FROM THE PRESIDENT
T
he Avanti sure is getting a lot of exposure lately
in all sorts of media, including newspapers, mag-
azines, public television, and on stage.
On September 17 th , the Wall Street Journal listed the
Avanti as a classic car to BUY for investment purposes.
The R-1 has gone up 19 percent over the last five years
and 27 percent over the last ten years. What Avanti owner
buys it for this reason? We just want to drive them.
❏
On September 24 th , I saw
“AVANTI The Post Industrial
Ghost Story” in South Bend as
mentioned in Issue 126, page
nine. It was a creative and
spectacular multi-media pro-
duction combined with real ac-
tors.
The crowd was buzzing with
anticipation. I enjoyed the im-
personations of R aymond
Loewy, Sherwood Egbert and
Martha Fleener.
You could feel the passion
they felt. I was beginning to be-
lieve in ghosts.
This was a truly great story
line. The jet thrust sound of ex-
haust sent thrills in the air as
the Avanti started up and rolled
on stage. The opening weekend
was a sold out performance
with 70 seats per show. I met
several Avanti owners at the
show.
It was worth the trip from In-
dianapolis to see the play and
visit the Studebaker National
Museum (SNM). I was really
impressed with the museum
layout. The displays in the mu-
seum have been updated and
the special exhibit had the
theme: “Different by Design”.
A really cool Avanti promo video was playing. Have you
ever wondered what the Avanti door panel mold looked
like? It was on display. The SNM “History in the Making
Campaign” is currently underway to create an endow-
ment fund to operate the museum far into the future and
to pay for interactive exhibitory and educational pro-
gramming.
I also had the pleasure of attending the SNM reception
Friday night prior to the play. The SNM provided great
hospitality. Laurence Loewy gave a brief presentation and
was accompanied by her husband David and son, Jack.
Ross Stansfield, who’s been working on an Avanti movie
4
AVANTI Magazine
with the Loewys, traveled from Virginia to attend the
event. I met a lot of interesting people from South Bend,
some of whom had close ties to the Studebaker and New-
man/Altman days. Great stories were shared.
❏
The PBS Television episode of “Great Cars” is airing.
Check your local listing. Dick Vaux was filmed in Char-
lotte with his First Place winner 1964 “changeover mod-
el” Avanti. (Read the review of Avanti in the Great Cars
series elsewhere in this is-
sue -Editor)
❏
The November 8 th & 15 th
issue of AutoWeek had a
color advertisement pro-
moting AOAI and our 2005
Avanti Calendar. Have you
purchased yours yet? These
calendars make great holi-
day gifts.
The Avanti Motor Corpo-
ration was listed For Sale
in many automotive news-
papers and magazines. I
feel “The Best Is Yet To
Come” from Avanti Motors.
I wish them continued suc-
cess.
❏
Now, more than ever, is
the right time to get your
Avanti projects completed
this winter and ready for
many car shows and road
trips.
Are you ready for some
“Fun in the Sun”? The
Florida Chapter is looking
forward to hosting all of
you at the 2005 National
meet in Orlando. April 25 th
will be here before we real-
ize it. They are planning on a 100 plus Avantis. Will yours
be there? This will be the most impressive meet ever. You
can register on securely online at www.aoai.org.
❏
Don’t forget to put together those Christmas lists. I’ve
got my 2 nd list started for 63R2259. Our vendors are ready
to fulfill those orders.
Happy Holidays!
Mike
Fall/Winter 2004 Issue 128