Production Orders & Invoice stickers

[Mike Sal]

If I've done it correctly, here are copies of the production order & invoice I found for my RQA 0330.  It appears the order was originally written early January, 1969, but the car was actually built in September 1969......then it appears the car sat on the lot for over 2 years.....the first purchase was in April of 1972.....how common was this?  I do remember seeing photos of lots of cars in a lot with snow on them from that time period.  

Mike Sal

[Gunslinger]

Avanti Motors didn't just build cars as they were ordered, they also built cars for inventory to maintain a ready stock for prospective buyers who didn't care to wait a couple of months otherwise.  It also kept the assembly line going during otherwise slack periods.

It wasn't all that unusual for a car to sit for some time waiting for a buyer.  It also wasn't unknown for a car to be pulled from inventory and repainted or otherwise changed to suit a buyer that wanted a differently appointed Avanti and didn't want to wait.

If a car waited two years before being purchased, it could have been used as a company car until sold.  

[Mike Sal]

I see that he got soaked for nearly 300 dollars for "Raphael Vinyl" interior stuff.....what would a "standard" interior consist of?

I also have a "warranty" receipt from the Mark IV air conditioner company, dated April of 1972 & showing Mr. Yocom as the customer and the "Installing Dealer" is Avanti Motors in South Bend.  Did the factory wait to fill this out until they had the car sold?  The "installation mileage" says 00159.

I also have a copy of the original Ohio title which was issued in exchange for the Manufacturer's certificate, also dated April 1972.  I haven't found any clues yet as to the mileage when he took possession of the car.

 

 

[Gunslinger]

Raphael Vinyl is a higher grade vinyl that for all intents and purposes is hard to distinguish from genuine leather.  If I remember correctly a genuine leather interior was quite expensive...much more than a $300 upgrade for the Raphael option.

It would be normal to fill out the warranty paperwork with the date of delivery to a customer.  The warranty begins when the purchaser takes delivery.  It could also be possible the a/c was retrofitted at the buyer's request.  

It can be really difficult to know exactly how things occurred 45 years ago.  Avanti Motors didn't exactly have a traditional business model...some things were done on the fly to get a car delivered and Nate Altman was all about making his customers happy.

[Mike Sal]

So it appears RQA 0330 had 159 miles on it at delivery in '72, and 45,000 on it when the 2nd owner took over in 1976, and now 120,000 on it with my turn at the wheel in 2016.  The car spent over 30 years in dry storage before I got it.

I wonder if the factory was having 2nd thoughts about picking the avocado green paint & lime green carpet as the car sat those 2 years waiting for a buyer????

 Mike S  

[mfg]

This story sounds familiar!..Years ago I owned Avanti ll RQA 0298...This Avanti was sold in 1971, and was titled as a '71, however, according to the PO it was built in 1969, and went unsold after some doctor in Boston (who apparently ordered the car) decided not to purchase it.

It was painted 'Cadillac Firemist Tropic Green' (nice color!)...and had the Raphael vinyl black/citron green fabric interior.

The most unusual thing about RQA 0298 was that it was built with a 'high back' bucket seat for the driver, and a 'low back' (Studebaker Avanti type) bucket seat for the passenger!....Never saw another Avanti ll built that way!

[Gunslinger]

13 hours ago, Mike Sal said:

So it appears RQA 0330 had 159 miles on it at delivery in '72, and 45,000 on it when the 2nd owner took over in 1976, and now 120,000 on it with my turn at the wheel in 2016.  The car spent over 30 years in dry storage before I got it.

I wonder if the factory was having 2nd thoughts about picking the avocado green paint & lime green carpet as the car sat those 2 years waiting for a buyer????

 Mike S  

 Such combinations were not unusual during that time period.  When I received the production sheet for my '70 it showed the car was originally painted a dark Cadillac brown with a mahogany Raphael Vinyl interior, walnut colored dash and console inlays and matching steering column...and orange shag carpeting.  My wife said the '70s weren't called the "tasteless decade" without reason.  

While we know the Avanti design is timeless and beautiful, it doesn't change the fact that some truly bizarre color and interior combinations left South Bend during that time period.

[mfg]

I don't think the 70's 'high impact' exterior colors, and exotic interior trimmings are the real problem in today's 'Avanti' world.

The problem, as I see it, is that most all Avanti ll's were driven as everyday cars when new, and at this point today are, to say the least, "WELL WORN"!!

If a '70's' Avanti ll would have been put into a time capsule back then, and suddenly brought out today 'as new',...I think we'd all be frothing at the mouth to buy it, in all it's  'wild 70's splendor'!!!!!

Edited February 11, 2017 by mfg

[Mike Sal]

The 2 previous owners of my car were carpet nazi's......they kept the original carpets covered with green shag home carpeting during it's entire life.....the result is my "bright" lime green carpet is in pristine condition.  Even the matching carpet on the doors is very nice.  As much as I don't really care for the color, I would never change it has become a "talking point" about the car & the times in which it was built.

I just regret not being able to talk with the original owner about his time behind the wheel.  He's still alive, but in a nursing home in Florida.  All I know is he came home from Vietnam with money in his pocket & a desire to put the war behind him at speed.

Mike Sal