It’s hard to be a fan of classic cars and not find yourself rooting for the Avanti. A story that seemingly makes no sense – especially in today’s environment of hostile takeovers by private equity firms that gut good companies for maximum profit – the Avanti brand survived when it absolutely shouldn’t have. Built on archaic Studebaker infrastructure years after the original company ceased to exist, the Avanti II shown here on craigslist actually got better over time, with build quality impressively high and the styling like nothing else on the road. This 1970 Avanti II is a bit of a restomod and available as part of an estate sale.
Avanti as a company had a few unique factors working in its favor that simply weren’t possible at most automotive manufacturers of any meaningful size. For one, when the team of Altman and Newman scooped up the rights to Avanti at Studebaker’s going-out-of-business sale, they acquired tooling and machinery that would have cost millions upon millions to create from scratch. They allowed for custom-ordering of cars with endless configuration options that added to the MSRP while allowing Avanti’s craftsman to work at a slower pace without fear of bleeding money. After all, there were numerous components of the Avanti design that were still completed by hand, even on an assembly line.
Speaking of assembly, Avantis had a reputation for being incredibly well screwed-together. At the time, they also were known to hold onto their value due to the high build quality and reliability of the GM-sourced drivetrains. Other mechanical bits like brake components and axles also came out of the GM parts bin. The other fascinating anecdote about Avanti is the class of vehicle it competed against, which included other high-end grand tourers that costs tens of thousands of dollars more. You could walk into the Mercedes-Benz dealership looking at an R107 coupe and stroll over to Avanti for a car that was considered a work of art and was just as exclusive for far, far less.
This particular Avanti II is what I’d call a restomod light with an LT1 engine lifted from a Corvette and paired to a Muncie 4-speed manual transmission. Equipped with classic Cragar wheels and BF Goodrich tires, it looks like a gentleman’s muscle car, clearly ready to rumble but also still quite exotic with that striking handcrafted design that still resembled the original Studebaker product. Subsequent versions of the Avanti would stray further and further from the original, but the fact that it continued to exist at all is a testament to how cherished this brand has remained in American automotive culture. Thanks to Barn Finds reader T.J. for the find.
This car is super cool. I’d drive it any day!
This is a car I’d love to drive I wouldn’t change anything.
It’s got advanced features that is embarrassing for my 35 grand truck not to have & I ask why? a ash tray & lighter ! I have to make do with a empty pop can & a zippo in my Ram 1500 lol all kidding aside I like the car & wish I was positioned to buy it.
Classic timeless styling. Smart upgrades with the engine and transmission. Needs a fully inspection of the frame (hog troughs). There is a fan base for each generation of the Avanti.
Someday I will own one of these. The manual gear box is a huge plus! The Cragars are ok, but I feel this car deserves a set of chrome wire wheels.
Yes on the wire wheels … a touch of class for a car that’ll draw a crowd in any crowd!!
Love those cars! A friend and I rolled his Avanti early one morning many moons ago, neither of us were injured because they had a built-in roll bar from the factory! Rolled it back onto its wheels, checked all the fluids and drove it home! A true story.
I have always liked these and secretly would like to have one. I think this one checks all the boxes, I would like to get an in-person look at it.
i wish i was rich!
I had a 1963. It was made by AMT. I was only 10 years old at the time but even so…
I came home from the home from the hospital after birth in 1952 in a 1950 Studebaker Commander convertible, I still have the small split glass back window from that car! My grandparents were Studebaker folks as well. I was 11 when the Avanti was introduced, and still have a soft spot for them. I like this one… and since it is an aftermarket car, mild mods are ok with me. I’m not a fan of red cars, but I could make an exception. I would look into lowering the car some, updating the wheel/tire package to more of a road-racing look, fix the A/C and cruise the heck out of it.
The original Stude Avanti’s are bringing more money. Newman and Altman, who resurrected Avanti made an improved quality GT Touring car in the Avanti II. No it didn’t have the surprising super-charged 289, but the early II’s had 300 hp 327’s until the power got smogged down and went with a variety of GM offerings of the 350, 400 and 305’s different years. I had a ‘64 R1 back in ‘66-69 and currently have had a ‘76 II since 2011. The ‘76 is a better quality car, the only problem was the overheating tendencies of the 400 motor used ‘72–‘76. I’ve had the motor rebuilt modernizing it. Aluminum heads, a recored radiator and 165 thermostat has solved the overheating issues. Addition of a 200R4 AOD trans has made for a great highway cruiser I enjoyed putting over 55000 miles on while I’ve had it.
I realize I’m the odd man out here but while I love classics I never did like these.. I do like many other Studebakers for sure, but not this one. To me it always looked weird with the recessed headlights making fins and it not having a grill.. it looks like the front end should be on the back.
I always loved the timeless design of the Avanti. I’ve never seen another car that had a tail end look that simplistic, and stunning at the same time. The 1963 Corvette did come in a close second, but the Avanti’s is still number one in my book.
When you look up the word classic in the dictionary, this is the accompanying picture.
I love love this car. The mods are perfect. This guy did it right.