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THE FORWARD PRESS

March 2020

Very Special Tour of the Bardahl

Factory Saturday, April 18th 10 am

DUES ARE DUE NOW!

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FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Our first event for 2020 will be a special tour of the Bardahl Factory in

Ballard. The date is Saturday, April 18th at 10 am. I have issued an

invitation to The Studebaker Driver’s Club and Antique Studebaker

Club to join us. Please let Lou Cote’ or Al Basile know if you plan to

attend. Lots of free goodies! You must RSVP to attend.

LOU COTE’ dynoloucote@gmail.com

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2020 Avanti Valuation Guide

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There are still some members who receive this

newsletter but have not paid their dues. If you have

not paid dues in the last six months

YOUR DUES ARE DUE! You can now pay your dues using PayPal at www.paypal.com, go to “send

money on line”, Type in amount ($15 ), select “buying something”, type in

my email address alanbasile@gmail.com Type in your email address

and follow the prompts. Please include your name, address & AOAI

Number, and email address.

If paying by check, make it payable to: Club Avanti Northwest and mail

with your application to:

CLUB AVANTI NORTHWEST

c/o Alan N. Basile

17731 Spruce Way

Lynnwood, WA 98037

One of the largest chapters in the country, our dues remain at $15. We are

the only AOAI chapter that delivers a Full Color newsletter each and every

month! It’s a bargain.

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LANCE’S HIDEAWAY

BY Lance Lambert

I am a very lucky guy. My bride of over 43 years is incredibly supportive and even

encourages me to spend time with beautiful models in our garage.

The garage is not large, but it is spacious enough to crowd in four cars. Getting a

car out of the garage sometimes resembles playing with a Rubik’s cube. Nestled in

the glow of neon signs and gas pumps are a 1959 Hillman Minx, a 1963 Studebaker

Avanti, and our daily drivers, a 2005 Chrysler Crossfire and a 2015 Ford Focus. All

of these cars get along with each other very well, and I join them almost daily to

tinker in the garage and frequently give them some special attention in the form of

a little polish here, a bit of vacuuming there, and lots of compliments.

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There is a small room off of the garage where I, when needed, can go for a bit of

relaxation and solitude. I call it the car den, but a friend refers to it as the Lance’s I

love Lance Room.

Twenty-six years ago, my wife Jan and I took a look at this house when we needed

just a bit more living space than our previous house provided. An offer was made

and accepted, and then the moving plans were made.

The house appealed to us individually for different reasons. Jan was very impressed

with the view of Puget Sound, and I was impressed with the view of the garage. It

would provide plenty of room to expand and display my collection of automobilia

and petroliana, and it seemed like heaven compared to our previous 1920s era tiny,

single car garage.

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In one corner of the garage is a doorway leading to an 8’ X 11’ room that turned

out to be perfect for my intimate relationship with the previously mentioned

beautiful models. I installed lighting to best highlight their curvaceous bodies, sleek

surfaces and appealing attire. Yes, this was the perfect room to return to my days

of building model cars and other miniature forms of transportation. And, as

mentioned, Jan has never complained or acted jealous of these beauties.

There is much more than model building going on in this room. On one wall is a

collection of various awards won over many decades, some dating as far back as an

award in 1963 from the Steeds Car Club for being the group’s president. Another

wall features photos of ancient aircraft, previously owned autos, and family

heirlooms, including my father’s high school jacket letter (football, Snohomish High

School, 1935), and many odds and ends from my grandfather’s long ownership of

the Doghouse Tavern in Everett, WA.

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Framed and proudly displayed on the opposite wall is a signed letter (not an email!)

from Lee Iacocca. He watched The Vintage Vehicle Show, a television program I

hosted for 23 years, and wanted my opinion about the 2009 45th Anniversary Silver

Edition Mustang.

