In the annals of U.S. automotive survival, the Avanti story is a very noteworthy one, especially seeing this limited-purpose, highly esteemed model, still in production as late as 1980 – eighteen years after job one rolled off of then Studebaker’s assembly line. This 1980 Avanti, technically an Avanti II, is as fine an example of the continuation series as you’ll find, and it’s now looking for a new home. This one lives in Sterling Heights, Michigan is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $9,001, with the reserve not yet met.
Maybe it’s just me but when I spy an Avanti or an Avanti II, I see a lot of Jensen Interceptor- I’ve always been on the fence with that huge C-pillar. Regardless, the Avanti stayed true to its origins, and as late in the game as 1980 was for this very special car, production actually continued all the way into 2006 though ownership of the company changed hands many times over the years. Our subject car, which claims only 62K miles, is one of 168 assembled in ’80 and possesses excellent presentation – many of its styling cues still speak to the original Raymond Loewy Studebaker variant. My guess is that this Avanti II has been properly garaged and used carefully as the silver finish shows no sign of fade, the chrome and trim are still brilliant and there’s no indication of crash damage – not even a hint of road rash. I’m not sure about the originality of the wire wheels – some illustrated 1980 models that I could find are outfitted with wires but they’re of a noticeably different design – and no spinners. This car wears them well but I doubt that they would be my first choice.
Power is provided by a 190 net HP, Chevrolet 350 CI V8 engine working through a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission. The seller mentions some recent maintenance and repairs that were performed but neglects to provide any insight as to how this car performs.
The black leather upholstered interior is pretty slick looking in an Armor-All sort of way. It presents beautifully and I actually like the shine – it has an all-business vibe about itself. The Nardi steering wheel is a high-quality piece and the functionality and simplicity of the Stewart-Warner gauges are perfect for this application. I’d pick at some nits if there were any nits that needed picking, but there aren’t – the interior requires nothing. Well…maybe one thing, the A/C is on the fritz.
I’m sure that there is a hierarchy of desirability with Avantis, and I imagine the genuine Studebaker editions, followed by those that immediately succeeded Studebaker’s stewardship are among the most highly sought-after. Regardless, this is a fine example that can be enjoyed as is and will probably trade for considerably less than an earlier model. If one were in the market for an Avanti, this would be one to genuinely consider, wouldn’t you agree?
I’m curious if the 350 motor has a two or four barrel carb. Many of these later Avanti’s had two barrels.
A 190 HP version is indicative of a Quadrajet (four-barrel) fed engine.
JO
I don’t think an Avanti was ever sold with a 2 barrel carburetor, including all years of Avanti II production.
The SBC 400 ci motor had a 2 barrel carb for the first two years of the 400 years, ‘73-‘76.
absolutely right colors for this car, get rid of the cheesedick wire wheels and replace them with Tru-spoke, Borranis or Daytons and this thing is right on the money
They normally used Dayton Wire wheels.
nice car but cant get over the 85 MPH speedo far cry from the 160 studebaker had
Blame Federal regs that required 85 MPH speedos with 55 MPH clearly marked differently, effective as of the ’80 model year.
I have owned a 1985 in white with blue interior and now own a 1991 Convertible white with red interior. No matter where you seem to go in one of these unique vehicles you get someone asking about it. Some have no idea what kind of “kit car” it is and others want to talk about some relative/neighbor years ago owning one. This one looks like it has been well cared for and will make a nice toy for some new owner.
The East Hartford CT dealership for this car had a limited edition of this car in the showroom: The hood was painted by artist Leroy Nieman. Nieman painted big, bright, bold renderings of sports events and did illustrations for magazines for years, he contributed to Playboy often. He must have been commercially successful, there was a Nieman-only studio in the mall in the center of Kansas City. He had a singular style.
The whole thing was way out of our budget and we bought our Escort wagon instead. That left change for the baby seat.
Did any Nieman hoods survive?
Correction: He name is spelled LeRoy. My error.
I have never been able to find a spot in my heart for this car… the last Studie I liked was around 1956, maybe 57.
I own a 1973 Avanti II – still original 400 block but rebuilt with Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads and converted from 4 speed manual to 5 speed manual. Definitely gets attention when I take it out.
I am surprised those chrome bumpers pass for safety with the axe blade profile If a pedestrian was ever hit straight on it’s the sharpest looking bumper I can recall. Why bother with the big 350 v8 if it only makes 190hp? Just for the sound? Maybe it’s been built for good low end torque . Otherwise the turbo 400 seems overkill for such a low output 350
Still love the avanti overall especially the fast ones
American V8s of that era were all similarly low-output, no thanks to tightening emissions regs and reliable electronic fuel injection still being in its infancy at the time. If it’s any consolation, smaller engines were even punier, so a measly 190 HP was still pretty good for what you could get at the time.
And remember, that’s 190 NET HP, not a gross figure that had been used up through the ’71 model year. It’s not scientific but the net is usually about 78% of what the gross would be.
JO
When I first saw an Avanti in early 1963, I fell in love with the car. Although I’ll never be able to afford one, my love for it has never waned.
The originals, through the Avanti 2s and all the way to the AVX, I’ve never tried of the style the finest Loewy Coupe exudes.
That should be “tired”, not “tried”.
In a way, I’d rather get a post-Studie Avanti because they’re not as collectible as the originals, so I wouldn’t feel so bad about modifying.
I’d consider an Avanti II for either an LS1 swap or an EV drivetrain
This appears to be a very nice car. It’s not valuable, though. The seller will be doing good to get a real $15,000 bid.
I’m not a fan of the jacked-up front suspension look of the Avanti II’s. I prefer the original ’63 rake design. I’d also get rid of the used-car-lot pin striping somebody put on this car.
The nicest Avanti I’ve seen was done by “Counting Cars” for Alice Cooper. Hate to thing about how much it cost. They kept the “original” look but upgraded everything as well as lowering the car 3 inches and giving it a forward rake look. Larger wire wheel/tires were put on the back without modifying the body to add to that look.
The Count had no respect for Avanti’s heritage and screwed up the car.