UPDATE 7/28/2020 – We featured this Avanti back in February when it was listed on eBay. At the time it was residing in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s now in San Diego, California with a $26,000 asking price! You can find it here on craigslist and you can read Scotty’s original write-up on it below. Special thanks to Pat L for the tip!
FROM 2/20/2020 – This 1990 Avanti “Four-Door Touring Sedan” has led quite a life, going from Palm Springs, California to Scottsdale, Arizona where it now resides. Why couldn’t I have been a reissued, hand-built, four-door Avanti?! Life is so unfair. This very rare and very unique car can be found here on eBay where the current bid price is just over $5,700, but, of course, the reserve isn’t met yet. Let’s check it out.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a face that only a mother could love. Many people would say the same thing about the Avanti models that came after the gorgeous original, round-eye (headlight) Avanti of 1962 and 1963. There was just something about those original Avantis that were spot-on, the four-door sedan version is not everyone’s cup of tea.
The rear window greenhouse and package shelf are big, really big. I can’t get over the feeling that this is a kit car, but it isn’t, or wasn’t. It’s fitting that this car is in the Phoenix area as the Avanti rose like a Phoenix from the ashes, and it did that more than once. Studebaker was gone but the Avanti lived on in various forms with various ownership groups until 2006. The seller says that this car has just over 24,000 miles on it and it does look like it’s in outstanding condition. There is no rust on the frame and it’s solid, as one would hope for a car that’s lived in Palm Springs and Scottsdale.
The interior is where this car really shines. Red leather? Yes, please! By the time that Avanti was owned by John Cafaro and production moved to Ohio, parts and pieces from other car manufacturers were being used from their standard parts bins. The switchgear certainly doesn’t appear to be as bespoke as you’d expect on a car that took several days to build. But, how about that back seat and the $1,900 optional television! That’s $3,750 in 2020 dollars, if you’re keeping score. In fact, this car stickered at $53,533 when new, which is $105,661 now. Certainly not an earth-shattering amount for such a custom vehicle that so many workers had a hand at building, but impressive nonetheless.
Maybe not as impressive, at least by 2020 standards, is the drivetrain. The engine is GM’s 305 cubic-inch V8 with 170 hp. A 2020 Toyota Corolla is available with a 169 hp four-cylinder that gets 40 mpg on the highway. But, it’s not about comparing numbers, a person is either on board with a car like this Avanti sedan or they aren’t. Hagerty is at $16,500 for a #3 good condition car so I’m assuming that this one isn’t even close to hitting the seller’s reserve yet. Are any of you fans of four-door Avantis?
Nah, the whole allure to the original, if any, was it was a 2 door, and an odd one at that. The Avanti was too far out there for most. It was like a last ditch effort to frantically save the company, “heck, we don’t know what to do, let’s go with the Avanti, it’s all we got”. It did not go over well. Fact is, I never remember seeing even an original one as a kid, and I would have noticed that. This a nice car, unusual, but looks like a nice cruiser with proven mechanicals.
HowardA, a four-door Avanti was considered — and, IIRC, two fullsize “styling models” were built — back in the day. I’ve seen photos, and thought they looked fairly nice, but not as striking as the two-door.
The late “repop” Avantis, such as this one, have a plastic tub-toy look that just doesn’t work for me. The extra pair of doors just accentuates that. I suppose the mandated “safety” bumpers make it worse, but these just don’t grab me.
For once, I’m in the “two doors too many” crowd. And the “a design that didn’t age well” crowd.
RayT, you nailed it “plastic tub-toy look”!
The big problem with the four-doors is the late ’80s cutting-edge wraparound door frames. If the original 4-door concept with the same contemporary early ’60s chrome window frames as the 2-door had gone into production, it would’ve been an attractive car.
I’m guessing I’ve been around a bit longer than you, Howard. We had three or four of these in the area where I grew up as a kid. Of course, we’re talking about the fifty’s and sixty’s when these cars had a following, but I always thought they were just a bit ahead of their time.
I have an original, round-headlight, supercharged Avanti. I also love the four door cars from Youngstown. Thanks for sharing this.
I have had a fascination with the two-doors since spotting my orthodontist’s car in the parking lot. Older models have a smooth design and that Studebaker quirkiness. Unfortunately, the lines, when stretched into a four-door, look hideous and the shapes don’t work well together. Still a cool car.
Myron’s’63 R2 Avanti is outstanding. I have a gold ‘71 Avanti II. I like the Youngstown late model convertibles. The AOAI (Avanti Club) has about 2,000 members worldwide who love this car as Myron and I do. Once bitten by the Avanti Bug, there’s no turning back ! Just saying.
It’s good to see Myron here!
I love the original, and this thing is not my cup of tea.
