Avanti Maserati!

[mfg]

J.J. Cafaro once contemplated using a V8 engine purchased from Maserati in the 1991 Avantis.....True?

[Guest dapy]

Of couse. Just ask J.J.

[mfg]

Any other thought here?

[Gunslinger]

I would say false...the company was in such dire straights by that time to dream something like that up would have been so unrealistic it could have had JJ institutionalized. So few '91s were built the idea of such a change was insane.

Earlier JJ did want to fabricate fiberglass boats alongside Avanti production which came to nothing...along with a desire to build other cars from GM parts. He did dream large.

[plwindish]

I guess he wanted to incorporate Euro cars in the Avanti production. The paint on my 89 convertible is an 85 Lambo red paint color.

[mfg]

Good responses!....But the answer to this question is FALSE....His wish was to use a Ferrari engine!

[Gunslinger]

As I remarked...JJ did dream large. No connection to reality...but he did dream large.

[brad]

My understanding is It was Enzo that contacted STUDEBAKER and offered his engine in 1962. Letters attesting to this surfaced and were published in Automobile Quarterly.

[lschuc]

And before this detail was published in Automobile Quarterly, author Patrick Foster, learned of the Ferrari connection from a 2005 or 2006 article in Avanti Magazine, from information given from the Ferrari Club magazine, Forza.

By the way, Raymond Loewy like Ferrari too... Raymond is in the light jacket left of center in this circa-1956 photo in southern California.

[psdenno]

Those races at the Palm Springs airport brought out quite a few Hollywood drivers. Clark Gable raced there often. I'm not surprised that RL was in the crowd.

Dennis