I was about ten or so in the mid-60’s when I saw my first Avanti. I didn’t know what I was looking at. Car stylists had been influenced by the jet age and space age for several years, but this actually looked like a vehicle that had descended down from another planet and landed in little old Petersburg, Virginia. It didn’t have a conventional grille, brightwork was minimal, and it had kind of a Coke bottle shape. The car’s name in stylized script read “Avanti.” That was strange enough, but the strangest thing was recognizing the “S” logo on the futuristic and off-centered “hood ornament.” It was a Studebaker. Wha?? The same car company that produced the conservatively styled, rather boring looking, non head-turning Lark? Yep. The wild-looking Avanti was a last ditch effort to save Studebaker and drive foot traffic into dealers to see this halo car, but it was simply too late. Studebaker would shut off the lights and cease production for good in 1966.
Studebaker had hoped to sell 20,000 of these rakish Raymond Lowey designed “four-passenger high performance cars” for the 1963 model year, but only 4,647 managed to be built. Here’s one of those that’s been in the same family since new, looks beautiful inside and out, and has the highly sought after R2 289-horsepower Supercharged V8 under its rakish hood. This gorgeous 1963 Studebaker Avanti is located in Milford, Connecticut, and is listed for sale here on Facebook Marketplace for $58,000. Another great job of spotting this rare supercharged icon by super-spotter T.J.
Given the Avanti’s slippery, aerodynamic styling, Studebaker had no choice but to make the body out of fiberglass. Based on the photos, this one looks to be in great shape and the Avanti Red paint is glossy and shiny. The bumpers and other brightwork and trim (which is minimal and tasteful) as well as the glass, lenses, and cool, futuristic wheel covers all look very good. You can see why this car caused quite a stir when it was introduced to the world on April 26, 1962, at the New York International Automobile Show.
The Avanti’s stylish, modern looking and European-influenced luxurious interior compliments the car’s exterior perfectly. Fitted in a tasteful two-toned vinyl (in colors described as Fawn and Elk), the light tan contoured front bucket seats (and semi-contoured rear bench seat) look terrific as does everything else, including the padded dash, instrument panel (which housed a vanity case with a pop-up mirror), and center console. To me, this is one of the greatest interiors ever designed in the 1960’s (or any other decade).
Under the Avanti’s hood is the R2 engine, a supercharged version of Studebaker’s 289-cubic inch V8 featuring a Paxton Supercharger. With 289 horsepower, these supercharged Avantis were capable of 0-60 in 7-8 seconds with top speeds reaching over 150 mph. Studebaker’s promise of futuristic design and impressive performance wasn’t a bunch of marketing hooey. Approximately 1,500 factory supercharged R2 Avantis were built for the 1963 model year, but fewer than 500 left the factory with a 4-speed manual transmission like this one – making this rare car even rarer. Have you ever seen one of these supercharged ’63 Avantis? Better yet, have you ever driven or ridden in one? I’d imagine that would be an out-of-this-world experience.
Gorgeous car but I think a bit high priced. It’s from that awkward era between the 1950s and the muscle car age. The latter is where the big money is now.
Actually a bit of a bargain price for a manual shift R2. I recently sold a similar condition R2 with less desirable automatic transmission for $72,000.
You could be correct. I am certainly not an expert in the market on these. My gut tells me it’s priced high, but my gut has been wrong. Time and time again lol. I’ve got it saved and I’ll keep an eye on it. I guess we will see!
I too was 10 when I saw my first Avanti. Beautiful cars and the stick shift makes it all the better for me. Someone with more money than I will scoop this up as they are in limited supply.
I was 10 when the Avanti came out–don`t remember when I first saw one. Always wanted one and finally bought one 5 years ago and spent 3 plus years getting it roadworthy replacing, rebuilding all mechanicals, etc. Just corrected all leaks–power steering and trans cooling line. Dry garage floor finally.
What a beauty. GLWTS.
Gorgeous design.
The absence of a grille was because diverting the airflow under the bumper to the radiator provided better cooling than a conventional grille. Revolutionary, and this signalled the breakthrough design, which has been adopted by Mercedes, BMW, and every other high performance design…..
and yes, those signature grilles are for brand identity, and they have no function. I also wonder if the curved rear fender ends were an influence on Tom Tjaarda’s Corvette “Rondine,” and his subsequent Fiat 124.
A neighbor brought home a new BMW i5 with the massive “kidney” grilles. Upon closer inspection they are non-functional and almost look like decals.
They are gross.
I’m a bit short on available cash, but I bought a lottery ticket so there’s that. Gorgeous Avanti and it’s a 4 speed!
No wonder there aren’t many of these still in existence.
150 mph with this suspension?
Reminds me of when my dad put some oil on the pipe axles of my soap box derby car.👀
Granatelli ran his R3 at Bonneville and set a record for the era at an average of 170.78 mph.
Disk brakes before the Corvette….don’t be skired….
I`m having front end suspension on my 63 totally rebuilt this spring–it`s all original though fairly tight, but of course very old too. Remember those claims of 150 MPH (kind of exaggerated– top speed more like 125) with everything brand new.
Studebaker made great cars with styling ahead of its time, even before Raymond Loewy.
Just wow! I will admit that I tend prefer the Avanti II (some years), but an R2 with a manual and this nice is a special car indeed. Love the color too…
I’ve driven all versions and this is the one to have! I want it so much….
I’ve never liked most of the Avantis I’ve seen thus far but this car is absolutely stunning!
This car absolutely drips coolness. What a stunning example with super desirable options. I tend to agree that the price seems aggressive, but I am by no means an expert on what one of these is worth. I would love to own it!
Most of these I’ve seen were anemic colors, ( cream, white, pale blue etc.) and I was not impressed. This car however is gorgeous. Way out of my price range but I think a fair price for what you’re getting.
You might be thinking of Avanti II colors. Original Studebaker 63 & 64 were white, gold, red, black, turquois, and grey which replaced black. Can`t say there`s a bad one in there–red is coppery red and gold are two of my favorites. I think asking price is fair.
Like John has said…..never really been a fan of these or the Hawks but this paint job just makes this car !
There used to be a man that lived in Lakewood, WA., circa 1978-? ?. He collected, restored and sold, traded nothing but Avantis. Apparently he had done it for years way b4 I moved up into the Pacific NW. I’m sorry fellas I can’t recall the mans name. I was only privileged enough to have met him once. His place was big on security even back then. I’ve often thought about him and wondered who he left his collection to.
If there is anyone on this site that could shed some light ✨️ it would be very nice to know. Thanks. He was, seemed to me, to be a dedicated individual.
Their online listing says it has been restored with receipts, photos and notes. Also a lot of photos. Great price with all the work having been done. https://www.napoliclassics.com/used/STUDEBAKER/1963-STUDEBAKER-AVANTI-836079c3ac1815a7d840cf6ebb481ecf.htm
Thanks for the write up RD. What an Avanti wow.
This Avanti is very nice. Upon close inspection you will find it`s not perfect with paint chips and runs–I am picky. Somebody put a lot of money into it to make it look this nice, expensive leather interior really not necessary. I would be aware of the paint holding up. And what about the mechanicals? What has been done besides paint and interior to call it restored?
Absolutely stunning!