As time wore on, the Avanti brand somehow continued to survive, despite multiple changes in ownership and a serious dilution of the original formula. By modern standards, it’s truly incredible Avanti managed to survive for as long as it did without dramatically changing the product (aside from making it less enjoyable to drive) and experiencing constant upheaval in the form of new management teams and ownership groups. While the performance declined, the later Avanti II’s like this one here on eBay at least got freshened up with color-matched wheels and Recaro seats – and this one has just over 10K miles.
As Avanti tumbled through different ownership groups and saw its identity changed multiple times, the basic design remained incredibly consistent. Although the drivetrain was getting less impressive as time wore on – gone were the days of supercharged V8s – other areas were improving to keep the Avanti II relevant in an era dominated by the Fox Body Fords and Camaro Z28s. This example showcases some of those tweaks, including a Recaro interior and gorgeous Western mesh wheels lifted straight from the Buick GNX. This example is fresh out of a private collection belonging to a former Studebaker employee.
I love the Recaros, as they just scream 80s tuner style at its peak. I feel like every magazine that celebrated the automotive aftermarket was either loaded with advertisements for these seats or featured modified tuner cars of the period that had them installed. The Avanti II of the mid-80s was desperately trying to remain relevant, despite the glory days of its founding by Studebaker being long behind them. Regardless, this is a handsome interior regardless of the vehicle it’s installed in, and in the case of the Avanti II, it remains in exceptional condition. The seller notes it’s a Touring Coupe example, which came with all black features (interior, exterior, and all trim.)
The 305 / 5.0L V8 may have looked the business, but its power output was greatly diminished compared to earlier Avantis. A mere 155 b.h.p. was on tap, a disappointing sum for such a gorgeous body. It was paired to a 700 R4 automatic transmission, straight out of the GM parts bin. I suppose that’s the one silver lining, that finding parts will be a breeze for something that otherwise looks like an obscure European model. We see plenty of rough Avanti IIs come up for sale, but this one looks very well preserved. Throw in the long-time owner’s relationship to Studebaker and you’ve got a good car with a great story.
This would be a good car for a LS swap. I would think this last generation would be the least desirable of the series so nothing lost making it into a serious performance machine. Restomods are the trend these days.
I’m normally not a fan of LS swaps, they are WAY overdone, but this is one case where you are right. It’s an Avanti and it ought to be fast.
What a beauty! If I am not mistaken this one was 190 HP, not 155.
That is so sinister looking, with something under the hood it would be quite the machine.
Darn it! At first glance I thought it was a Grand National.
If I am not mistaken this one is 190HP, not 155.
That’s also what the eBay posting says.
Same motor as the Monte Carlo SS?
Yes and the Z28 and Trans Am.
I would still miss the round headlights…
Get a body shop to put in round headlights for a backdated look.
IMO they could also restore the original raked stance, lowering the front by an inch or so and raising the front wheelarches accordingly, since a modern low-profile FI plenum would probably allow for it.
It’s definitely black beauty ..
I do love this car….
It would be a nice weekend cruiser ..
Does anyone else thing that something looks a little ‘funny’ regarding the front end of this one? I’ve seen round and square headlight Avanti’s in the past, but for some reason this one just looks a little different for some reason.
It is. The quarter window is bigger than the regular coupe.
This is an early square-headlight model, replacing the earlier round lights with square chrome trim, but not yet the exposed square headlights that came later. This one has glass covers over the square headlights, and the early plastic bumper covers that replaced the original chrome bumpers starting in ’83.
The headlight trim and bumpers changed again in ’87 when they ran out of the old-stock Lark-based chassis and moved to a GM chassis, which IMO made them just “Avanti replicas” rather than true continuations of the original Studebaker Avanti as the ’65-85 models were.
Swap in a 326 hp
Compressor charged Jaguar XJR straight six engine! An Avanti needs a compressor!
There ya go, great idea! I do think that a 3.6 with a slight knock out of an early 2000s Porsche 996 would be a better use of your resources however. Get tat small block Chevy with the 4 speed OD out of there!
Definitely needs more horses
The LS is a great idea but the easy way is to keep the old style block and choose and build what you want
A nice polished tpi would look great in there
The rest is all great
A LS swap can give you both crazy performance and mileage, plus the aftermarket support is absolutely huge. The downside is they are pretty ugly, but there are numerous companies that address that issue also. Hard to beat an LS. I know the Ford and Mopar guys have their favorites, and that’s all good, but the LS has far more aftermarket support overall.
I agree with the LS swap
But
The time and expense
That one must put into mtor mounts and the fitting of all accessories is tremendous for someone who isnt a pro and the TPI engines looked really good
Put a Packard OHV V8 in and complete the circle of life!
I would love to have this car. I think the tires and wheels, couldn’t be much worse and it sits way too high in front. BUT, so what change it and enjoy it, its a one and only ,and very cool.
Not an LS swap type of guy, but in a car that was born w a Chevy in it, it’s acceptable, take that 305 to the nearest boatyard and donate it as a Anchor, and move on, the 700 trani should be fine and it’s a gorgeous car, interior too,
While it may not win many stoplight grand prix, imho that 305 HO and TH700r4 are just fine for this cruiser. They both respond to minor modifications very well, are cheap to repair if and when the parts do wear out, they have decent low end torque and a good sound to boot. With routine maintenance the whole car should last a good long time, economically. Nice set up in my book. But then again, I have been accused of being goofy more than once in my life.
Odd no center armrest. “Bumpers look ok but gotta be expensive to fix or replace(if available).
Great looking Avanti! It has the great looks of the 25 anniversary models. The black does add a sinister look to it. Great low mileage example. If one doesn’t want to keep it original with the 305, a crate 383 would really wake it up without additional mods needed for a LS swap. I already have a ’76 and an ’89 so my Avanti collection is holding at two.
Is this car still for sale ? If so Please call me at 239-707-3956. Thank you.
It’s not a Touring Coupe. Touring Coupes were the first 50 cars made in 1984. They came in Red, White, Blue and Silver no black ones they had all the trim blacked out. This car may have Touring Coupe options but it is not a Touring coupe