Checkered Avanti!

[mfg]

Why was Checker Cab Company a ‘lifesaver’ for the fledgling Avanti Motor Company in 1965?

[mfg]

No Checker fans out there??

[Gunslinger]

No…the owner of Checker refused and told Nate Altman the Avanti was ugly.  That from the builder of such homely cars such as Checker.

[mfg]

33 minutes ago, Gunslinger said:

No…the owner of Checker refused and told Nate Altman the Avanti was ugly.  That from the builder of such homely cars such as Checker.

That’s what we’ve heard…However, I would not call that the reason Checker Motors was beneficial in the startup of Avanti Motors.

Other thought on this brain twister??

[Gunslinger]

Checker could be the lifesaver if one looks at it as convincing Nate Altman to do it himself as creating Avanti Motor Company rather than finding an outsider to undertake the job.  

[mfg]

1 hour ago, Gunslinger said:

Checker could be the lifesaver if one looks at it as convincing Nate Altman to do it himself as creating Avanti Motor Company rather than finding an outsider to undertake the job.  

Good point…. But there is a Checker ‘item’ ….I’m pretty sure that you’ll agree with, that REALLY got the ball rolling!

[regnalbob]

Checker supplied the bell housing to adapt the Powershift transmission to the GM V-8.

[mfg]

1 hour ago, regnalbob said:

Checker supplied the bell housing to adapt the Powershift transmission to the GM V-8.

That’s it exactly!….. Checker had the $$$$ to have that crucial part made… Something which I highly doubt Newman-Altman could have, at the time, get done. 

[psdenno]

Wow, that's a bit of history I had never seen before.  Thanks for posting the question.

[Mark63Avanti]

I take back some of the bad things I thought about Checker.

[mfg]

6 hours ago, psdenno said:

Wow, that's a bit of history I had never seen before.  Thanks for posting the question.

My pleasure!…: Engineering that bellhousing had to be pricey!

[mfg]

1 hour ago, Mark63Avanti said:

I take back some of the bad things I thought about Checker.

😊

[mfg]

Come to think of it, the torque converter itself must have been reworked with the welded on Studebaker engine flex plate replaced by a flex plate (ring gear) compatible with the Chevrolet engines.