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Classic cars: Boyhood memory builds Studebaker loyalty

Rick Shafer's favorite childhood memory was motoring along I-90 and looking out the family car window to see two speeding blurs blow past.

Those blurs were two new 1963 Studebaker Avantis. Rick's dad, Jack, and godfather, Frank Middlebrook, were in the driver's seats.

Jack Shafer started work with Studebaker in 1958 when he was hired as the Midwest regional service manager. He covered six states in his company issued Commander, providing support to dealerships. On several occasions, he brought along Rick, who still cherishes those father-son road trips.

Rick Shafer of Lombard, whose father worked for Studebaker, vowed he would one day own an Avanti.

In preparation for the 1963 Chicago Auto Show, Studebaker flew two Avantis to the Rockford Airport. They selected Jack and Frank, who was also a Studebaker employee, to drive them over to McCormick Place to be displayed in the brand's booth. The evening before the show, the Shafers and Frank piled into the family's Studebaker Lark. Rick's mom then drove everyone from the family home in Villa Park to Rockford.

After her husband took delivery of the Avantis, she and Rick followed the two men all the way to downtown Chicago.

“I remember they'd pass us and then several miles later we'd catch up,” Rick recalls. “They'd be on the shoulder; hoods open with crowds gathered around. It was like that the whole trip.”

After Studebaker's closing, Frank Middlebrook went on to work for Datsun. Middlebrook sold Shafer his first new car, a 1972 Datsun 1200 fastback.

Jack passed away not long after in June, a few years before the brand slid into bankruptcy. “It would have broken his heart to see the company fold,” Rick says. “He loved working for them.”

Rick's mom held onto their Lark until 1967 and then traded it in. All those early memories, and especially that night, stuck with Rick, who in 1980 purchased a 1959 Lark in LaSalle. He held onto it for a couple years and then, busy with a young family, sold it.

“I always said someday I'll own an Avanti,” Rick says. In December of 2006, he survived a serious heart ailment and, soon after, decided “someday” had arrived.

Rick started searching and in 2008 purchased a 1963 Avanti from a seller in Cincinnati. In his years of ownership,

The Avanti is displayed under the Studebaker sign at the 1963 Chicago Auto Show. Courtesy of Chicago Automobile Trade Association

Rick has overhauled the sporty coupe. He's replaced the exhaust and removed the engine and transmission for a proper going-through. He's also installed a Hurst five-speed shifter along with new wheels and tires.

After putting in an electric fuel pump, he's found it to be a “pretty reliable car.” As such, he drove to the 2012 international Studebaker meetup in South Bend, Indiana - the once home of Studebaker's operations.

The Avanti Owners Association International and Studebaker Drivers Club host the gathering. It occurs every five years and, as such, Rick is already looking forward to motoring there again for it this May.

With his connection to the brand, he's been a longtime AOAI member. Last year the enthusiast was elected club president of the Chicago chapter. Rick loves sharing his passion with others.

“I know Dad would be proud,” Rick says. “And happier than I am.”

Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.

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