Merry Christmas to All!

[r1lark]

Merry Christmas to all the Avanti Trivia participants!!

Anyone get a 'new-to-them' Avanti for Christmas?

[mfg]

1 hour ago, r1lark said:

Merry Christmas to all the Avanti Trivia participants!!

Anyone get a 'new-to-them' Avanti for Christmas?

And MERRY CHRISTMAS to you Paul!........And before I answer your question, please view the You-Tube video...... "My car story with Lou Costabile--1964 Avanti in turquoise + supercharged R2 engine sound"

This particular Studebaker Avanti video held a big Christmas Eve surprise for me!

[r1lark]

Cool video Ed! For others to view, here is the direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbv2FlMc7eU

So.........is this YOUR Avanti now?? 😛

[mfg]

5 hours ago, r1lark said:

Cool video Ed! For others to view, here is the direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbv2FlMc7eU

So.........is this YOUR Avanti now?? 😛

No Paul, (I wish)...Well, this particular Avanti takes me back fifty-one years!....I first saw R4849 in 1968, when it had just over 7,000 miles on its odometer...virtually a brand new Studebaker Avanti.....and it was GORGEOUS!!...It always took first place at the local shows which I attended. (and at Autorama shows, etc)

It was then owned by a fellow named Thomas 'Tommy' Tompkins...an early AOA member and the (then) owner of several very nice Stude Avantis and a few early Avanti ll's.

(The tilt steering column in R4849 was swapped into this car from one of Tommy's Avanti ll's!)

Tommy passed away just a few years ago.

Anyway, no other Avanti I've ever seen has left a more favorable impression on me than this particular car....As a matter of fact, my own 'show' 1963 Avanti, 63R1379, needed complete restoration when I acquired it.....and I restored my car (about thirty years ago now) striving to make it look as much of a twin to R4849 as I could....right down to the wire wheels!

Tommy sold R4849 in the early seventies and I never saw the car again...UNTIL...the SDC International Meet at South Bend in 2007....We were invited to the Packard Club's gathering, which was held at one of those old South Bend mansions.......In back of the mansion, all alone and the only Studebaker among the Packards, was R4849!....However, I could not find the owner, which, at the time, really 'bummed' me out!

Fast forward to yesterday when I'm 'surfing' the Avanti videos on You Tube and happen upon a turquoise Avanti.....I wasn't sure it was the car I remembered, although it sure looked like it, until the present owner raised the hood and I saw the polished Paxton supercharger....The same supercharger Tommy Tompkins had dis-assembled and custom polished all those years ago!

I just today e-mailed the current owner and requested that he alert me if he ever decides to sell R4849!.......Take care all!............Ed    (and HAPPY NEW YEAR!)

[studegary]

Now I know why it looks familiar.  I remember when Tommy Tompkins owned this Avanti.  I can picture, I think it was his girlfriend, out in the heat cleaning the wire wheels.  That was probably 1972-1973 in South Bend.  I had the supercharger in my 1957 Golden Hawk polished also.   I didn't know that Tommy had passed.     

[r1lark]

Good story Ed! 

[mfg]

9 hours ago, r1lark said:

Good story Ed! 

Thanks!...Yes, when it comes to Avantis, R4849 was/is the 'Holy Grail' to me!

[studegary]

5 hours ago, mfg said:

Thanks!...Yes, when it comes to Avantis, R4849 was/is the 'Holy Grail' to me!

It is a nice Avanti, but I would go for one closer to stock, like Jack & Kathy's Avanti in western MA or 5643.  

[mfg]

On 12/25/2019 at 6:17 PM, studegary said:

Now I know why it looks familiar.  I remember when Tommy Tompkins owned this Avanti.  I can picture, I think it was his girlfriend, out in the heat cleaning the wire wheels.  That was probably 1972-1973 in South Bend.    

Those wire wheels needed a cleaning because Tommy no doubt DROVE R4849 from Boston to South Bend (and back) in 1972....Roughly 2000+ miles!

Unfortunately, with the value of really nice Avantis going up and up, very few owners would make that drive today!

[studegary]

4 hours ago, mfg said:

Those wire wheels needed a cleaning because Tommy no doubt DROVE R4849 from Boston to South Bend (and back) in 1972....Roughly 2000+ miles!

Unfortunately, with the value of really nice Avantis going up and up, very few owners would make that drive today!

