The seller of this 1963 Studebaker Avanti claims that they purchased it an estate sale where the car had been parked “barn find style” in the driveway. I’m not sure what that means, but Avantis are always interesting so we are going to let that slide. They have done some work to get the running again, but it obviously going to need some cosmetic work before it will be a respectable driver. This is a R1 Avanti so that means there’s a naturally aspirated 289 V8 under the hood. The R2 added a supercharger and about 50 extra ponies! That’s alright though because this one is connected to an automatic making it more of a cruiser anyway. With their unique fiberglass bodies and powerful engine options, these were desirable cars when new and continue to be so today. This one is located in Fullerton, California and is listed here on eBay for a bold $13k Buy-it-Now.
There was a garage in my town (Northborough, MA) that specialized in Avanti’s. They always had a few (in perfect condition) parked there.
Nice find! From the pictures it looks like some fiberglass work and paint plus upholstery work is needed. All that can wait while you have some fun driving it.
I saw one at a car show, I was looking at it & it was in nice condition. So I told the owner & he said thanks, then I told him the first time I saw one of these I thought it was the ugliest car I ever seen. That was back in the 60’s, I told him it was so ugly it was cool, just like this one today!! He didn’t like that too much. : )
Come on, Jesse, I know what a “barn find style” found in a driveway is, I bought a Triumph TR8 that had been sitting in a drive for 10 years, a driveway find is usually much worse than a barn find. I’ve always thought the Avantis were good looking cars, I saw one maybe 4 years ago without an engine, had a 350 Chevy in it last, otherwise complete and not in bad shape, needed paint for $2700. My 88 Buick Reatta kind of reminds me of an Avanti.
Either you like the ’63 styling or you don’t. I do, and this seems to be in decent shape. The only thing I’d want to check out is the infamous ‘hog troughs’ in the frame. Even in California I’d bet they’d be prone to rust…