The Studebakar Avanti reception as unveiled at the Los Angeles & New York Press Previews as well as the NY Auto Show was an unmitigated success. Initial reaction was well above anything Studebaker could have anticipated and bordered on the unimaginable.

Studebaker now faced a dilemma. How could they possibly introduce the car to the approximately 2,000 plus dealers comprising their network? It would be literally impossible to spread nine cars over 2,000 dealers. They needed a plan.

This is where I believe ingenuity, an aggressive president, with a military background took over. Sherwood H. Egbert’s time at Studebaker was a closely followed effort. There has not been much written about his career prior to Studebaker. It appears his career in the Marines Transportation Squardrons during World War II proved to be ideal for solving this problem.

A Plan was developed to airlift two Studebaker Avantis to introduce the NY Auto Show Avantis to airports near Studebaker Zone Offices. The Avanti would be unveiled in a hanger at the airports to an audience of dealers, financiers, and interested VIP customers. A program was developed and used in all 26 cities that comprised Operation Airlift.

Operation Airlift touched down in Dayton on May 8, 1962 introducing the Avanti to Studebakers Cincinnati Zone Dealers.

The Avanti Owners Association International will host its 2019 International Meet in Dayton September 4-6 2019.

A discussion, photos, and film of this monumental event will be featured Wednesday at the meet hotel.

Dayton offers the rare opportunity to live aviation and Avanti history.

Registration Forms for the meet are included in Avanti Magazine and are also available online at aoai.org

Any questions contact Hull-O Ventures for answers.

John Hull – avantifromct@aol.com

The post Studebaker Avanti ‘Operation Air Lift’ appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

There will be over 182 AOAI members and 72 Avantis ranging from 1963 Studebakers to the last Avantis from 2007 and everything in between. Hstoric Avantis on display will include “The World’s Fastest Studebaker,” a 1963 Avanti that ran at over 215 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, the one-off 1985 Avanti GT Prototype and 2 of the 3 Avanti AVXs (Avanti Experimental) Prototypes.

There will be several opportunities for the public to get up close and personal with these historic cars.

Concourse judging will be Thursday May 4th from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Gillespie Conference Center on US 933 North. The Avanti Cruise to Bonnie Doon Drive-In Mishawaka is also Thursday. The Open Car Show is Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. Joseph County 4H Fair Grounds.

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