New Member Seeking Info on a Car

[DanInFlorida]

Hello, Avanti enthusiasts! New member of the forum here, from Valrico Florida, near Tampa. My friend Mark Lasota, a lover of all things Studebaker,  died in May, and I have the task of selling his Avanti. Since the car has an Avanti Owners Association decal, I was hoping someone here might know more about this particular car. The ID number from the Florida title is 64R4345, and the title says it is a 1963. The ID plate riveted to the frame reads R4345. It has been titled to Mark since 2002, and the previous Florida title issue date was in 1992. Mark's dad Edmund was also a Studebaker fan and helped him work on this car. It has been stored in Mark's garage for many years. This car has the "square" headlights, but Mark said a previous owner had put a 1964 nose on it because there was some fiberglass damage and he could not find a 1963 nose. The car is red but has been prepped for paint and sprayed with yellow primer. The interior is red. So, does anyone know this car? 

Thanks,

Dan

 

[Gunslinger]

I used to own R4341 so they must have sat on the assembly floor together back in May 1963 which makes it a '63 model year.  Where the "64" on the title came from is a bit of a mystery as Studebaker stopped putting a year in the Avanti serial numbers some time prior to that.  The "64" could be a paperwork error or added by the selling dealership if it didn't sell until the '64 model year began.  That's not too unusual as a number of '63 Avantis were titled as '64s for that reason.  It did originally come equipped with the round headlight frames.  

I don't know the car but maybe someone else here does...and BTW...welcome.

[DanInFlorida]

Thanks for the insight, Gunslinger. And if those are your cars in your avatar, let me just say, "Wow!".

Dan

[studegary]

As stated, this is a 1963 model year Avanti that was built with round headlight bezels.  Studebaker stopped putting the year (63) in the Serial Number at about number 3100.  Studebaker issued Service Letter G-1964-3 stating that all unsold 1963 Avantis could be registered as 1964s beginning 9/1/1963.  That is most likely how it became a 1964.  It does not account for the incorrect 64R number.  In the Avanti world, it is a 1963.     

EDIT:  In re-reading your post, I see that it is correctly titled as a 1963.  The 64V on the title just does not make sense.

Edited July 31, 2019 by studegary