmee on Sunday...Sunday is generally the best day to get a better deal-it might just slip through the cracks... https://www.mecum.com/lots/1138436/2004-avanti-ii-convertible/?aa_id=649492-0 As an aside, I "chased" a '62 Bentley Continental S2 DHC that I had remembered seeing in my teens while it was still in the hands of the second owner, thinking I'd like to bring it back home- finally locating it consigned to an RM auction in Monaco through it's Kuwaiti owner. Seeing the auction pictures, it was obvious that it had sustained some serious flood damage and subsequent neglect even though that wasn't mentioned in the description-a total heartbreaker to see that formerly gorgeous car in this condition. After some research, I discovered flooding is not uncommon in Kuwait. While it looks like this Avanti hasn't sustained any such damage, I am noticing some funkiness on the door panels. Maybe that's normal for this series of Avanti with age, or as Randy states above, perhaps from high temperatures ????? https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mc24/lots/r0048-1962-bentley-s2-continental-drophead-coupe-by-park-ward/

no, that's not the description that was used.....

no, that's not the description that was used.....

In ads for the Studebaker Avanti, Studebaker touted their windshield wipers as "variable speed electric windshield wipers, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ type". What is the missing word in the advertising description??

Thank you..

Thank you. Just trying to see if I'm understanding this correctly...What I'm perceiving from John's reply was that the notion that Egbert had approached Loewy on March 9th, 1961 via telephone asking him to design a sports car that later became the Avanti has been "one of the biggest Avanti myths" - a fiction-but that it was actually Raymond Loewy who had made the initial approach through an inquiry to Egbert ,via Clarence Francis. That, to me, would suggest that the "new sports car' was Raymond Loewy's idea, thus making Loewy the conceptual "father" of what became the Avanti. That's the impression I seem to be getting with this "new" information.............or is it simply a matter of Egbert's plans for designing a new sports car having been in the works PRIOR to the phone call on March 9th and discussed prior to that date, and this letter contained in Langworth's book is substantiation of that? .....just trying to see what I'm missing here, and exactly what the Feb 2nd letter to Egbert, other Loewy letters and the telegram to Clarence Francis are suggesting..

Looking forward to seeing the documentation on that...As a legendary criminal defense attorney once said: 'proper demonstrable documentation always trumps snowballing hearsay….