In an ideal world, manufacturers like Studebaker would have survived and prospered. This was a company that was not only willing to push the boundaries with daring and exciting offerings but had its fair share of lateral thinkers with the vision and determination to bring their ideas to fruition. One of their more exciting vehicles was the Avanti, and it was a shame that by the time that it was introduced, Studebaker was on its knees financially. When the doors finally closed on the South Bend plant on December 20th, 1963, the tooling, Avanti name, and the plant space were sold off. The Avanti did manage to soldier on in one form or another for decades under the stewardship of various owners. This particular Avanti is one of the final vehicles to be produced by Studebaker, and after spending 12-years hidden away in a warehouse, it has been revived and is looking for a new home. It is located in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding currently sits at $13,100, and the reserve has now been met.
The owner of the Avanti has certainly undertaken some work to freshen the vehicle up after those years spent in storage. It would seem that the vehicle was treated to a fresh coat of Avanti Turquoise paint, and it has come up a treat. Of course, the fiberglass body means that rust is not an issue externally. That fiberglass body rides on a modified Lark chassis, and while this does have a coating of surface corrosion, there are no signs of any structural rust issues. Having said that, I would be very inclined to treat the corrosion before it has a chance to deteriorate any further. However, it is not something that would need to be attended to immediately, so the Avanti could easily be driven as it currently stands, and the underside restoration work would make a pretty satisfying project for next Winter. The exterior trim and chrome appear to be really nice, while there are no obvious major flaws or issues with the glass.
The 289ci V8 that was slotted into the engine bay of the Avanti came in a couple of different states of tune, and even the entry-level version that we see here was capable of punching out 240hp. In this case, that power finds its way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. Power steering and power front disc brakes were also standard features, and are well in keeping with the Avanti’s design brief to provide both luxury and performance. You would be forgiven for thinking that you might be facing some refurbishment work with this classic after its time in storage, but that appears to be a long way from the truth. The owner has done all of the leg work on this one, and it is ready to be driven and enjoyed. The brakes were given a bit of a birthday, with a new master cylinder, along with all new brake lines, and judging by the wording of the advertisement, I would say that new brake discs, pads, and shoes, might also have been on the list as well. The carburetor was rebuilt, new tires were fitted, all of the fluids were flushed and replaced, and the Avanti was given a tune-up. The owner says that other mechanical work was undertaken, but doesn’t specify what this was. Anyway, the fruit of all of this labor is the fact that the Avanti now runs and drives well. The presentation of the engine bay is not the best that I’ve seen because a previous owner did repaint a few components, and they don’t look that great. Still, that’s another little task to tackle during the colder days to return the presentation to a higher level.
Opening the doors and taking a look around inside the Avanti is a fairly pleasant experience because the owner has done some nice work here as well. All of the upholstery, from the seats through to the door trims and headliner, is freshly installed. The same is true of the carpet, while the dash and pad look very nice. There are a few detailed items that will need to be attended to if the interior is going to be taken to the next level, but none of these would be classed as major problems. The radio and the tachometer don’t operate, so both will need to be investigated further. The driver’s sunvisor is cracked, while the heater doesn’t operate. The gauge cluster is also looking a little bit tired and would benefit from a cosmetic restoration. Kits are available for this, and returning the panel to its former glory would potentially be a satisfying task. There are a few minor parts that are missing, but sourcing items like the missing window crank on the passenger door is surprisingly easy.
There’s no doubt that this 1963 Studebaker Avanti has the potential to be a pretty stunning car, and it would seem that it isn’t going to take a lot of work to get it to that point. Good examples today can easily fetch $20,000, while those with the optional R2 engine regularly sell for over $40,000. As the bidding currently stands, the reserve is met, so a new home is on the horizon for this classic. Interestingly, I have found this particular car listed elsewhere with a price of $21,900. Therefore, if this is a car that genuinely piques your interest, then it might be worth your while to consider bidding on the eBay listing. The potential is there for a canny buyer to save themselves some money on this on.
“Deja vue all over again!” to quote the late and great Yogi Berra. This ones nice too but though I wouldn’t push it out of the driveway I’d prefer the one we saw earlier here on BF..