On another note, I just happened to be reading about seat belt history , and the American patent for the shoulder and lap seat belt runs out today. It is estimated to have saved at least a million lives. https://patents.google.com/patent/US2710649
Cool. I remember going over to Ft.Erie Ontario in 1963 with my dad to have lap belts installed in his 1963 Pontiac Bonneville. Our neighbor in Buffalo NY was the Plant Manager at Irving (Later “Irvin) Air Chute Company. I believe Irving seat belts were all the rage in the 1950’s and 1960’s Sports Car world.
The good folks at Barn Finds do a terrific job. I really should comment more. I’m just afraid it would lead me to buying more cars.
I am representing this car for the family. The pictures you have posted show yellow, but the car does not. I have submitted pictures to Barnfinds to replace these.
The color looks the same in your image as it does on theirs.
They switched the image. Thank you Barnfinds.
While traveling several years ago I spotted something pretty amazing. If any interest I know where several Avanti II NOS bodies are out in the wild.
Seems they were on the production line when when the factory closed. There is a two door that seems further up the line as it has the harness and other items and amazingly a four door like this. They are all fiberglass. I believe the 4 door would have been the 94th one as only 93 were assembled if the memory is correct. Give or take still less the 100 I believe.
Can’t imagine what anyone would do if one was involved in a crash. But if someone has an interest hit me up.
I like it …..
I own a 1991 Avanti Convertible and had thought for a time to add a 4 door, but decided to pass on that idea. This one is identical colors to mine and is going to make someone a fun nice car to own. Hope it sells.
White is usually my first choice car color but boy, that’s a lot of white. Avanti styling is a bit quirky but I think this one is kind of neat for a grand touring type car. Swap in a crate motor with about 400 HP and have a ball…
Hate the chromeless headlights and bumpers.
I’m a current owner of a ’76 Avanti II and an ’89 convertible resto-mod. The 4 doors have grown on me over the years. Two friends have 4 doors and both cars are drop dead gorgeous. The later 2 door and 4 door cars would perform much better with something other than the 305 in them. My ’76 still has the 400 in it, but has been worked on putting out around 450 hp and has TBI EFI added.
My ’89 has a 383 crate in it and really runs nice.
I like the Coupes
But not this.
The inside is lovely though
If a Star Wars Stormtrooper and a snowplow had a child….
This was Darth Vader’s car.
He liked the color contrast with his uniform.
I love it. I can’t help but wonder why when these cool cars come up for sale they are always on the other side of the country lol
The beauty of a “modern” car like this is you can take a cheap flight to where it is and have fun driving it home in total comfort. Take a driver with you and you can sit in back enjoying spotty reception on your tiny $1800 television!
Delivery is not that expensive.
I can deliver it!
Once again, and I know I sound like a broken record, but look at the line up of the numbers on the odometer. They are not even, as they would be if it hadn’t been cranked back. (For you youngsters, speedos used to be cable driven, not electronic, and you could wind them backwards. I won’t even go into explaining the “broken record” remark…..)
I can tell you with absolute certainty that un-tampered mechanical odometers do not always line up perfectly. I have had well over 150 cars over 50 plus years and more than a few did not line up correctly. I have had ownership documented cars from the 50’s and 60’s and 70’s and I would say half or more did not line up perfectly. I think it’s possible any lubrication could have dried up, Environmental changes can alter clearances and make things sticky. I have watched mechanical odometers turn in front of my eyes and not line up. The majority of cars I owned were GM, but other manufacturer’s including foreign cars/trucks and even motorcycles all can exhibit this discrepancy. The seller is in possession of numerous documents, I would tend to believe the odometer is un-tampered. I do remember at some point odometers that were tampered with had little white plastic shims that would drop in between the digits, clearly showing manipulation. Anyone with decent mechanical skills can disassemble and reassemble the old mechanical units and change the mileage, but it requires removing the speedo/odo from the car. Some are easy, some are not. Documentation is the key, but many restorers will re-set the mileage back to zero after doing a body-off full resto. I prefer the original mileage on the odometer personally…
Ken, you are wrong. This mileage is verifiable by CarFax from 1992 forward. All the 90s had numbers that were slow to line up.
It’s an abomination.
Wince
Oooo, this looks horrible! Good luck selling it for $26.
It’s really nothing like its former self. Well, just enough to make me wish I had a ’63 model. Sort of the same feeling I get when I see pictures of the new e-Mustang.
I am a 4 door supporter but Avanti just showed how to make a very nice 2 door design into a horrible 4 door car.
Limited appeal for these. I don’t like the look of them. I am a Avanti owner of a 73 and owned a 63 R2 when I was younger. No Avanti was called a 62 even though they came out in May 62. It was the honorary pace car for the 500 that year. Lark convertible was the pace car. Roger Ward the winner received a Avanti.