RQB #

[Brooks Barnes]

Hello all, I s there a RQB # for a 1985 coupe VIN # 12AAV1238F1004152?

[Gunslinger]

There is likely a RQ number used internally by Avanti Motors.  Probably the best way to get is to order a build sheet from Nostalgic Motors…that would have any internal accounting number on it.

 

 

[Brooks Barnes]

Gunslinger, thank You Sir....BB

[Brooks Barnes]

OK, i AM THE PROUD OWNER OF AAV-4152......bb

[mfg]

16 hours ago, Brooks Barnes said:

OK, i AM THE PROUD OWNER OF AAV-4152......bb

Congrats!… I also own one of the rare ‘85’s…. However, I think that if your Avanti still had its internal serial number stainless steel plate on the ‘A’ pillar it would read…RQB 4152

(Not AAV)

Edited June 24 by mfg
Added text

[ronmanfredi]

On 6/23/2025 at 7:47 PM, Brooks Barnes said:

OK, i AM THE PROUD OWNER OF AAV-4152......bb

RQB numbers were not used in 1985.  The correct number is AAV-4252 and is shown on Bob Johnstone's website as being owned by Jack White of Charlotte, NC as of 5/2015.  You can contact him with a current photo and your information to update his registry:  avanti5011@gmail.com

[mfg]

1 hour ago, ronmanfredi said:

RQB numbers were not used in 1985.  The correct number is AAV-4252 and is shown on Bob Johnstone's website as being owned by Jack White of Charlotte, NC as of 5/2015.  You can contact him with a current photo and your information to update his registry:  avanti5011@gmail.com

Sorry, but I must disagree with you here…

I presently own a 1985 Avanti… and the number stamped into the stainless steel factory plate mounted on the left ‘A’ pillar is….RQB 4234.

[mfg]

I know  that my Avanti  (RQB4234) is listed on the Johnstone website… and it may say AAV there, (haven’t looked at that in awhile) However, I’m simply stating what the Avanti factory placed on the car itself….RQB.

In my opinion, the ‘AAV’ prefix started with the 1987 model year Avantis (major change to Chevrolet frame)

Of course, there were no 1986 model year Avantis!

Edited June 25 by mfg
Added text

[mfg]

On 6/23/2025 at 8:47 PM, Brooks Barnes said:

OK, i AM THE PROUD OWNER OF AAV-4152......bb

No Brooks…. You are the proud owner of RQB-4152!

[ronmanfredi]

4 hours ago, mfg said:

I know  that my Avanti  (RQB4234) is listed on the Johnstone website… and it may say AAV there, (haven’t looked at that in awhile) However, I’m simply stating what the Avanti factory placed on the car itself….RQB.

In my opinion, the ‘AAV’ prefix started with the 1987 model year Avantis (major change to Chevrolet frame)

Of course, there were no 1986 model year Avantis!

It shows this:

[ronmanfredi]

3 hours ago, mfg said:

No Brooks…. You are the proud owner of RQB-4152!

Actually Bob's website mentions that both prefixes were used, but the sequence numbers that he has is correct, so it's whatever is on the Avanti VIN plate that counts

 

[mfg]

3 hours ago, ronmanfredi said:

Actually Bob's website mentions that both prefixes were used, but the sequence numbers that he has is correct, so it's whatever is on the Avanti VIN plate that counts

 

 The internal car number, used at Avanti Motors during the build, began with ‘RQB’ for the 1985 model year Avantis… Not ‘AAV’……

Mr. Johnstone may have used both the ‘AAV’ and the ‘RQB’ prefixes  for ‘85’s in his roster, but the Avanti factory didn’t !

Just want to avoid future confusion here.

 

 

Edited June 25 by mfg
Added text

[mfg]

That indeed is my silver 1985 Avanti, RQB4234, in the  above photo…. I probably should have corrected Mr. Johnstone on  his  ‘AAV’ mistake when I first saw this photo years ago….. As we can now see, errors like this tend to confuse people!……Ed

[AG-R3]

Ed, I tried to send you a PM, but it wouldn't go.  if you would, email me through the S-I-O  website.  /RJ

[mfg]

6 hours ago, AG-R3 said:

Ed, I tried to send you a PM, but it wouldn't go.  if you would, email me through the S-I-O  website.  /RJ

AG-R3……S I O website?

[mfg]

Message to Bob Johnstone….

Hi Bob.., if you check any of the rosters sent out to AOAI members over the last several years, you’ll see that every 1985 Avanti listed has its internal four digit serial number preceded by the letters RQB. I feel that ‘AAV’ did not become the standard prefix until the 1987 model year Avantis… Thanks, Ed

( Of course, when it comes time to register a 1985 Avanti, it’s the seventeen digit VIN number that only counts!)

Edited June 27 by mfg
Added text

[AG-R3]

Hi,

 

I was trying to reach you outside this venue, but all attempts failed...  

        In defense of my position on the serial numbers, this effort was started in the mid 90's.   Back then, I don't think anyone knew just how many cars, throughout the entire production span  were still viable.  It became "something to do" as they came through Ebay and similar venues.
 At some point, it became necessary to separate the major number groups, likely because the pages were getting too large to load with the 2400 baud modems.  Not too many of us had internet at that time.  
  The VIN number imprimatur was being thrown around in the late 60's but Avanti II's always seemed to duck the bullet with that and emission issues because the company was small enough to do that.  

 I have to admit that, over the years, I wasn't much aware of which of the  pre 1987 and earlier cars, had a 12AAV VIN number.  I can say  for certain that there are 81's with a 12AAV tag at the base of their windshield and the last 4 digits correspond to the RQB number.  The earliest Avanti I know of in the listing with a "12AAV" vin is, 1981 RQB-3204 and there are likely earlier ones.  (Most) Everybody used the old RQB-nnnn in their communications or business deals, but  the "12AAV' came more to the fore when Kelly and Cafaro started dancing. 
   I'll guess it was the last of the steel bumpers that pushed me to instantiate the "AAV-nnnn" to delineate cars after Blake sold the company  and there was an RQC in there, to boot.   

        The only major revisions ever done on these files were to allow me to run scripts to calculate the number and type, etc.  Reformatting all this data again would be actually, only a slightly onerous task, so maybe a long cold spell next Winter, will be just the time.     

BobJ  (avanti5011@gmail.com) 

 

Edited Thursday at 02:23 AM by AG-R3
errant space in email add

[mfg]

Thank you for your concise reply Bob.

Yes, both my ‘83 and my ‘85’s seventeen digit ‘VIN’ number begin with 12AAV.

And, of course, to register my Avantis the VIN number was the only identification number the Mass registry cared about.

However, the OP of this thread, Brooks Barnes, asked where he could find an RQB  number on his ‘85 Avanti and, lacking a better term, I referred to it as an internal (factory) sequence number, and it could be found on a steel plate affixed to the left ‘A’ pillar on his car.

Apparently that plate is missing or obscured on Mr Barnes’s ‘85 Avanti… but I strongly feel that there was RQB4152 placed on that plate when his Avanti left Avanti Motors… as did apparently all other ‘85 Avantis have an RQB+ four digit internal sequence number.

When Avantis began to be produced again for the ‘87 model year, the internal ‘RQB’ designation was gone and the seventeen digit VIN number, starting with 12AAV, or sometimes just AAV, began to be commonly used for rosters, etc…. Take care, Ed C

Edited Thursday at 11:41 AM by mfg
Spell.