Highlights from the 2003 New York Auto Show(the good, the bad, and the very ugly)

Autonews.com ^ | 4/19/03 | staff

[decimon]

Now THAT'S a nice ride!

I thought of the old Mercs when I saw that these new cars are getting away from the greenhouse-on-wheels look with their higher beltlines and smaller windows. I could grow flowers in my Intrepid. :-)

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

AVANTI! (sigh...) What a gorgeous car! Still dream of owning one...or any Studebaker, for that matter.

[Pharmboy]

ping

[Petronski]

Just what in the hell are they smoking over at GM? It is the new AMC of the automotive design world.

Some of their cars remind me of what one would get if a Peterbilt raped a Delorean.

[Petronski]

What would be really cool, Bob, is to find an old Coronet and upgrade it with modern suspension and brakes, even rig an airbag somehow, and use it as a daily driver.

[Puddleglum]

Chrysler 300C looks very cool.

[AnAmericanMother]

Lot of different reasons.

Probably mostly bad management, didn't plan far enough ahead. My dad's pet theory is that they built the darn things so well that they ran forever, so folks didn't buy new ones. He ALWAYS bought Studes while they were in business -- and we only got one lemon, a repulsive-green station wagon that just never ran right. He took it back to Baker Motors and they gave him another one. (Ah, those were the days when dealers had personal relationships with their customers!)

The Red Bug (it was a compact in its day!) now lives in palatial splendor in our garage (the SUVs live outside). I drive it around the neighborhood on Sundays and when we go out to dinner we usually take it just to see the look on the valet's face. (They always park it right in front of the restaurant door! That's a place of honor the Stude has shared with a Lamborghini and a Rolls. :-D )

[Petronski]

I wanna drive the truck!

[painter]

Your Road Runner looks clean and straight.You need to get some primer on it and start "Blocking" it out.

What kind of paint are you going to shoot on it?

[Don Carlos]

Whew! Those 49-50 Mercs were the hottest customs going in my day. It took a true sheet-metal artist to properly chop one. This particular one is to drool over! The paint alone must have cost many thousands!

Ah! Youth, I feel you returning! (In my dreams)

Freegards!

[decimon]

Ah! Youth, I feel you returning! (In my dreams)

Just in your dreams? Mine is in my inbox daily.

[eddie willers]

He took it back to Baker Motors

You've been in Atlanta (Buckhead) a loooong time.

[AnAmericanMother]

Been here longer than you think . . . Baker wasn't in Buckhead at the time.

At that time, Baker was down in the block on Simpson Street between Williams and Spring - about 2 blocks north of the Merchandise Mart.

My dad came to Atlanta in '46 from Rome GA, via World War II. My mom was born here in '26. Her father came from Augusta GA to GA Tech in 1914.

But there are actually folks still here in town who are fifth generation natives (I don't personally know any sixth generations, but I'm sure there are some.)

[uglybiker]

Already primed, blocked and painted.

Final reassembly is at a standstill. My Studebaker died and I've been messing with it.

[uglybiker]

Here's mine!

Studebaker is back....sorta

Avanti Corp. has brought back the Studebaker name and slapped it on an S.U.V.

(warning: Heavy flash site.)

[AnAmericanMother]

OOOH! I want a Stude XUV! It looks like an old Stude Army truck sired it on a Hummer!

I like your Champion, too. The bullet nose never appealed to me enough to hunt one down, but it's cute.

How does the horsepower compare to S.Bend's later offerings? Our Lark has the 289 Jet in it. Used to have a 4 barrel Holley, but Dad hoicked it out and put a Maserati injection system in it . . . runs great. Believe it or not, it just drops in. (Nope, the Red Bug's not a Concours car . . . :-D )

[uglybiker]

Check the press realeases page. GM is trying to sue Avanti claiming it's a knockoff of the Hummer.

[eddie willers]

It looks like an old Stude Army truck sired it on a Hummer!

Aarrggh!
I'm gonna have weird dreams tonight.

[painter]

Hey,that turned out slick!

What kind of Studebaker do you have?

I have a couple of classics myself.A 1966 GT350 Shelby Mustang and a 1968 GT350 Shelby Mustang Convetable.

[uglybiker]

What kind of Studebaker do you have?

See post #95.