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Postwar Studebakers

2071 messages,  Last post on Jun 13, 2013 at 9:04 AM

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What is this discussion about? Classic Cars, Coupe, Convertible, Truck, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 182 of 208

#1803 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [fintail] by uplanderguy

Jan 22, 2013 (2:28 am)

Replying to: fintail (Jan 21, 2013 4:03 pm)
I think maybe we've talked about this before, but when you bought a '63 Stude with whitewalls that weren't Firestone 500's, you got a narrow whitewall that went right up to the wheel, and I think M-B used a similar whitewall:
 
http://www.ritzsite.nl/63Stude/1963_Studebaker_Lark_Cruiser.JPG
 
BTW, that's my favorite four-door Studebaker. If you got the optional broadcloth interior, the seat trim was right up there with Cadillac, although the exterior size and character were decidedly European.
 
BTW, that dealer postcard was photographed out at the Studebaker Proving Ground, about 15 miles west of South Bend on Rt. 2. I can tell by the brick fenceposts, which are still there when you drive by.

#1804 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [uplanderguy] by uplanderguy

Jan 22, 2013 (4:19 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 22, 2013 2:28 am)
Bosch now operates the track and buildings at the old Studebaker Proving Ground, and when I was last there in '07 they were testing some type of VW I had never seen before. They allowed us on the track with a Studebaker which was great fun.
 
Amazingly, there are still Studebaker prototypes abandoned on the grounds there:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luOtiRTDf_g

#1805 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [uplanderguy] by fintail

Jan 22, 2013 (11:49 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 22, 2013 2:28 am)
I don't know if I have seen a MB whitewall just like that, but they did use a wider whitewall that went up to the wheel, which I guess is kind of unique. MB changed directly, no medium width either - in 1964 they were still using 50s looking tires, then in 1965, jumped right to the modern thin whitewalls.
 
I think there is a definite MB influence in that Stude, too.
 
Here's a company that sells correct tires for old MB - I might treat my car to a set of these this year, as the tires on it date to when Clinton was still in office.

#1806 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [jljac] by omarman

Jan 22, 2013 (12:42 pm)

Replying to: jljac (Jan 20, 2013 2:37 pm)
European influence with aero body styling and glass covered headlights doesn't get more obvious than the Citroen DS. Aside from that I was pointing out that the U.S. market Merkur/Scorpio were variants of Ford's Sierra platform. The old square headlight Avanti had no more trendsetting influence in auto design than the 1939 Mopars I linked to.

#1807 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [omarman] by uplanderguy

Jan 22, 2013 (1:10 pm)

Replying to: omarman (Jan 22, 2013 12:42 pm)
It's a matter of opinion of course, but I do think most would agree that the Avanti is more critically respected, and always has been, than a '39 Mopar...shown in art museums, owned by creator of James Bond and other celebs alike when it was a pretty low-production car built by an old, old U.S. company, and it did absolutely throw the USAC record book away when it was at Bonneville. This isn't just me, it's all documented stuff. The fact that Studebaker built demand when it couldn't produce nearly enough finished cars, plus the constant news reports that Studebaker was on its last leg, doomed it.
 
No other U.S. car at the time had disc brakes, and I'm scratching my head trying to think of how many others at the time had a quadrant P-R-N-D-2-1 that permitted manual shifting of an automatic, too.
 
I think the only U.S. car that might have beat it to curved side glass was the Lincoln Continental.

#1808 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [fintail] by uplanderguy

Jan 22, 2013 (3:48 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Jan 22, 2013 11:49 am)
There's definitely M-B influence in the '62 and '63 Larks and Cruisers, for sure I think. I clicked the link for the tire site and I see in '63, anyway, Stude even cribbed the white trim on the wheelcovers from M-B.
 
Those tires are expensive, but not as bad as I thought. Sure gives you the authentic look.
 
If your current tires are that old, I hope you're not doing too much highway driving! My '64 came to me with '94-dated tires, and they were hard as rocks even though they showed a lot of tread and no sidewall cracking. I've been scared enough by stories over the years, and advice from folks supposedly in the know, that I won't go over ten years on a set of tires on an old car anymore. My Skytop's tires were bought in '03 (back when I could find 195-75-15's locally; they looked great IMHO and were very, very close to original size) and for the last couple years (before I sold it), I was getting a side-to-side 'waddle' from the rears at low speeds.

#1809 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [uplanderguy] by bhill2

Jan 22, 2013 (5:14 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 22, 2013 1:10 pm)
I'm scratching my head trying to think of how many others at the time had a quadrant P-R-N-D-2-1 that permitted manual shifting of an automatic, too.
 
That brought back a question that I wanted to ask. Did the '2' position lock the transmission in second gear or did it just lock out third gear? That is, if you came to a stop with the transmission in the '2' position would it remain in second when you started up again or would it start in first and shift into second but not into third? The reason I ask is during that period the Ford cruise-o-matic had two 'Drive' positions with one of them providing a start in second gear. It was advertised as being for starting on slippery surfaces. My dad's '64 Rambler he same thing.

#1810 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [uplanderguy] by fintail

Jan 22, 2013 (6:04 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 22, 2013 3:48 pm)
The grille and the greenhouse, while far from identical, are similar enough to not be pure coincidence. Makes sense with the partnership. Did Stude ever used body color coded hubcaps?
 
I rarely take the old car on the highway much - a couple times a year, under an hour's drive - and it still concerns me. I'd like to take a small trip in it this summer, but not on the current tires. The car lives in a dry place and the tires are maintained, but age has to take its toll - and the fronts wear a little funny, likely due to some suspension component wear. I will have it inspected this spring, and hope to have new tires this summer. Radial wide whites are never cheap.

#1811 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [bhill2] by fintail

Jan 22, 2013 (6:06 pm)

Replying to: bhill2 (Jan 22, 2013 5:14 pm)
My fintail, and MB for decades (maybe even your W126) have second gear start - I can select first with the kickdown button under the gas pedal, but it is not a smooth shift. The car can also be started up from the off position in second.

#1812 of 2071 Re: Record price set for an R2 Avanti at Barrett-Jackson [fintail] by bhill2

Jan 22, 2013 (6:27 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Jan 22, 2013 6:06 pm)
Mine starts in first. But that brings up a point relevant to my last post. The positions D-3-2-1 all start in first but lock out the gears above the selection.

Messages Page 182 of 208

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