R3 vs. R4

[mfg]

In October of 1963 an Avanti R4 engined GT Hawk outran a more powerful Avanti R3 engined GT Hawk at the Bonneville Salt Flats, due to a malfunctioning ignition distributor in the R3 car....True?

[mfg]

No one remembers these two '64 GT Hawks 'fighting it out'?

[mfg]

Give up?

[plwindish]

The R4's were such rare birds, just how many ended up in GT Hawks??

[Gunslinger]

I don't believe any R4 Hawks made it out of South Bend as production cars. The Bonneville Hawks so equipped were specially set up by Paxton. Wasn't the only factory R4 equipped car a Lark type car like a Daytona?

[mfg]

Yes it was...A 1964 Daytona 2dr Hardtop put together on the Studebaker assembly line for a 'Car Life' magazine road test.

[Gunslinger]

I remember reading that article. When the car came to the end of the assembly line, it wouldn't start. The wrong coil was installed...a standard R-series coil and not one for the transistor ignition that was standard with the R3/R4 package. Can you say "embarrassing"? Plus that goof was reported in the article...not the kind of publicity you want, but the writer was honest and gave the reason why and that it was immediately corrected.

[mfg]

Nothing wrong with the R3's distributor.....Apparently, due to driver error (or the car's extra power) it suffered a long spin out on the salt, which resulted in the lesser powered Hawk beating its time. Answer to question....FALSE