Every car enthusiast I know would be completely OK with a backyard that looked like the one this 1979 Avanti II is parked in. The seller is in Florida and has numerous vehicles under cover in what looks like a residential neighborhood, and there’s more than just the Avanti to feast your eyes on. But, the 1979 Avanti II is the car that’s up for grabs, and while it’s not perfect, it’s not a bad starting point for a project. The opening bid is $4,500 and there is a reserve, which is unmet at the moment. The Avanti does start, run, and stop, but the cosmetics will need some work. Find it here on eBay and located in Ft. Lauderdale, and thanks to Barn Finds reader Larry D. for the find.
There must be an interesting story here, from all the cars stashed in this backyard to the aftermarket wheels this Avanti rolls on. The color struck me as being non-factory, but some Avantis did come in a shade known as Cinnamon Firemist, and this sure looks like a dead ringer for it. The rust on the bumpers is a bummer, as they’ll have to be re-chromed. The listing says “…very little, if any, rust underneath,” which isn’t terribly confidence inspiring, but it could also just be an admission that there’s some surface rust on the suspension components, which is nothing to worry about. But Lord, those aftermarket wheels are horrid. That paint scrape in the door is concerning, possibly indicating the current paintjob isn’t the first one.
The interior is a bit of a mess, and it’s a shame as the Avanti cockpit is one of its high points when in good order. The steering wheel looks like a cheap aftermarket model, and either a higher-end wood-rimmed wheel would look good here, or just re-install an OEM wheel. The door panels are a mixed bag, as the driver’s side is missing and the passenger side appears to be a homemade replacement. The factory Avanti panels tend to feature leather surfaces and two-tone color schemes, and what we have looks like particle board wrapped in dull, brown cloth. The center stack sports a non-factory radio that isn’t mounted securely, which, in concert with the wheels, seems to suggest a previous owner saw the Avanti as more of a Honda Civic than a classic American luxu-performance car.
Given the model year, this Avanti II should have the Chevy 350 under the hood. The engine options generally became less and less impressive, year after year, with the 400 giving way to the 350, and then the 350 moving out in favor of a 305. No matter which era you choose, the good news is the Avanti powerplant is generally pretty easy to live with and dirt cheap to maintain, even if it has higher miles. The seller doesn’t offer any details about the car’s mechanical history or if he’s made any basic improvements like a new fuel pump or spark plugs, but with just over 83,000 original miles, one would hope there’s not too much heavy lifting to do to bring this one back to life.
Well that certainly isn’t the ideal way to store a dozen cars in Florida (or any place except maybe the desert southwest). The monsoon/humidity season is just around the corner. I wonder how they cut the grass back there.
By the looks of the backyard, I’m guessing this guy is SINGLE.
Hmm, not crazy about the paint color, and it sure doesn’t work with those wheels. Change the body color to a charcoal and keep the wheels? Or dump both.
Yeah, it isn’t a good idea to store any car in a grassy lot, at the very least it kills the grass.
Since it’s a II series it’ll never be a classic. Make it a pro-street terror.
Not a Studebaker as he lists it. Some rust underneath he says. They still had Hog Troughs and this is very expensive to replave.
As an owner of a 1976 and a1989 Avanti, I’m a little appalled at the storage for the vehicle shown. If the bumpers are showing that much rust, one can imagine what the hog troughs are looking like. Its a shame that cars are treated like this.
what are they thinking, parking all those cars on grass! between the grass and the salt air they will turn to rust!
Looks like the owner has 2 to 3 dozen cars in the back yard, including a white and a blue Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Plus the front half of a white Vanden Plas Princess limo, with a partially installed Rolls-Royce grill shell sitting in place.