I do not think that "value" is usually the deciding factor. Many drive new cars/pickups that cost more.  I think that the lack of air conditioning and the fear of some part breaking, as well as the second cleaning necessary to show are deciding factors.  I have always driven, not transported cars to shows, but there are getting to be fewer that do.

[mfg]

1 hour ago, studegary said:

 Many drive new cars/pickups that cost more.

New cars and pickups are easily replaceable.....A car like Avanti R4849 is irreplaceable.....THAT'S the difference Gary!

[studegary]

2 hours ago, mfg said:

New cars and pickups are easily replaceable.....A car like Avanti R4849 is irreplaceable.....THAT'S the difference Gary!

I agree with that statement.  It was your use of "value" that I thought was not the deciding factor.   

[regnalbob]

Just to clarify.

R4849 was owned by Bob Tompkins and not Tommy Tompkins.

[mfg]

17 minutes ago, Regnalbob said:

Just to clarify.

R4849 was owned by Bob Tompkins and not Tommy Tompkins.

Kindly post documentation to support your "clarification".

[regnalbob]

23 minutes ago, mfg said:

Kindly post documentation to support your "clarification".

[mfg]

On 12/28/2019 at 7:31 PM, Regnalbob said:

Not correct Regnalbob!.....You see, Tommy actually OWNED R4849....He 'convoyed' out to South Bend in his Avanti ll with his brother Bob driving R4849..... Bob also entering it in competition under his own name.  Also, Paul Savard, a fellow Massachusetts Avanti, enthusiast drove his own Avanti ll to that meet!

As I mentioned in my above letter, Tommy and Bob  owned several nice Studebaker Avantis and Avanti ll's which they drove and swapped back and forth....REAL AVANTI ENTHUSIASTS and DRIVERS!

Edited January 19, 2020 by mfg
Added further text

[regnalbob]

5 minutes ago, mfg said:

INCORRECT Regnalbob!!.....You see Tommy actually OWNED R4849.

Do you have any documentation to support that?

 

[mfg]

As an aside.....Tommy Tompkins also at the time owned a very nice 1955 Studebaker President Speedster in the Hialeah Green/Sun Valley Yellow color combination....He sold that Speedster to another friend of mine, Joseph King...A short time later I purchased Tommy's Speedster from Joe!......Small (Stude) world!!

[mfg]

On 12/28/2019 at 7:51 PM, Regnalbob said:

Do you have any documentation to support that?

 

No,... only that I knew Tommy fairly well...however, I do remember hearing that Tommy, later on (mid 70's)  sold R4849 to his brother Bob.

Bob, at that time, was showing a gorgeous 'Avanti White' 1963 Avanti....That car was rare in that it was equipped with the three-speed standard shift transmission.

Once again, my remembrances of R4849 concerns what was going on (and who owned) that Avanti in the late '60's!....Tommy Tompkins...

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by mfg
Added 'shift'

[mfg]

In the early seventies, Tommy Tompkins also owned a BEAUTIFUL 'Avanti Gold' 1963 Avanti....At least I think it was a '63!...It had round headlights and only one cowl grille, yet it had the COMPLETE '64 interior, extra 'S' badges, in all black, black carpet, with the woodgrain dash and console overlays, and woodgrain steering wheel.

I'd call this Avanti a 'transition model', however, the serial number he mentioned to me, R4943, seems too high to be a 'transition'........(Is that correct?)

Anyway, this Avanti was an R1, four speed, which Tommy converted to R2 specs....As far as I know, this Avanti is still here in Massachusetts!

 

EDIT....Re-thinking this, I believe R4943 is probably a 'true' 1964 model Studebaker Avanti which the original owner ordered with the 1963 style 'nose' (round light)..... Apparently, a few Avantis were built that way.

Edited December 29, 2019 by mfg

[studegary]

In general, I AGREE with your edit.  The car (4943) is too late to be a transition car and is a 1964.  It came after the first square headlight car was built.  There were both square and round headlight cars built during the same period.  It is earlier than the first square headlight car that went to a retail customer.

If I am incorrect on this, I am sure that someone will correct me.      

[arkus]

i bought my first avanti, (r-5317) in april of 1977. still have it. it was always parked beside our general store in vermont. tommy was a salesman and called on the local creamery in our town. as soon as he first saw my car he came in, introduced himself, and never failed to stop and chat on subsequent visits here. as best i remember he always came in an avanti. a real nice guy and a great ambassador for the avanti !