Mechanically Refreshed: 1978 Avanti II

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The Avanti nameplate is one with incredible staying power. Whether you define staying power as its resiliency through multiple acquisitions and take-overs or simply due to the fact that the cars still come up for sale quite often, the end result is the same: for a semi-obscure brand, the cars that remain appear to be taken care of. This is a later Avanti II which was built after the company transitioned out of Studebaker ownership and it has apparently been lavished with maintenance-related improvements. Find it here on eBay with bids to just over $3,500 and the reserve unmet.

The Avanti profile went through a few transformations under its various ownerships, but this “II” model still retains the basic form that make the original car so polarizing. The short overhang out back with the big rear window and the nose with its smooth, grill-less features make the Avanti a car that’s hard to mistake for anything else. Now, when the Avanti brand changed hands from Studebaker to the partners Altman and Newman, it stuck with the Studebaker-designed chassis for most of its production run, only changing to a Monte Carlo chassis in 1985. This Avanti II looks sharp in its aqua-green paint, but I could do without the wire-look wheels.

The interior of this Avanti II appears to be in decent shape, and is definitely unrestored. That speaks to potentially a life of being looked after, aside from all of the dust. The seller has a few other classics in the background, which makes you wonder if the Avanti was pulled out, freshened up, and put up for sale. The blue interior makes me think it had a different factory paint job than what we see here, but that’s just a guess. In addition to the exterior, you can see the later versions of the Avanti maintained an evolutionary approach inside the car, only mildly refining the cockpit from the original design.

I’m not going to get into the full list of mechanical improvements here, but it’s a long list. It also doesn’t surprise me that, as a result of those repairs, the seller has placed a reserve on this Avanti. The Avanti II used a range of engines under the second era of ownership, beginning with the 327 and eventually ending up with a homely 305. I believe based on this Avanti II’s production year that it should have a small block 350 under the hood, but feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken. Though not exotic, it certainly will provide decent power and be cheap as chips to maintain – which is perhaps why the seller threw every replaceable part plus the kitchen sink at this classy green coupe.

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Comments

  1. Casey

    What a gorgeous car ! .I love the color, and the rims.
    The most beautiful Avanti I have ever seen. 👍👍

    Like 4
  2. Sam61

    Love the original Avanti and Avanti II. I prefer the early round headlights…not quite the same controversy as 2002 roundies versus square taillights.

    I, if the subject were mine, would revert to steel wheels, original wheel covers, thin white walls and add original style exterior/interior trim/badging where appropriate.

    Like 2
    • Eddie Tucker

      The rise in the front fenders in the IIs always bothered me. The original profile was nicer. This car is no longer on eBay, btw. Love that color.

      Like 0
  3. Boris

    I think you haven`t seen many Avantis if this is the `most gorgeous`. Almost any restored original–interior and exterior– will put this to shame. My opinion.

    Like 4
  4. Loving my 'viar!

    I want the 1966 Corvair Corsa in the background.

    Like 0

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