Yeah, but the price is way more attractive…
Would love to learn some background on these. My dad being HS class of ’63 loved them and I notice they carried on at least well into the ’80s (kit cars ?) Sure there is a reader that can add some more insight on the Avanti. I could see more value in an actual Studebaker. Carry on advise, nice feature !
http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/index.asp will provide you with the information you desire. Newman & Altman bought the rights, tooling,etc in 1965 to continue making the Avanti until they sold it 1985. Then it went thru several hands after that. There was never a kit car that I’m aware of. Read up on Studebaker and the history, then join the club and buy a Stude of your very own. The people are friendly and very helpful.
Avanti’s were made from 1963 until 2007. All Avanti’s were factory build and NEVER kit cars. I am the proud owner of a 1963 Studebaker Avanti, the 1984 Avanti GT prototype and a 2007 convertible that may be last Avanti built. I think Avanti’s represent one of the best collector car value’s around. With under 9,000 total cars produced from 1963 – 2007 an nice 1963 can be bought for around $30,000 and new examples of the Avanti II can go in the high teen’s. By comparison in 1963 Chevy produced 21,513 Corvettes with 10,954 of those being the spit windows and they tend to change hands for north of $100,000.
What did an Avanti GT consist of?
The design was sold to independent investors that made the Avanti for years and years after Studebaker folded, the used Chevrolet engines, usually a Corvette spec 350. They weren’t kit cars, they were a compete car you bought from Avanti.
If he did the upholstery himself, I’m impressed!
I’ve seen so many of these crop up this year , I’m starting to wonder just how rare they are .
Avanti is an unrivaled car in design, Raymond Loewy put his best on it.
When Studebaker was about to fail, the Spanish automaker Barreiros was negotiating with Chrysler producing Doge Darts in his Villaverde plant in Madrid. The engineers sent by Chrysler past the time playing golf, postponing decisions and work. Reason was they were aware of Studebaker situation, when it finally shut down, they purchased the Studebaker Machinery at bargain prices, and made a re-sale to Barreiros at new machines cost.
A similar thing happened when VW purchased Seat, 1986, then making around 300 thousand cars a year, most under Fiat license, the Barcelona plant was obsolete, and had very low productivity, but the facilities in Pamplona had the top advanced technology. VW owning all Seat capital, they made a self-sale of the Pamplona Seat facility to VW
Check http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/index.asp for correct info.
Bud, I was thinking the same thing they are popping up like weeds. Why? I know I like them, and the two here on BF, give two great options, one possibly the best of the best and the other could be a very nice driver. The price reflects that, I am not sure which one, if money was not a consideration. You could own one of the beast Avanti’s anywhere, for the price of an average Corvette, or a super driver, for the cost of a restorable tri-five Chevy.
Such cool cars. Love the wheel covers, never noticed these before. Of course once again no air. Seems as if hardly anyone opted for A/C on the early cars, I’ve seen only a few.
Why are all these Avanti’s coming up for sale in the last month? You don’t see them for years and then there all over the place.
They were made until 2007. They were not kit cars.
I don’t know if it is just the way the photos show but the interior is not the right color.
I would take either of these on the site today.
The link no longer works, as if the listing never existed.
I wonder if it was a fraudulent listing and EBay removed all references to it.
I’m really surprised to see two Avantis in the same Barn Find Listing! As a current owner of a ’76 and an ’89, I always stop and read any Avanti listing.
if these Avantis tickle your fancy, this one is attractive by the looks and the 4 speed is cool, Its a T-10. I know nothing about these, but there’s a part of the frame, think they call it a hogs trough?? This area is prone to rust and is very difficult to do a good repair on. Of course any serious buyer would look it over good anyway. Upgrade to a twin cyl master is always good. Good luck and stay safe!
Cheers
GPC
Yes, @PRA4SNW, you hit the nail on the head about this seller…
A bit of trivia – there is a connection between the Studebaker Avanti and 1960s Star Trek. Key Avanti designer Thomas Kellogg penned a shuttlecraft concept for the series. Although changes were made to the final design to bring it into line with budget and construction restrictions, elements of the Kellogg shuttle were retained in the show:
https://www.scifiairshow.com/copy-of-t-i-e-fighter-cockpit
Some considered ‘Star Trek’ as a ‘Submarine’ movie, most action taking place at the Command post.
The Kellogg Shuttlecraft is still nice.