In the early 1960s, Studebaker was looking for another new product to save the day. The compact Lark came along in 1959 and staved off the wolves until a flood of Detroit competition soon arrived. The Avanti was conceived by Stude president Sherwood Egbert, but it didn’t get much of a chance to carry the torch. This Avanti is said to be a 1964 model with a supercharger (that’s what R2 stood for), one of only 281 produced in the car’s abbreviated second season. Almost a daily driver (per the seller), this Avanti can be found in San Bruno, California, and is priced at $9,999 here on craigslist. Our thanks again go to T.J. for sending us another cool tip!
The Avanti was a personal luxury car that was more like a turnpike cruiser. Because Egbert needed a win, the car was on the fast track from conception to execution and arrived later than expected for the 1963 model year. To save time and money, the Avanti had a fiberglass body (like the Chevy Corvette) and existing Studebaker propulsion hardware. Only 4,643 Avanti’s were produced for 1963-64 before the company pulled the plug on U.S. automobile production. Just 809 of the cars were titled as ‘64s and, of those, fewer than 300 had the McCulloch supercharger that enabled the 289 CI V8 to crank out one horse per cube.
This Avanti may be a very early 1964 model to exit the South Bend, Indiana, factory. That’s because it has round headlight bezels left over from 1963 (they supposedly used up the rest of that stock before switching to rectangular bezels). We’re told this Stude is a one-family car with an odometer reading of 8,000 (it must have turned over as counters in those days only read five significant digits).
We’re told the seller has gotten the Avanti to run good (perhaps only in the driveway?). The supercharger needs bearings, so we assume it has been removed and shelved in the trunk. No mention is made of whether the automatic tranny goes through the gears. Pretty much everything is original except for the aftermarket wheels. The paint seems good enough, but the seller comes up short on interior photos for us to gauge the shape of the upholstery. All-in-all, this looks like a lot of Avanti for the money, and the seller is not opposed to a trade (for what?).
That front end shot makes that car look like a gooney bird.
Prospective buyers may want to examine the doors for stress cracks from the power windows, as I have heard that can be a problem.
Also I understand that manual steering may be preferred due to the propensity of leaked in the power models.
Looks like a solid example of one of the just over 800 R2 4 speeds made. I dig the wheels!
As a long time Avanti owner. I would check the rust on the instrument panel bezels. Generally rusty chrome bezels come from wet or moist environment and interior wetness.
Automatic.
You’re right! I should have looked harder at the pedals, instead of a quick look at the shift lever. Ahh well, the dangers of browsing on one’s phone. Nice catch!
The only interior shot I look for on the Avanti is the Dash. This one has not collapsed. I’m looking closer now.
Church, you are correct in checking the Avanti instrument panel. However, as a long time Avanti owner, I always look closely at the steering column and chrome bezels around each instrument. While the Avanti body is fiberglass and not prone to rust, the instrument panel and gage bezels do rust in moist/wet environments. This rust condition is prevalent here. Good Luck to the seller and buyer, Avantis are unique vehicles.
and interior water leaks. Even worse when there’s paint damage on the steering column. As a long time Avanti owner I have become aware of these wet issues.
As a long time Avanti owner. I would check the rust on the instrument panel bezels. Generally rusty chrome bezels come from wet or moist environment and interior wetness.
Great cars! Fastest production cars of its time and a work of art. Gorgeous interiors.
Good price, hell I want $50k for my beautiful R2, and seems like it wouldn’t take much to make it a driver!
Yupper, I paid 15k for a similar condition 4speed non runner and I though THAT was a deal. But this one looks like a steal.
Cool. 15k a good deal too. Especially for the hard to find 4 speed
Is this a 3- condition car or a 4 that may be brought up to driver condition with some effort? It has a CA “non op” title the ad says. Does that mean that it has not passed inspection? Many states do not require inspection for antiques. How well does it run, both engine and transmission? Brakes and cosmetics of less concern maybe. I assume that the hood shuts all the way and there is an air cleaner. May be a deal.
Can`t agree about it being a deal. If what you can see looks bad, what you can`t see is scarry. It looks like they beat the crap out of it.
This car reminds me of the Volvo P 1800
Yes, looks like them, but completely different!
What interior shots there are on Craigslist show mold on steering wheel and maybe the grill on top of dash. The latter is discolored. Rusty steering column and shift bezel. For you guys who know/own this car, what is the significance of rusty water marks on taillight bezels and fuel filler door? First thing I noticed on BF pics before reading comments. I’ve always wanted one of these.
I own a nice one–was never in this condition. This car has had a lot of moisture exposure. Avantis are noted for water leaks when it rains. This car has all the signs of that. The rusty exterior parts show a lot of moisture exposure too. I wouldn`t touch it.
It is a 63
For sure!
Everything on this Avanti shows it to be a 1963. Not very well kept. Lots of rust–in interior is bad, and enough exterior parts also rusty. Lots of rain exposure. I don`t think it`s a great deal.