On a shoestring budget and with the clock ticking, Studebaker cooked up one of the most iconic cars of the 1960s, the Avanti. It was both beautiful and powerful and – if it had been designed by any of the Big Three – it would have sold quite well. But Studebaker ran out of money not long after the Avanti appeared in showrooms, so total sales numbers were low. From the ID tag under the hood, the seller’s 1963 Avanti is from the first one-third made for that year and appears to be partway through a limited restoration. It’s available in Burlingame, California, and here on craigslist for $10,000 or best offer. Thanks for the tip on this one, Rocco B.

In the early ’60s, Studebaker was looking for something of a hail Mary to help them hold on. As the story goes, Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert had the notion for a new personal luxury car, doodled some ideas on a napkin while on an airplane, and turned the project over to head designer Brooks Stevens to turn it into reality. Stevens assembled a crack team, including famed designer Raymond Loewy and squirreled the group away to pull it together. In record time, the Avanti went from concept to reality and was mostly ready for production.

Some unfortunate production delays occurred, and Studebaker was late coming into 1963 model year for the debut of the Avanti. They managed to build 3,834 Avanti’s for ’63 and just 809 more for ’64 before their South Bend, Indiana plant was closed for good. You can generally tell a ’63 from a ’64 by its round vs. square headlight bezels. To energize the Avanti (which was Italian for “forward”), Studebaker used modified versions of their dated, but sturdy 289-cubic-inch V-8. With a 4-barrel carburetor, these were good for 240 horsepower in R1 mode, and 290 horses as an R2 (supercharged). The seller has the carbureted, R1 version and about two-thirds of all Avanti’s came with this set-up. Kudos to danjedlicka for the history lesson.

The seller’s 1963 Avanti appears to be finished in Avanti Gold and looks rust-free, largely because the body is made of fiberglass, not metal (one of the ways Studebaker got the car to market sooner). We’re told this Avanti is about 85% complete, but we don’t know what the 15% is other than interior door panels and wheel covers. That being said, the seller indicates he has the trim that goes on the car but not pictured. He calls the paint quality a 7 out of 10, but it looks better than that further away.

Much of the interior has already been redone, with black bucket seats (that look aftermarket) and salt and pepper carpet (which is probably not stock, either). The door panels need restoring, but there is no mention if the old ones are still around. This Avanti was well-equipped, with automatic transmission, factory air and power windows. Apparently, the windows don’t work, but the seller is throwing in a wiring harness that we assume will solve that problem.

The gas tank needs to be dropped and flushed out (or replaced) on this 88,000-mile car. The seller tells us it runs but is going to need a tune-up (although it already has new spark plugs, plug wires and a battery). The stamp under the hood says this is unit # 1278 for the model year (out of 3,834). More than 55 years after their demise, these cars are still in demand, in part due to the Avanti II that was in production for years after Studebaker passed away, but that’s another story. Hagerty pegs a Concours R1 at $60,000 (and maybe higher), with one in fair condition at $11-12,000. Let’s assume that’s where the seller’s car falls, which makes it look like a decent bargain at the asking price.