The old “what if” game. What if Studebaker had come out with the Avanti sooner than they did? What if Studebaker’s finances had been better than they were? What if Studebaker hadn’t closed its South Bend factory at the end of 1963? These are all what ifs about the Avanti and its ability (or inability) to save Studebaker-Packard Corp. The car was ahead of its time and – if it had been built by anyone other than Studebaker – it may have been around for many more years (well, it was, in the form of the Avanti II, but that’s another story). This 1963 Avanti (not supercharged) was donated to a national charity to be auctioned off. It doesn’t run but might not need much to change that. It’s located in Orange, California and available here on eBay where brisk bidding is up to $6,700 with no reserve.
According to Don Jones, in an article from the Avanti Owners Association International web site, “the Avanti story is one of pioneering vision and a gallant attempt to save a century-old vehicle manufacturer.” As the story goes, newly-appointed Studebaker-Packard president Sherwood Egbert doodled the design for the Avanti while on an airplane in 1961. Egbert knew that his troubled company needed a big shot in the arm in order to survive. He had his Raymond Loewy-led crack team of designers then get to work on putting together the final car and – by April 1962 – the Avanti was on display at the New York Auto Show. A few months later, it went on sale at Studebaker dealerships.
The Avanti caused some “ooh-ah’s” when it was first introduced, but Studebaker production couldn’t keep up with demand. For the 1963 model year, only 3,834 Avanti’s were built, although the target number was 20,000. The fiberglass-bodied cars, built on a modified Lark convertible chassis, came with a 289 V-8 from the Hawk, with a R-2 Supercharged version also available. In spite of the Avanti, the vultures were circling Studebaker by then and 1964 production stopped at 809 units when they closed their South Bend, Indiana facilities. Remaining Studebaker production was centralized in Canada for another year or so, but the Avanti did not make the transition.
The history of this particular 1963 Avanti is unknown except that it was donated to charity and ended up on auction via JDC (Just Donated Corp.). The body looks to be in genuinely nice condition with only a few little scratches and dings. Given the color of the interior, I’m going to say that this car was originally painted in Avanti Turquoise and changed later to this darker version of teal, which has started to have orange peel. The chrome and glass are all good and the tires appear to have about half of their tread life left, although who knows how old they are. The aftermarket wheels don’t do much for me and I’d look for some originals. The odometer suggests the vehicle has under 74,000 miles.
The what I believe was once a matching interior is in generally good condition, with the headliner apparently in a roll on the back-seat floor and a seam-break on the bottom of the passenger side bucket. Also, the driver’s seat appears to be broken and will need repair unless you like to drive laying down. I dig the pocket stuffers on the backs of the bucket seats!
Since there is no supercharging apparatus under the hood, this has to be the stock 289 cubic inch V-8 hat would have output 240 hp with a four-barrel carb. It has the automatic transmission rather than a 4-speed which suggests this Avanti was purchased for cruising, not for speed. The car is categorized as a non-runner because the fuel pump is thought to be broken and you can only start it with a bottle of gas. The battery is also toast, but the auctioneers have said they used a temporary battery for testing purposes.
I’m not familiar with California DMV requirements, but the car will come with a “clear California lien sale packet” as opposed to a title, which is not on hand. Also, buyers will have to come up with an auction fee, which for vehicles sold for more than $5,000, the add-on is eight percent of the final sale price. A lot of factors besides condition can go into appraising the resale value of an original Avanti. But assuming you agree this one is in at least “good condition”, Hagerty’s suggestion of $20,000 might be right. This car doesn’t have the highly-desirable supercharger and the originality of the paint color is in question. But if all you need is a fuel pump and battery to take it out for a spin, I’d be a taker.
batter up !!
This seller is quite the racket. I have dealt with them before. If you are out of state pay attention. You have buyer fees. Not the issue.
READ THE FINE PRINT. You only have 3 days to pick up a non running car. When you inquire they will give you only a week before adding the $20. per day.
