On saturday I went over to my favorite Machinist's shop and ran ino an old friend who also was born in South Bend and whos father and grandfather also worked at the Studebaker factory (like mine). He has never moved on from Studies though, and only likes them.

He has a 63 Avanti which he is restoring. It is champaign metallic and has a tangerine interior! He said it was originally delivered to Puerto Rico (the land of color!). He has converted the engine to R-2 specs (supercharged). The engine looks really tough with the large chrome plated supercharger. The avanti is such an iconic design and especially with the round headlights.

At the autocross on Sunday there were at least three cobra replicas. the sweetest was a superperformance which featured fully independant suspension and looked very authentic. It also sported a 427 ci small block and hoosier tires. Most of the cobra replicas don't do all that well because they are often fairly crude in their specification with live rear axles and what appears to be truck front ends, but this one had a driver who actually had some experience.

His first run was about 2 seconds faster than my fastest run and on exit of one of the corners it lifted the inside front wheel like a sprint car!

Woo hoo!

Good weekend!

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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.

I did catch some(seen it before) of the movie "Topper" w/ that wild Buick the other day. If you have never seen it it is a good flick. here is a photo of the car. http://theselvedgeyard.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/carygrantconstancebennettinthe37mov.jpg

you keep telling these stories and never have a damn camera.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

About cool car sightings; saw a red AMG SLS the other day in Echo Park of all places. The only one I have seen so far in the wild.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

On my journies to the autocross on sunday we came up behind a u haul truck pulling a u haul trailer. From about a mile back I said to my self...is that a porsche on the back?

Sure enough it was a 356 coupe looking like a fresh barn find with thick dust all over it.

Near here in Monon Indiana there is an open pole barn with a 49 dodge fastback and a very rusty 356 porsche sitting. I stopped and looked at the porsche one day. It is too far gone for me to consider restoring but is prolly worth something as a parts car.

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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.

That buick is cool! something like that today would be worth a half mil or more. that clearly is a hand built body.

Cool Duvall style windshield too. Those duvall windshields are so cool I wanna build a street rod just so I can have one!

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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.

Maybe not so cool in terms of the car itself, but I did see a banana yellow AMC Gremlin driving on its own power and nothing even fell off it!!!

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-1978 300D

A couple of years back a fellow showed up at several of our autocrosses with an AMX which he had built up. It had an enormous wing on the back and a huge splitter on the front IIRC and was painted with one size smaller than a mop! But he had street tires on it and it was not very quick. He had fun though and it made wonderful v8 noises! I loved it.

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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.

Photos of the demise of probably the most famous Stude drag car. Ted Harbit's "ChickenHawk". http://www.flickr.com/photos/14358247@N05/sets/72157618776746604/ : A PDF with details and History can be found here. http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/chickenhawk.asp

I bought a big brake kit for my 53 studie from him at a swap meet in South Bend about 15 years ago. I don't have the studie any more but still have the big brake kit. Nice fella!

After that crash he said he was too old to be doing that any more!

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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.

I saw an old Indy car on the roof of a business recently. I stopped and talked to the owner today. I am going to try to buy it.

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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.