The Avanti is one of those cars that you have to wonder how successful it could have been if Studebaker had stayed afloat. Sure, there was the reincarnated Avanti II, but they were mostly powered by Chevrolet V8s. This ’63 edition is the desirable supercharged version and is one of several vehicles being sold out of an estate. Located in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (cool name), this super-fast Studebaker is available here on eBay where the current ante is $9,999.
Studebaker’s then-president Sherwood Egbert was optimistic that the Avanti would breathe new life into his company. Unfortunately, due to production delays and Studebaker closing its U.S. manufacturing facilities in late 1963, the automobile only lasted two model years. Instead of the budgeted 20,000 units per year, the company built less than 5,000 of them in total before they threw in the towel. A 289 V8 was at the center, and the ones built with a supercharger were good for one horse per cubic inch.
The seller’s car is one of 1,552 ordered with a supercharger in 1963. I thought the boosters were all supplied by Paxton Products, yet the one in this car has a different name, so perhaps the supercharger was replaced at some point. The seller is one of the children of the gentleman who owned this Avanti and some other vintage autos. The vehicle runs great and the seller confirms it’s quite fast as those Avantis set some land speed records back in the day. The seller is still in discovery mode, so more may be known about the vehicle by the time the auction closes.
This vehicle wears what appears to be genuinely nice burgundy paint which is a respray. The interior is a work in progress, and the seller is trying to plug all the pegs in the right holes. The dashboard has aftermarket gauges, and the upholstery is not original. The seller isn’t enamored with the Sony speakers in the car, but the buyer might feel differently. The car’s assumed build sheet will follow it to its next home. The Stude’s mileage is unknown due to the gauge change. If you’re a fan of these rare cars, would you like to take this one home?
I’ll never understand why folks can’t just leave these relics stock. Aftermarket gauges and interior re-design all amount to devaluation. The Supercharger per note from Nevada is correct, Studebaker outsourced from everybody and anybody to stay afloat. No way in hell they would ever make 20k of these. Studebaker told wonderful white lies to stay afloat. The Avanti I remember was an oddity and folks were really shy about buying something completely untested in the market. 10k is about right I suppose but good luck finding parts. jv – Smashpalace
If you know you know – if not don’t be posting quesses.
I can only imagine what someone might say to my son in 50 years about his WRX – it would have been worth so much more if it were all stock. He has done all kinds of mods to that car on the engine, interior, and body. That’s what we all do to our cars when they are not yet museum pieces.
The stock gauges aren’t very good and are expensive to have restored. I don’t care for the gauges that are in it, but those would be the least of my concern if I was buying somebody else’s project car. I’m guessing you also don’t like the addition of air conditioning, but that’s going to be a big selling point for people in the south. Is there any company who hasn’t lied at some point??? As for finding parts, there is plenty of aftermarket, and underneath the skin, it’s all standard Studebaker
It’s not a 1963 supercharger. Zip codes didn’t exist yet.
Zip Codes were introduced July 1, 1963
Yeah but they were not posted on labels yet. That is a far more modern label. Paxton was owned by Studebaker and all supercharged Avanti’s had Paxtons.
John Erb was a friend of mine. He was well know for rebuilding superchargers and boosting out put. He built one for me that put out 10 pounds of boost.
Didn’t those cars break some land speed record years ago or something like that
You mean area codes, zip codes are for mail.
It’s the correct supercharger, obviously just rebuilt with the rebuilder’s decal placed where the original would have been.
The third pedal is a big plus
Yes, but we’re getting to the point where an automatic is a plus even on vintage cars. Younger potential buyers want an automatic. Having only driven modern automatics they don’t realize the gap in performance between a vintage manual and a vintage automatic.
