just for a Lark

[AfricaBrass]

Sounds like a Hawk of some sort, looking forward to seeing pics. Funny thing is, I've gotten more response here than at the Studebaker Drivers Club forum...

Now that's funny!

I haven't heard back yet...

[chris olivarez]

Well you'll probably be the only one on your block with one. If it makes your heart happy why not?

[danasgoodstuff]

I picked up the Lark and drove it home about 100 miles from Astoria this last Sunday. Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do for insurance. Collectors limited insurance would be cheap but I'm pretty sure I'm going to drive it too much to qualify. The drive home went fine: 50+ psi and zoomed right up the hills. I've taken it to work once. want to get the brakes looked at since the're only adequate for modern traffic if the're working perfectly. Noisy, slow, ineffiecient; what more could you want?

[7/4]

I picked up the Lark and drove it home about 100 miles from Astoria this last Sunday.  Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do for insurance. Collectors limited insurance would be cheap but I'm pretty sure I'm going to drive it too much to qualify.  The drive home went fine:  50+ psi and zoomed right up the hills.  I've taken it to work once.  want to get the brakes looked at since the're only adequate for modern traffic if the're working perfectly.  Noisy, slow, ineffiecient; what more could you want?

I was wondering what happened!

Edited March 10, 2005 by 7/4

[Dave James]

I owned a '48 Packard for about five years. Neat car (first American car ever made that was wider than it was high) but I never could get comfortable taking on the road simply because I may be the most unmechanical person in the entire solar system. If anything had gone wrong, I was big time SOL.

I guess from what I know, I'd always check a Hemmings to get an idea of what similar kinds of cars are selling for. Then you need to do a rust check, and this can involve some pretty extensive investigation. A lot of older cars have had what are called cosmetic restorations that make them look like they just rolled off the showroom floor when, if you drill down beneath the surface, you find can be worth something less than 100 cents on the dollar.

Now that you have the car, you might check around to see if there's a Studebaker Club in your area. In Portland, there was a very active Packard Club I belonged to when I had my rig. You'd be amazed how much some true afficianados can tell you about your car.

I will tell you one thing, there is nothing like tooling down the road in a vintage automobile. It's a major ego thing. Whenever you'd stop for gas or food or whatever, you were invariably approached by people who just wanted to have a closer look or even sit behind the wheel. I ran into lots of people who said they grew up with a Packard just like the one I owned.

To make along story short, I sold the car back to the dealership I bought it from for exactly what I paid. Now we own an '80 and an '02 Corvette (neither of which was my idea) but that I wouldn't hesitate to take on the road regardless of my mechanical shortcomings. That is if I was allowed to drive them.

Up over and out.

Edited March 10, 2005 by Dave James

[BbM7]

I want an Avanti. Bad. Always have.

[danasgoodstuff]

Who wouldn't want an Avanti? I missed one here that had been in storage 25 years for $7,000 (that's half what a good one is worth). Of course 25 years in storage still means it was 16/17 years old when it went in and the base engine had 10.25 to 1 compression so it would probably run ok on modern premium...but it's a rolling work of art. My consolation is that I paid less than that for what's almost certainly a more practical daily driver and Avantis are basically tweaked Larks under the fiberglass. Maybe we could start a car/jazz band analogy thread: If the Miles Davis quintet is a ferrari, then what band is the equivalent of an R3 Avanti?

[danasgoodstuff]

Got it out of the shop last night (new master cylinder and brake adjustment) and went to my first drivers club meeting last night. People actually cheered when I said I drove my Lark to the meeting! I may have been the youngest one there at 50! As I told the wife, the Studebaker is insurance in case being a jazz fan isn't boring enuff...

[danasgoodstuff]

1st Lark was totaled some time ago, parts car at my mechanics now, and I'm still driving my second lar - longer WB '62 cruiser, heavier, PS, PB (Avati discs in front), 289 v. 259, worse mileage, much softer car but still a lot of fun.