Swan Song

[Guest dapy]

Early December 1963 Studebaker ended car production. And of course with that the Studebaker Avanti.

For those of us of an "age" (and as luck would have it from South Bend) that event was millstone for a city where in the 50's Studebaker employed 28,000 of less than 100,000 total population. Everyone had to drive a Studebaker. I drove a bullet-nose Champ.

Because we knew many of the town fathers it was of considerable interest when the December 2013 issue of TURNING WHEELS had an article about the closure and the affect on the city. Even US president Johnson offered assistance. Thanks to long time SB dealer Newman Altman our favorite car survived.

[garyc]

dapy, yes 50 years is a long time for a car to keep working. My '63r3453 R1 w/AC, TT, AT, EW AM/FM radio was manufactured in Feb. '63. thus being a true '63 model. It has 75k original miles and new upgrades like wheels, tires, paint and high back seats. I also added veneer to the dash and console, cruise control and electric truck release. I graduated from high school the same month Studebaker started selling the Avanti in June of '62 so 50 years was a big deal for me too. Happy New Year to all.