Avanti Assist!

[mfg]

Assist straps were added to the doors of Avanti ll's in model year ......?.......

1) 1969......2) 1971......3) 1973....or....4) 1975

[Gunslinger]

None of the above.  My '70...RQB1574 was the first Avanti II to have pull straps on the doors and had the cups in the armrests deleted.  It's documented in the list of running changes from internal documents.

[mfg]

10 hours ago, Gunslinger said:

None of the above.  My '70...RQB1574 was the first Avanti II to have pull straps on the doors and had the cups in the armrests deleted.  It's documented in the list of running changes from internal documents.

Your 1970 was most probably the prototype for that change.....I'm unsure when the serial number 'break' occurred between the '70 and the '71 Avanti models, but your '70 was no doubt close to that point.

Anyway, the Avanti model year when door assist straps became standard equipment was 1971....The indents in the upper door panels made for the Stude-style 'pirates buckle' emblems were also deleted then.......Correct answer, #2.......1971!

[studegary]

4 hours ago, mfg said:

Your 1970 was most probably the prototype for that change.....I'm unsure when the serial number 'break' occurred between the '70 and the '71 Avanti models, but your '70 was no doubt close to that point.

Anyway, the Avanti model year when door assist straps became standard equipment was 1971....The indents in the upper door panels made for the Stude-style 'pirates buckle' emblems were also deleted then.......Correct answer, #2.......1971!

His Avanti was 24 before the last 1970.

[Gunslinger]

Here's what the documentation states:

"cup on arm rests discontinued begin RQ-B1574

door pull straps begin RQ-B1574"

To me it's obvious is that RQ-B1573 was the last Avanti II to receive the arm rest cups and RQ-B1574 was the first to receive pull straps and all subsequent cars also received pull straps.  That's the documented serial number "break" as you call it.

[mfg]

3 hours ago, Gunslinger said:

Here's what the documentation states:

"cup on arm rests discontinued begin RQ-B1574

door pull straps begin RQ-B1574"

To me it's obvious is that RQ-B1573 was the last Avanti II to receive the arm rest cups and RQ-B1574 was the first to receive pull straps and all subsequent cars also received pull straps.  That's the documented serial number "break" as you call it.

Whoops!.....Do you want to tell Fred Fox he goofed or shall I??

[Gunslinger]

The documentation stands on its own.  Of course it might be incorrect...or Fred's might be.  The way Avanti Motors did things and documented it all is never certain.  It would have been nice if more documentation survived or could turn up.  That could fill in a lot of post-Studebaker Avanti history that is as much or more people's memories, some magazine articles that may be more hype than history and myths.

[studegary]

3 hours ago, mfg said:

Whoops!.....Do you want to tell Fred Fox he goofed or shall I??

If it is a fact that is different than what Fred previously knew, I am sure that he would be glad to know it.  Fred is very open about corrections and updates.  

[mfg]

2 hours ago, studegary said:

If it is a fact that is different than what Fred previously knew, I am sure that he would be glad to know it.  Fred is very open about corrections and updates.  

Okay Gary....we'll let you tell him! (whew!!)

[studegary]

14 hours ago, mfg said:

Okay Gary....we'll let you tell him! (whew!!)

OK, I sent it to him.

[mfg]

4 hours ago, studegary said:

OK, I sent it to him.

Thank you Gary!

[StudeNorm]

So if everything was fully documented, recorded and preserved, sort of what Gunslinger alluded to, what kind of fun would that have left us with? MFG's trivia pages are probably doing more to expose the life and times of our Avanti's (all years, not just '63 and '64 as with the Authenticity Manual) than most other venues around. Don't get me wrong. The Manual is an excellent resource!