Millenial theft deterrent. They really dont know the joy of running through the gears. My 65 Coronet convertible and 18 Challenger Scat Pack T/A make me young again when i run them through the gears
#1, depends what the car was tuned for… Automatics have their place in drag racing or where HP is excessive. #2, the human/machine experience of a manual transmission far outweighs the pro/con performance difference. #3 I have raised two Millennials and One Gen-X all of whom appreciate the experience of manual transmissions, and who have taught many others of their generation to drive manual transmissions. #4 It makes me sad that someone would be thinking about re-sale market when buying a classic car. Sounds more like a desire for investment, than a passion for cars?
Automatics are a selling point for older guys with arthritis who can’t comfortably operate the clutch pedal. Most people who are truly interested in an old performance car will want a manual, and any young person who insists on an automatic probably won’t like anything else about an old car anyway.
Erb rebuilds the stock SC
Correct – he’s well known.
What is that mounted on the driveline tunnel by the driver’s door?
Ignition switch. It is dangerous hanging like that.
I’m no Studebaker maven but thet front bumper just doesn’t look right – wasn’t the original design much more elegant?
Thats a stock bumper. I always thought they would have looked better with a split umper and a rounder fender edge
The front end is an acquired taste that I’ve yet to acquire.
It always intrigued me how the radiator got enough air to help cool the engine. The car looks like a prototype for todays electric cars.
The late John Erb was a rebuilder of Paxton Superchargers, well known in the Studebaker community.
If I had the merchandise to trade I’d want to add this car to my collection. But I don’t push stuff, so I don’t have the kilos to offer.
Ok, Superchargers have been around like forever people. Robert McCulloch started to build superchargers in 1937 and they were put on alot of different engines and car makes. Starting in 1950 he formed a performance company building supercharger accessories, brackets, kits. He called it paxton performance. In 1957 they designed the high performance McCulloch VS 57 supercharger as you see in this ad. Ford used these in 57 along with Studebaker, Packard and everybody that had or wanted a supercharger in there lineup. By 1962 they were just called it Paxton for everybody knew that meant Supercharged performance underneath that hood. That’s what the inventor Robert Paxton McCulloch wanted. The tag everybody is so concend about is just a rebuild shop.!
Mercedes had the first Kompressor car in 1923! Bentley’s around then also. My dad was a Studebaker guy, I loved the Avanti, I was 11 when they came out and remember seeing one at the dealer.
Cool car and I love the overall package But I always thought that the front bumper could’ve been designed a bit differently. Just doesn’t look totally compatible with that body shape. Just IMO.
Most parts aren’t that hard to find, and that IS a Paxton supercharger, it was rebuilt by John Erb, which is why it has that label on it.
And if production problems hadn’t gotten the way, mostly because of the fiberglass bodies suppled by MFG, the same company that made Corvette bodies for GM, it might well be that Studebaker would have sold those 20,000 Avantis, they were a sensation when they came out and there were a lot of orders that Studebaker was unable to fill.
“This listing was ended by the seller on Sat, Mar 16 at 2:42 PM because there was an error in the listing.” Makes you wonder if he found a buyer or if there was a legitimate reason to remove the listing.
Hi, I’ll be 68 soon, saw a 63′ SC 73′ or 74′. I worked at a famous local restaurant,it was a destination. there were lots of hot cars then. I got to go out and check em’ out! this guy w/avanti SC car was telling me all about it! Studebaker was a good car! the other car that launched outa the lot was a detomaso pantera… 72or3 wow!
Always thought the avanti never got it’s just due, By the time Studebaker was getting the fiberglass body issues taken care, Studebaker was shutting production down. You mentioned the Italian sports car De Tomaso Pantera oh what a beautiful car. Was offered one in 1975 at a ford dealership, it had some left front fender damage and was in the shop there and the owner thought it was going to be be too expensive for him to fix and sold it to the dealer. It was a brite yellow 72 with around 40,000 miles the dealer offered it to me for 7800 dollars and with the cost of 800 for the new fender out of Italy. And I would have to find a good body man to work and hand fit that new fender and then match the paint. But I was in the service and the last thing I needed was another car. Lol. So I passed on the 7800 dollar Pantera , still kicking myself today.