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  #1  
Old 06-15-2008, 06:05 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Location: Lafayette Indiana
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Any Porsche heads out there?

Yesterday I went down to Carmel for an old car show. I got a late start and upon reflection I wish I had gotten there earlier as I noticed some very very rare and desireable cars that I had walked right past while looking for a fellow who had a car I particularly wanted to look at.

On my way back to my truck I spotted an obviously very early Porsche convertible on the other side of the road. It was Chocolate brown and as I got closer I noted it had body color wheels with pretty cool looking hubcaps and beauty rings ( I might not be right about the beauty rings). It had rectangular tail lights mounted down low by the body color bumper which had a polished aluminum trim strip about one and one half inches tall. The windshield was two piece. The interior was trimmed in brown or red leather, and it was all absolutely perfect, obviously the subject of a complete restoration to a very high standard.

I don't know much about them but I tried to find some facts this morning by googling and I think it was a very low production model and may have had an aluminum body.

I found in my google search that Glaser made another model obviously for sport which has a belt line that swoops down and back up over the rear wheel a bit like an xk120. That one makes a speedster look frumpy!

Anyway I thought there must be a few Porsche heads hanging out here.

I also saw quite a few old Ferraris, Jags, Corvettes, and two vast devices that at first glance looked a lot like mid thirties Duesenbergs which on closer examination were a STutz and a Packard dual cowl 12. Of course I should have known that with the moneyed folks in Carmel there would be impressive cars there.

I wish I had gotten there a couple of hours earlier.

My new friend had a very nice 62 GTE and a mild custom 79 Avanti which won a trophy.

He is from a small northern Indiana town and knows my second and third cousins who live in Akron Indiana and build concrete burial vaults. (Don't laugh, its a very steady business....no matter what the economy does folks just keep dying)

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #2  
Old 06-15-2008, 03:59 PM
iwrock's Avatar
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Tom, dont you have an old Ferrari that you could be driving to car shows?
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  #3  
Old 06-15-2008, 04:14 PM
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I love Porsche's...I had a 1977 924 before my 300SEL.

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  #4  
Old 06-15-2008, 05:34 PM
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Tom, It sounds like a very early (pre 1950) 356.

Did you notice if the engine was mid-position or rear of the axle?


I believe around 1949-50 the 356 body went from aluminum to steel. The very early one, maybe even prototypes only, had a mid-position VW 1131cc 38hp engines. Later the engine was turned around to make more interior space.
The 356A,B,C was followed by the 901 which was re-named 911 due to some conflict with Peugeot's numbering system.

That was a very rare car!

I've had my share of P cars. They are simple machines to work on. We currently still own a 911SC Cabrio, a 914 2.0L and a 916GT V8 project that may never get finished.

You really need a digital camera Tom.
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  #5  
Old 06-15-2008, 10:08 PM
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How about this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volkswagen-Bus-Vanagon-vw-van-vanagon-carrera-porsche-powered_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ15291QQihZ012QQitemZ220245901549QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
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  #6  
Old 06-15-2008, 11:09 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnathan1 View Post
I love Porsche's...I had a 1977 924 before my 300SEL.

Nice 924. I still have in my mind to put a vw diesel in one of those one of these days.

The old porsche was a '51. It appeared to be overall the same body shape as the later 356 cabrios except with a split windshield, with the engine behind the rear axle. I didn't think to check to see if the body was aluminum, not that I had a magnet in any case.

I could have driven my Ferrari if you had been there to pull it with a rope while I steered and made noises with my mouth! The motor is out now and I am surveying the damage to my credit for the parts needed to make it right.

I just completely misjudged the Carmel car event. I expected a bunch of chevys and such and when I got there there was a full complement of full classics, classic jags, ferraris, a lambo and a Pantera and some pretty cool chebbys and such too.

My friend with the GTE also had a 79 Avanti with a very mild modification to make it sit low in front like the original Study avantis did. The later avantis used the studebaker convertible frames and springs and just dropped in a Cheby motor which weighs maybe 150 # less than the leaden Study lump, so they sat higher in front. To conceal the gap instead of (inexplicably) lowering the car they modified the fenders so there was more fender above the wheel. He took his and dropped the spindles and fitted the more svelt studebaker front fenders on it. It looks perfect.

In any case I have two digital cameras here to choose from, I just thought that i would look at his GTE and have a cup of java or a beer and come home.

Next year I will spend the afternoon there probably.

Pffffft!

Tom W
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #7  
Old 06-16-2008, 12:14 AM
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Tom, I grew up with a neighbor who was big in the Studebaker Owner's Club, and was under the impression that they changed the front shape because the Chebby engine was taller and they needed carb clearance. I could be mistaken, wouldn't be the first time.

I just toured the Wilbert Burial Vault plant in STL a couple of weeks ago, if you ever get the chance, take a tour of a vault plant, it's pretty cool. Like I tell my families, the casket protects your loved one, the vault protects the casket...not much point in gettingthe $18000 mahogany casket if you are going to drop it in a non-protective concrete container, might as well get the $8000 vault too.
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  #8  
Old 06-16-2008, 06:37 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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You could be right too about the clearance, though its tough to imagine the chevy being more bulky than the Studie engine which was basicaly a carbon copy of the 49 CAddy motor.

yeah, My Great Uncle Fred gave me the tour about twenty years ago when I did some drawings for them for an addition to their vault plant. I remember he spent a lot of time explaining to me about the fabulous seals on their vaults. I remember thinking "come on now, they're DEAD, who cares?" But for once I kept quiet.

Tom W
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #9  
Old 06-16-2008, 09:20 AM
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Tom, I suppose it's a comfort to some families that the vault will "help keep out cemetery elements", whatever that's worth. The other big benefit to a sturdy vault is that it prevents collapse of the grave, so when the heavy backhoe rolls over your grave to get to the one it's digging today, it doesn't crush yours and make visible settlement that then needs to be regraded, filled and resodded.

My neighbor the Stude guy was fairly affluent then, VERY affluent now, but he always worried that people would think he was rich. He drove a dark green 49-53 Stude truck every day, always clean and pristine, having been restored. I started looking at the license plate, and noticed that there were more than one of these trucks. Turns out he had 12-15 of them, and would rotate them, but everybody just assumed he had one old truck. Had a Lark VIII convertible and a round lamp Avanti too. Cool neighbor to have. Kept his toys at his farm 30 miles away.
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  #10  
Old 06-16-2008, 10:05 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Anybody who likes Studies is OK with me. My dad used to work in the factory when I was a kid.

Tom W
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #11  
Old 06-16-2008, 01:37 PM
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Now you have me thinking about that neighbor...all the trucks were dark green, red steel wheels, brown vinyl seat. The Avanti was a candy apple red color with black vinyl seats, not supercharged, with 4 speed manual. The Lark was bright red as I recall, original California car, then some idiot sideswiped it in the late 80's and the whole side had to be redone. Cool cars.
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  #12  
Old 06-16-2008, 01:50 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Having ten trucks all the same color is wierd....even for a Studie guy!

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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