Is there Any way to back track history of a previous owned avanti?

[63avanti.]

I didn't want to blow up the whole forum area, but as i had posted in a separate topic i am looking for a 63-64 avanti.

I was doing a little research on the car that my father owned back in 1975..

It was a teal 1963? avanti. Round headlights possible transition car? He owned it for about 2 years and had to part ways with it out of desperation when being layed off from work.

He sold it to Bob Kollosso ( Previous owner I beleive of Central Garage in Potter WI) IT then was sold to a couple and it popped back up in the chilton/manitwoc area in the early 80s and was never seen again.

Is there any way to try and hunt down the car if its still around? Out of everything if i could get my hands on his old car it would be a dream come true to live the rest of its life part of the Wheeler family again....

i dug through all of his old titles etc, and was only able to find the (license number) that was on the car at that time...

Im sure im shooting in the dark here, but i just wanted to see if theres any way that myself or someone else could pull up old owner history by plate numbers or if there is any way to go down the list of previous titled vehicles in someones history??

Appreciate any help or suggestions.

Doug Wheeler

[sat65]

If you have any paperwork with the serial number, you can look for it here:

http://www.theavanti.com/register_63.html

Paul

[Gunslinger]

You can obtain a copy of the car's build sheet through either Nostalgic Motors or the Studebaker National Museum. It costs about $25-$30 for the service...all you need to provide them with is the car's serial number. That can tell you how the car was originally set up and date of assembly. That can tell you if the car is a true transition car.

[J Boyle]

My car came with its build sheet and the 3 page yellow assembly line check sheet. The former came from the SNM and the latter came from Nostalgic, I think.

Through the SNM I just recceived a "Shippers" document, it looks like a build sheet and lists all the options, along with the dealer, banker, weight and when it was shipped. I also got a copy of a card listing the original owner's name and address. Using Google and Bing maps, I looked up the address and found it was in a fancy Baltimore suburb, just the place you'd expect to find a new Avanti in 1963.

It confirmed the name on the console plate was indeed its first owner. Pretty neat.

I can't think of another car where you can find out so much of its history at so little cost.

I understand build sheets for Chevys are not available and having Glovier (sp?) or Marti do the research for your MOPAR or Fords can be expensive.

[Gunslinger]

I can't think of another car where you can find out so much of its history at so little cost.

Absolutely...Studebaker and Avanti Motors were pretty good at record keeping of such things. I wish Avanti Motors was as good as maintaining internal records of meetings and decisions the way Studebaker did...but it was a more or less mom and pop operation.

I understand build sheets for Chevys are not available and having Glovier (sp?) or Marti do the research for your MOPAR or Fords can be expensive.

I don't know about all Chevys, but Corvette records pre-1982 are not available and unknown if they still exist. Once the Bowling Green, KY plant opened records were maintained. Should previous records ever be discovered, a lot of Corvette owners may well find out their treasured rare big block, LT-1's, fuelies, et al, are not what they seem and were base cars modified into desirable versions years ago and passed off as such. Many Vette guys hope the records will never be found out of those fears.

Pontiac kept good records and they're available. Galen Govier is a recognized authority on Mopars...and he is without doubt not cheap. If you have a true desirable car his services will confirm it and the cost is worth it. If you have a clone that was represented as genuine...the truth is the truth and it can often hurt.

[63avanti.]

Okay, i tried to dig up any info on the vin number but all the registration papers were most likely tossed out... and it was a private sale so no paperwork from a dealer

Only thing i have is a picture with his license plate on it.

well i can only hope it is in good hands and being taken care of it it is still out there.