The Avanti came along too late and in too few quantities to save Studebaker Corp. Conceived as a “halo” car, plans were to sell 20,000 copies a year, putting much-needed capital back into the company’s bank account. But less than 5,000 units ever saw the light of day, and the car was cancelled when Studebaker pulled the plug on U.S. automobile production. Located in Claremont, California, this ’63 Avanti has been in mothballs for 15 years. The ran-when-parked classic is available here on craigslist for $13,000.
We’re told this is a 1963 Avanti, but it has the rectangular headlight bezels of a 1964. They switched from ovals between model years, and often Studebaker used up whatever parts they had on hand. So sometimes you see a ’64 with ’63 headlights and vice versa. This car may be one of those switcheroos. The seller doesn’t say whether this Avanti is supercharged (which would make it an R2), so we assume the 289 cubic inch V8 is an R1 without the booster.
The seller says this machine was garaged for 15 years, so perhaps the car was pulled outside for photos. When it left regular service around 2011, the odometer read (and still does) 75,000 miles. The fiberglass body seems to be up to snuff, and there is no reported corrosion on the undercarriage. Other than the aftermarket wheels, the rest of this Stude could be original.
No mention is made of whether the car runs. But since the seller can’t locate any keys, we’re going to guess that it doesn’t. Perhaps the vehicle is complete, and the white paint is offset by a green interior which looks okay except for maybe the driver’s leather seat. Since the car has been down for many years, you should assume the fuel supply is tainted and will have to be flushed along with installing new tires on each corner.
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