Let’s take a look here. Finding a carrier in the area for a non-op will take time. Up to 4 weeks in the worst case. Carriers do not want to mess with dead fish.A non running vehicle. If you call your broker and tell him the car is “hot” and needs moved then the price goes through the roof. Figure to the East Coast $1200-$2000 or more. Do not know what the truck traffic is like in the pandemic. Like everything most likely isn’t good.
Hopefully the driver who picks it up is patient. They are known to dick the transport drivers around. Drivers do not like to wait. My first driver wasn’t having it. I had to raise the offer much higher to get a new driver to bite. OK out of my comfort level but they already had my money. It costs them to sit around. Don’t worry though. They will pass that along to you.
Please make sure this is the vehicle for you. These people are not the nicest to deal with and will quickly take your money…….then you are on your own. I know. Hopefully you won’t have a problem. Just try and talk to someone there that is an American. There wasn’t any. Truly Buyer beware.
The key is to get the car out of the place in the first day or two, just hire a tow truck company to pick it up while you then arrange for real transportation. That way you avoid the 20 bucks a day, the key is to just get it out as fast as you can to another location, even a friend or club member or someone know on facebook in the area……people usually will help out if asked.
I’m passing on the following info from a friend of mine who went thru thru a similar situation a few years ago. He found out too late why he bought his car so cheap.
California residents should be aware of the requirement all car owners have, for the yearly maintenance of the registration [not the registration that allows the car to be driven on the streets]. If this yearly fee was not maintained, you will be required to PAY ALL PRIOR YEARS OF REGISTRATION MAINTENANCE FEES AND ANY PENALTY FEES AS WELL to obtain the legal title.
By consigning the car to a 3rd party auction house representing a charity, it becomes the obligation of THE NEW OWNER/HIGH BIDDER to pay all prior fees and penalties. This can become VERY expensive if a vehicle was allowed to sit for decades unregistered, and the owner is now deceased.
Caveat Emptor, especially when it involves the CA DMV
I’m bidding! I live in CAli.
This is probably a $7500 car.
This car has a lot of issues. It needs to be seen in person,
This car has a lot of issues and needs to be seen in person.
I love the original Avanti. THIS one however has been abused. There cannot ve any doubt about that – one look at the neglected engine compartment and following that the broken driver´s seat – how in hell does one break the driver´s seat? No, no, no – there is no love here, none whatsoever and we car people love cars – no matter wjat genre.
gerardfrederick,
Concerning the seat frame damage, as a repair shop owner for 40+ years, I’ve been tasked with making repairs to seats in that condition. In every single case I’ve been involved with [all foreign cars], the driver was grossly overweight. Until the [FMVSS] safety requirements stiffened seat frames, most car manufacturers simply didn’t design car seat frames to handle occupants weighing more than about 250 pounds.
A post about an Avanti and no one has said Hog’s Troughs yet.
There, that’s fixed now.
I delivered newspapers as a kid in the 1970s in our neighborhood in Pittsburgh. As a kid walking or riding my bike along the paper route I passed the time admiring the cars and trucks parked on the street in front of houses because very few people had the luxury of a garage. Some vehicles were common but some stood out. I distinctly remember three…one was a champagne colored Nomad, another was a lime green Plymouth Superbird and the other was a gold Avanti. All parked on the street and driven year round. Oh to have a time machine….
I’m really enjoying my Midget, but for American companies Studebaker has always been my favourite American /Canadian car company. I think the Hawk was their best design, but the Avanti is a beautiful car too.
I am in accord – Studebaker was always something special. their most beautiful design, I think was the Grand Tourismo Hawk.
gerardfrederick,
I agree fully, I’ve had one of each model year for the GT Hawk; a 1962, light blue, with 4bbl carb, dual exhaust & auto trans, 1963, red, with R2 supercharged engine and auto trans, and a white 1964 with black vinyl top. This car was loaded with options, but had the R1 engine because it also had A/C.
I guess I have an affinity for Hawks in general, and have had a 1956 Sky Hawk hardtop. It had done only about 50k miles, garage kept, with 289 4 bbl carb, dual exhaust, & 3-on-the-tree with overdrive. That was one fast car, and I used to surprise the Ford, Pontiac & Chevy crowd with it.