mfg Posted December 8, 2014 Report Posted December 8, 2014 For several seasons Bill Burke (& Sons) raced a modified 1963 Studebaker Avanti at Bonneville they nicknamed 'Sundance'.....True?
lschuc Posted December 9, 2014 Report Posted December 9, 2014 False. Bill Burke's Avanti was called the Sunrunner..... or more appropriately, the "California Sunrunner"
mfg Posted December 9, 2014 Author Report Posted December 9, 2014 Hmmmm!...I don't know Ischuc,...There's a clear photo of the car in an older 'AVANTI MAGAZINE' with 'SUNDANCE' written across the nose panel...I would have to say answer..TRUE!
lschuc Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 Here are a couple of pictures I received in 2006 when Bill Burke's Avanti was for sale by a man in Colorado who had owned it for a long time, but never raced it. The nose panel is painted in Burke's last incarnation: "California Sunrunner". He eventually sold the former Burke Avanti to a member in San Diego, who allowed Dan Sallia to prepare the car for Bonneville for his Bucket List entry. Dan repainted the car in its current yellow and purple theme and renamed the Avanti. It very well could have had the name "Sundance" at an earlier time. This Avanti had numerous paint schemes and engines throughout its life. Please let me know what magazine issue has the other photo withe the "Sundance" name I ran a couple of these pictures in an article in 2007, Avanti Magazine Winter/Spring Issue #137, page 30. See the name in a couple of photos I am attaching here. Lew
Jeff Rice Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) The car also ran under the name "California Sunshine" ,and ran under the name 'Terrible Turkey" http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB1/R1000/63R1006/63R1006.html (copy) Bob's Studebaker Resource Website 2014 1963 Studebaker Avanti R-1006 (EX-2143) 63R-1006 was built in South Bend and sent to the Engineering Department to be used for a variety of purposes. The tag EX-2143 was assigned by Engineering and as all "EX" cars, is affixed to the top frame rail near the steering box. It was used at Bonneville for speed trials and late in mid 1963 sold to Bill Burke Sr. of Petersen Publishing, who ran it and achieved many speed records. Other names in it's career were " the 229 car", "The Terrible Turkey", then later "The California Sunshine". The current name on the car is "The Carolina Salt Shaker"(The car is out in my shop right now) Edited December 10, 2014 by Jeff Rice
lschuc Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 Thanks, Jeff!! I remember some of those names now.... including recalling Bill Burke telling us at Bonneville about the "Terrible Turkey".
mfg Posted December 10, 2014 Author Report Posted December 10, 2014 All great info on this special Avanti!...And Ishuc, I'll post the # of the Avanti Magazine the 'SUNDANCE' photo is in tomorrow.
mfg Posted December 11, 2014 Author Report Posted December 11, 2014 Ishuc, Avanti Magazine issue #78, (Fall-Winter 1991), has a clear front view of the Burke Avanti with 'SUNDANCE' written across the nose panel. It was then car #88, entered in the A/ALT class at Bonneville....Ed
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