mfg Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 By serial number, what Studebaker Avanti is considered by many (but probably not everybody) to be the first "true' 1964 model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dapy Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 No less an authority than the Stude museum says R-4835. Having had R-4888 with round head light lens a further question should be at what number did they go square? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted August 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 You got it dapy!...R-4835 is CORRECT. My thoughts on first 'square light' would be Egbert's R-4130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 R4130 was the first square headlight Avanti, but it wasn't the first production square headlight car. R4130 was the test car for '64 upgrades and some were somewhat different from what was on production cars. The square headlight frames weren't as flush as on production cars...they protruded further out than cars R4892 and after. Some of the upgrades were phased into regular production with round-eye cars and all upgrades were introduced starting with R4892, though there were a few round-eye cars built after that...special orders or they may have been in the assembly line prior to the full changeover...cars weren't necessarily completed in numerical order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2Andy Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 Although it has generally been accepted as such, R4130 may not have been the first "square headlight car. 63R 1017 was sent to Engineering when it was built and has the non flush (production) headlight treatment. Food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 Although it has generally been accepted as such, R4130 may not have been the first "square headlight car. 63R 1017 was sent to Engineering when it was built and has the non flush (production) headlight treatment. Food for thought. Very interesting....I'd like to see more on 63R-1017! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Here's a 'curve ball'. As per the production records, Avanti #4765 was sent to engineering with the attached, "Tag experimental trim....attn J. Husvar. No interior code or interior color was listed. That car was one of two "Special" interior '63s. Could this Avanti have had the "1964" interior? Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Here's a 'curve ball'. As per the production records, Avanti #4765 was sent to engineering with the attached, "Tag experimental trim....attn J. Husvar. No interior code or interior color was listed. That car was one of two "Special" interior '63s. Could this Avanti have had the "1964" interior? Craig Here's a 'curve ball'. As per the production records, Avanti #4765 was sent to engineering with the attached, "Tag experimental trim....attn J. Husvar. No interior code or interior color was listed. That car was one of two "Special" interior '63s. Could this Avanti have had the "1964" interior? Craig Possibly, but Doehler had one made up with a leather interior for his personal use.....So who knows!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wasn't there one show car made with one front seat in leather? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wasn't there one show car made with one front seat in leather? Not sure about that. This is 'off point', but I once owned an Avanti ll (RQA-0298) that left Avanti Motors with one high back (driver's side) and one low back bucket seat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Avanti Motors did some strange things in their cars at times. RQA0415 was the first car equipped with a pair of high-back seats according to the information I have...though a few higher serial numbered cars still had low-back buckets. They simply may have been completed before RQA0415. That car may have been the first completed after the date the gov't safety requirements took effect. Coming with just one high-back seat had to have been done as a test installation or maybe someone special ordered it that way...kinda strange but as I said...Avanti Motors did some strange things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I agree!....On RQA-0298...This Avanti had what was basically Studebaker Avanti front bucket seats, but on the drivers side, a built in somewhat narrow headrest was built into only that seat...probably 4-5" higher than a normal Stude Avanti seatback...As I replaced both front seats with Recaros, I still have this strange driver's side seat from RQA-0298! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 If I'm not mistaken, the first high back seat Avanti Motors installed were standard buckets with an extra fiberglass piece bonded on and additional padding added. These were replaced in short order by the "Command Center" high back buckets that were used for years. My '70 had the "Command Center" seats...which really sucked. I replaced them wit Recaros...the best seats ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 If I'm not mistaken, the first high back seat Avanti Motors installed were standard buckets with an extra fiberglass piece bonded on and additional padding added. That's EXACTLY what the driver's seat from RQA-0298 is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Possibly, but Doehler had one made up with a leather interior for his personal use.....So who knows!! That quote in Post #7 was from George Krem when he completed the compilation of all the (Studebaker) Avanti production orders and broke them down and published them his Avanti monograph currently available as SNM, and stated two Avantis had 'special interiors' including #4765. J.M. Husvar was the Trim Engineer, and his name has showed on a few production orders or modification instructions, including the 20 special 1964 Studebaker Marshals with their interesting bucket-in-a-bench seat for the driver. I suggested 4765 could have been a 1964 interior mule because it was tagged 'J Husvar'. According to George Krem, two 1963 Avantis had 'special interiors'. Here is George's original post: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?51160-Avanti-Production-Statistics-now-available&highlight=husvar Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Thank you Craig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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