Four Passenger Avanti?

[mfg]

Concerning a Studebaker Avanti… what on the car would indicate to someone unfamiliar with Avantis, that they were designed for FOUR passengers?  (besides Avanti literature, and also, of course, the rear seats, armrests, ashtrays, and seatbelts)

[Gunslinger]

The higher rear roof area to allow for rear passenger headroom.  Sherwood Egbert envisioned what became the Avanti as a 2-passenger car but was told if it wasn’t a 4-seater he was throwing money away.  

[mfg]

1 hour ago, Gunslinger said:

The higher rear roof area to allow for rear passenger headroom.  Sherwood Egbert envisioned what became the Avanti as a 2-passenger car but was told if it wasn’t a 4-seater he was throwing money away.  

Good points Gun… but not really assurance to a novice that it’s definitely designed for four passengers…Other thoughts?

[Stacey]

Rear side windows that opened? or front seats that folded forward?

[mfg]

56 minutes ago, Stacey said:

Rear side windows that opened? or front seats that folded forward?

Good ideas!….however the opening rear side windows really don’t say “four seater”, nor does the seats folding forward… as several two seaters have that feature for rear storage access.

HINT…. This feature, which indicates four passengers, can plainly be seen inside a Studebaker Avanti’s interior!

[Nelson]

A shot in the dark but maybe the position of the front seats to the door opening?

[mfg]

3 hours ago, Nelson said:

A shot in the dark but maybe the position of the front seats to the door opening?

Didn’t consider that…. Good thought… however a Stude Avanti front bucket seat, adjusted as far as possible to  the rear, would then probably pass for normal seat position in a hypothetical two passenger Avanti… Nice try though!!

Any other thoughts on this head scratcher?

HINT…. The answer here is hidden in plain sight!!

 

[Footer]

Seatbelts?  Mike

[mfg]

16 minutes ago, Footer said:

Seatbelts?  Mike

Sorry no Mike…..( I nixed seatbelts in the initial trivia question)

[wdaly]

Rear seat back has 'divided' design on top middle.

[mfg]

12 minutes ago, wdaly said:

Rear seat back has 'divided' design on top middle.

Yes it does… but to be honest I figured that as part of the rear seat setup  …. I didn’t express that in original question though, so you are technically correct here…. however, this is not the answer I’m seeking…….

HINT….. The answer I’m looking for would be found FORWARD of the front bucket seats!

[Geoff]

Avanti doesn't have any vent ducting under the front seats (like today's cars) to blow air to the rear. Believe me, I'm trying to think of a way to implement ones like in my Focus for my build, to do exactly that.

But how about on the A/C cars, the center nozzles blowing between the front passengers?

[mfg]

1 hour ago, Geoff said:

Avanti doesn't have any vent ducting under the front seats (like today's cars) to blow air to the rear. Believe me, I'm trying to think of a way to implement ones like in my Focus for my build, to do exactly that.

But how about on the A/C cars, the center nozzles blowing between the front passengers?

Good idea but not “it”…. My guess is that the A/C outlets would have been put in that same location even if the Stude Avanti indeed was designed as a two passenger vehicle.

Any other ideas on this trivia question  before I post a ‘GIVEAWAY’ clue ?

Edited November 25 by mfg
Added text

[regnalbob]

Rear view mirror.

[mfg]

29 minutes ago, regnalbob said:

Rear view mirror.

No, not the rear view mirror.

[Geoff]

Oh hold on a second …

4 cup cutouts on the inside of the glove box?

That's got to be it. Unless people were double-fisted drinkers back then?

Edited November 26 by Geoff

[paul shuffleburg]

The width of the doors?

[mfg]

42 minutes ago, paul shuffleburg said:

The width of the doors?

Sorry no Paul… it wasn’t the door width!

[mfg]

3 hours ago, Geoff said:

Oh hold on a second …

4 cup cutouts on the inside of the glove box?

That's got to be it. Unless people were double-fisted drinkers back then?

AND GEOFF WINS THE PRIZE! (?????)

You got it!….. Four cup “cutouts” on the inside surface of the glove box door would indicate to the uninitiated, (with all other obvious clues taken off the table), that a Studebaker Avanti is/was designed for four passengers!

WELL DONE GEOFF !!!!!!

[aardvark]

Well it seems obvious that all of the above loosely constitute the Car being a 4 passenger... In other words, there are many factors to indicate the use.

justIf nothing else just having the 3 seats seem the biggest indicator of it's use.  The cup holders are just a added feature to the seating.. 

So I humbly disagree with the conclusion.

Edited November 26 by aardvark

[mfg]

Just now, aardvark said:

Well it seems obvious that all of the above loosely constitute the Car being a 4 passenger.

In other words, there are many factors to indicate the use.

True… however in this hypothetical situation all the obvious factors were eliminated…. Just a brain teaser really!

[Nelson]

You got most of us on that one. I never would have answered it correctly 😁.

[Footer]

Good one!  So I can picture the scenario: “Hey Ernie, open the glove box to see how many seats there are!”  Mike

[mfg]

36 minutes ago, Footer said:

Good one!  So I can picture the scenario: “Hey Ernie, open the glove box to see how many seats there are!”  Mike

Ha ha… Yes!…. This could be the start of an ‘inside’ joke amongst Avanti insiders!!

[Geoff]

Supposing somebody was to treat Avanti like SVT treated the '93 & '95 Mustang Cobra R where: sound deadening, air conditioner, radio, and rear seat deletion all took place, opening the glove box on that Avanti would reveal, at one point in time, the car was a 2+2 configuration.

It was that weight savings mindset that led me to the Avanti's "cup holders."