Last Avanti!

[mfg]

The last production Studebaker Avanti, R5643, was completed on December 20th, 1963......True?

[studegary]

37 minutes ago, mfg said:

The last production Studebaker Avanti, R5643, was completed on December 20th, 1963......True?

False.  ISTR, December 26, 1963.

[mfg]

2 hours ago, studegary said:

False.  ISTR, December 26, 1963.

False is CORRECT!....however, your completion date is wrong.

Anyone know the correct completion date of R5643?

[r1lark]

This is the one that WH Bennett Sr left a letter in the trunk (copy below) saying this was the last Studebaker Avanti built. He dated it 12/31/1963 but sources that I have seen give a 12/26/63 completion date, just like Gary says. 

 

[mfg]

Not written in stone, however that last Avanti was supposed to have been "ushered down the final assembly line" on 12/31/63....Now, this possibly was last minute 'doll-up' on a technically previously completed automobile, but in my mind R5643 was completely finished and 'out the door' on 12/31/63.

[r1lark]

Somewhere I have an article (probably Turing Wheel?) that has all of the 9 R3 Avanti Production Orders pictured, but I can't find it.   

In this thread: http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB1/R5000/64R5642/sdc33915b.html  post #6, George Krem states that R5643 was built 12/26/1963 but does not provide documentation. (But I will say that I put a lot of store in what George says.......)

[mfg]

41 minutes ago, r1lark said:

Somewhere I have an article (probably Turing Wheel?) that has all of the 9 R3 Avanti Production Orders pictured, but I can't find it.   

In this thread: http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB1/R5000/64R5642/sdc33915b.html  post #6, George Krem states that R5643 was built 12/26/1963 but does not provide documentation. (But I will say that I put a lot of store in what George says.......)

I have the TW issue with the article you're referring to ......4/78....In that article, Mr.Krem said that no final assembly dates of Studebaker Avantis after serial # R5606 (final assy 11/4/63) were ever published by the company..

Edited September 19, 2017 by mfg