The Avanti was one of those cars that Studebaker’s management hoped would help save the day. But it wasn’t around long enough to contribute to any reversal of Studebaker’s misfortunes. Less than 4,700 of the original Avanti’s ever saw the light of day, and the seller’s ’63 edition is the R2 with a supercharger and a 4-speed manual, 1 of just 643 assembled. The seller has reworked the motor, but the interior and paint will need some attention. Located in North Granby, Connecticut, this rarity from South Bend is available here on eBay where more than $10,300 will be needed to bust through the seller’s reserve.
As the story goes, the Avanti was conceived on the back of a cocktail napkin by then Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert. That was in early 1961 and the company was looking for a success story as the luster of the 1959-60 Lark compact was wearing off due to new competition. To expedite the development process (which brought the performance-oriented personal luxury Avanti to market in only 18 months), the car’s body would be made of fiberglass and rely on the existing parts bin where possible. Studebaker hoped to sell 20,000 Avanti’s a year but never cracked 5,000 in its 18-month run. When Studebaker closed its South Bend, Indiana manufacturing plant in December 1963, the Avanti and Hawk cars didn’t make the production shift to Canada.
In its short time in the Studebaker line-up, nearly 40% of all Avanti’s came as an R2 which meant it had the 289 cubic inch V8 that produced 289 hp with the use of a supercharger. The seller has owned this one for more than 20 years and it was in regular use during half that time. But a mechanical failure put the car on the back burner for a couple of years until he/she got around to fixing it. The seller pulled the engine and corrected the problem along with some upgrades including a new water pump and rebuilding the sealed AFB carb.
The Avanti was treated to a Hurst shifter for the 4-speed, either by a dealer or a prior owner. The seller has also redone the brakes and believes the car is capable of a cross-country trip if you were so inclined. The fiberglass body is good, and the frame is said to be okay except for some rust on one of the hog troughs. The driver’s seat doesn’t match as it was replaced because the frame broke. But the rest looks good, so hopefully, you could find some matching material to redo the one bucket. You’ll need new carpeting, too, and the blue paint is pretty faded and doesn’t match (possible partial repaint at one time?).
Looking at the pictures on EBay and I suspect this beauty has an accident or two under its belt. Also, looking at the floor makes me think that there may be some hidden rust issues. Sad. It looks like it was a nice example at an earlier time. Always enjoyed the looks of the R2.
The only thing I saw in the floor that looked like rust was the uglya** carpet. YUCK! The pictures were some of the worst I have seen. The way to make them worse would be to delete the few good ones.
In my opinion, the pictures that looked like repaint were caused by abysmal lighting. The car is half in the shade, and a cloudy sky makes several 60″s and 70’s models look like the panels are different colors. It does appear to have had moisture in the interior, on the upper edge of the front and rear windscreens. Maybe the gaskets leak, or it has been exposed to rapid temperature changes for years, causing heavy condensation. The only rust issues would be in the chassis. The Avanti was built with a molded fiberglass body, good for rust and bad for breakage.
This one is worthy of a big dollar resto. Not because you will make money (you likely will not), but IMO these are important cars.
Wish I’d waited on buying a project. Undoubtedly the fastest production car of it’s time. A car that has no time period. The question is restromod or original.