“As an expert, I’m curious what you think of the car and if perhaps it might become

‘Vintage’ one day.” I’m still amazed that one of the auto industry’s most famous

icons asked for my opinion. I told him the car was beautiful and that it would likely

become a valuable vintage car in the future.

Much of the horizontal space in the room is occupied by 36 tabletop radios,

manufactured from 1926 to 1956. I love old radios for the same reason that I love

old cars: they are beautifully designed, and sound great. Friends refer to the

collection as the “Radio Ranch.”

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All of these radios are in excellent condition, with the exception of a “barn find”

(actually it was a shed, not a barn) 1939 RCA that is in need of everything. On the

other end of the spectrum is a “resto-mod” radio in the collection. It’s a beautifully

restored 1947 Firestone “Air Chief Diplomat” that has been updated with a fresh

coat of automotive paint and a few modern-day electronics to insure smooth

operation.

The designation of the space being referred to as Lance’s I Love Lance Room is dead-

on accurate. I spend many hours every week in the room working on a model,

writing (yes, I’m sitting in the room as I write this essay), or just enjoying a beer

while sitting in front of the fake but almost convincing electric fireplace.

Occasionally I’ll turn on the fireplace and several radios, turn out the lights and

enjoy a libation while basking in the glow of the flickering phony flames and the

antique radio dial lights. During these times I truly love this room.

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Time in the hideaway is not always spent alone. I occasionally host events in the

garage, as well as have a regular “Model Night” in the room with a few other model

builders. A recent guest was TV star and mustache master Dennis Gage. Together

we explored ideas for the build of a 1962 Chrysler Turbine car, with the final choice

being to turn it into a blasphemous pro-street vehicle powered by a Chrysler Hemi

V8 with a blower poking through the hood.

Everyone deserves “me time” and I can’t think of a better place for it than this little

hideaway. As I finish writing this essay the fireplace is keeping the room toasty, the

Platters are crooning from a 75-year-old radio, a locally brewed IPA is beckoning

from a nearby refrigerator, and I’m wondering which curvaceous plastic model to

begin flirting with.

Yes, Lance loves this room.

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WASHINGTON STATE BILLS TO RESTRICT

ELIGIBILITY FOR HOBBY VEHICLE

REGISTRATION INTRODUCED DON’T DELAY! Please contact the Senate and House Transportation

Committees immediately and request their opposition to H.B. 2373/S.B.

6156. Here is a link:

http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2373.pdf

WE SUGGEST USING THE FOLLOWING POINTS IN YOUR MESSAGE:

H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 increases fees for collector license plates by requiring

renewal every five years,

despite currently being valid for the life of the motor vehicle after paying a one-

time fee.

H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 requires owners applying for collector vehicle registration

to submit a completed

certification form, which will be created by the Department of Licensing. The bills

offer no details about the

information collected on the certification form.

H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 raises the age of vehicles eligible for horseless carriage

license plates to vehicles

manufactured prior to 1916, removing the current rolling age requirement of 40

years old or older for these

plates.

H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 limits the display of DMV-approved year of manufacture

(YOM) plates on

"collector" vehicles to 1988 and earlier model years, removing the current rolling

age requirement of 30 years

old or older for these plates.

H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 makes it more difficult to register legitimate collector

vehicles and horseless car-

riages, which are already limited to club activities, exhibitions, auto shows and

occasional pleasure driving.

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H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 ignores the fact that existing collector vehicles and

horseless carriages in Wash-

ington constitute a small portion of the vehicle fleet, infrequently operated and are

deserving of these accom-

modations.

Overview: Legislation (H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156) has been introduced in Washington

to increase

fees for “collector” vehicles and restrict eligibility of “horseless carriages.”

Currently, a col-

lector vehicle must be at least 30 years old, while a horseless carriage must be at

least 40 years

old. Vehicles registered as "collector" or "horseless carriage" may currently display

year of

manufacture (YOM) plates with DMV approval. The bills currently await

consideration in the

House and Senate Transportation Committees.

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Mary West, Activity Director

• July 11, Saturday - Mud Mountain Dam Picnic

• The Studebaker Driver’s Club will host Drive

Your Studebaker Day on Saturday September

12, 2020.

• The 2020 Christmas Party. Mark you calendar

for Sunday, Dec. 6th from p.m. to 4 pm at the

Sizzler at Southcenter, Tukwila. We will have a

private room.

Mary West

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GREENWOOD CAR SHOW

SATURDAY JUNE 27 , 202 0

SAVE THE DATE !

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Our first event for 2020 will be a special tour of the Bardahl Factory in

Ballard. The date is Saturday, April 18th at 10 am. I have issued an

invitation to The Studebaker Driver’s Club and Antique Studebaker

Club to join us. Please let Lou Cote’ or Al Basile know if you plan to

attend. LOU COTE’

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EXCELLENCE IN AUTHENTICITY AWARD WINNER

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Studebaker made "running changes" to update the

design and correct various engineering oversights. There are exceptions to

these changes

Thirty cars made in July of 1963 are referred to as transitional or 1963 1/2 models.

The largest number of changes were made in August of 1963 and these are

considered the changes that defined the 1964 model, however, the company

introduced changes throughout the production period. All new models went

through this process and the Avanti was no exception. Most of the "running

changes" were made to improve flaws that affected basic functions. The most

obvious changes in appearance were the rectangular headlight bezels and the solid

color interiors. The rear window fastening was redone twice because the window

popped out of the frame at speeds above 100 mph!

63 Aventis have round headlight bezels. Most of the 64 Avanti’s have rectangular headlight bezels

Studebaker Avanti Running Changes

DATE CHANGE

Jul 1962

Improved rear window fastening.

Sep 1962

Revised rear shock absorbers.

Oct 1962

Baffled mufflers available.

Mar 1963

Light/heater switch plate redesigned. Rain drip molding added.

Jun 1963

Tenite panels and woodgrain wheel phased in as standard.

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Aug 1963

Rear quarter window latches redesigned. Stronger hinge for console box lid. Console control handles round instead of flat. Rubber door sill plate redesigned. Headlight bezels changed from round to rectangular. Parking lights restyled. Radiator grille added. Hood support moved from left to right. Air intake grille added to left side of cowl. Air duct to automatic transmissions on cars without a/c. Long battery replaced by standard-shaped battery. Valve-lifter cover (center valley plate) painted, not chromed. Inside air intake openings given plastic grilles. Solid-color interiors (including black) standard. Inside door panel "S" emblems standard. Rear window fastening again redesigned. Pleated "Regal" vinyl upholstery standard (previously optional). Perforated deluxe vinyl upholstery dropped. Carpet option reduced to black only. Fender plate changed to read "Super-charged Avanti" instead of "Supercharged."

Sep 1963

Electric window cable shield added to cable between body and door. Manifold pressure gauge face redesigned. Thicker padding for bucket seat backs.

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See you on the open road…

Lou Cote' – President dynoloucote@gmail.com

Al Basile - Editor

Dennis Adams - Membership Secretary & Contributing Editor

Lance Lambert – Contributing Editor

Mary West - Director

Steve Dowling - Director

Warren Cortesi – Director

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St Louis is the site of this year’s AOAI International Meet, September 9-12,

2020. See aoai.org

The headquarters hotel is the DoubleTree Westport 1973 Craigshire Road, Maryland Heights, MO, 63146 (314-434-0100). A nightly room rate of $129 has been contracted. This includes breakfast for up to 4 persons per room. Hotel reservations at the special AOAI rate may be made online at http://group.doubletree.com/avantiownersassociation.

The Missouri – Illinois “Gateway” Chapter of the Avanti Owners Association International, Inc. is again pleased and proud to act as your hosts for an International Meet.

Again, the date will be Wednesday, September 9, 2020 through Saturday, September 12, 2020.

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