The auction ends tonight for this supercharged 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2, which is one of the rarest Avantis equipped with both the upgraded engine and four-speed manual transmission. The seller contends it has been minimally altered from new, and although there are some tweaks and a repaint in its past, it’s still a very nicely preserved survivor. Less than 500 R2s with the manual transmission were supposedly built, making it one of the more desirable Avantis built – and wholly deserving of the bids it’s getting here on eBay where the action is up to $44,625 with the reserve unmet and a Buy-It-Now of $59,500.
Personally, I love the older round headlight Avantis, so the supercharged model with the manual gearbox put its over the top for me. Although this one has been updated with a set of replica Bonneville Salt Flat High Speed spinner wheels, the original hubcaps are included and exactly what I would fit this example with – it gives it a bit of a sleeper vibe. The paint has been resprayed once in its original color of Avanti Gold and the interior wears its original “Fawn” materials. The Avanti’s bodywork does look quite sharp and the seller notes there is no history of accidents or repairs, and that the typically troublesome hog troughs are perfect.
The interior is nicely preserved, and the manual transmission with its iconic shift knob a welcome sight. The ownership history is well-documented, with the three previous owners all holding onto the Avanti for a number of years before selling. Each owner seemed equally committed to preserving the car with OEM parts, and the last caretaker oversaw an engine rebuild using restored original parts or NOS components. The Avanti remains numbers-matching in all regards, from its engine to the transmission to its Twin-Traction rear end. Based on the interior photo, it would appear nothing has been altered inside, either.
The seller is right to point out that these were serious performance machines back in the day, and it’s more than a little surprising that the R2 doesn’t get more shine as a legit alternative to a Corvette of the same era. Yes, it tends to over-index on the luxury features and more opulent experience, but Studebaker didn’t hold back when they built the R2. In recent months, I’ve seen more than one manual transmission-equipped R2 achieve impressive results at auction, so I suspect enthusiasts are waking up to the performance and exclusivity offered by a classic like this.
Kudos to all the owners as caretakers and obvious car enthusiasts! This appears to be lovingly looked after for all its time and rightfully so as a classic.
Isn’t it ironic that we see rusted out hulks that were decades ignored moldering in a field being auctioned for similar money. This jewel is a steal to anyone with any appreciation for the history of American sports cars.
Nice find, Jeff.
Would you rather have this Avanti or a rusted hulk that was supposedly once a Porsche 356?
Hmmmmmmmm….
If you are ever near South Bend, the Studenaker Museum is totally worth visiting.
Studebaker
I have been there many times. I have a brick in front of the museum.
I wood like to have a R3. They made 9 of them.
Vince H, “I wood like to have a R3”, cruel to not include why. Share your knowledge with us.
Had a teacher in HS who had one of these, we all thought it was great.
I remember Paxton Superchargers on older Shelby Mustangs – they feed air into a box that completely surrounded the carburetor. I need to read up on this because I didn’t know you could just force pressure into the top of a carburetor. If anyone knows what the difference between the two systems are I’d like to hear it. Thanks
The two systems are called “Draw-through” and “Blow-through”, and you can guess those names are based on where the carburetor is in each.
I have for a long time wondered about the BT setups, since effective atmospheric changes would make such a difference in such simple things as fuel density inside the float bowls? Surrounding the entire carburetor would seem to alleviate one set of problems which would come with higher pressure inside the throat/venturi than outside. But most carburetors I have ever seen work because of the pressure differential between the inlet and the manifold side of the butterfly. The suction and flow resulting from vacuum pulls fuel into the airstream for atomization.
I guess that even on a carb used in BT, there is a sufficient pressure difference to allow for a similar function, although settings might need to be changed a bunch. I mean, there is no vacuum when the supercharger is huffing; the whole system is above standard atmospheric pressure.
Side note to the author: Jeff, from what I see, there was not even one bid on this car. No one even stepped up to offer the initial listing price. Auction ended where it began, with no action at all.
The carb is sealed.
I have LOVED these cars ever since I 1st saw one in my teens. (…one of the homes on my childhood newspaper route had one parked in the driveway, & I would DROOL over it every morning during the pre-dawn hours as I tossed the newspaper onto the owner’s front doorstep.)
I wish my “toy budget” pockets were deeper, as I’d LOVE to have this one parked in my garage. (y) (y) :-) <3
Nice car, although I had to look up hog troughs.
A front end only a Mother could Love!
Better than a Sting Ray with the lights open!
… yeah, and try sending one out for a professional and see just how far $50K will not get you!
“professional restoration”
In my daily game of which one would I want, if it were given to me, and I could not make any money on it if I sold it, beyond breaking even for fix up expenses, this is it. Fast enough, comfortable for 4, and so cool looking, today’s kids, seeing one, would know it was old – sealed beam headlights a clue – and no supercar angles – but how old would be a total mystery.
I was fortunate to have had a ’64 Avanti R 1 (non supercharged) when I was 17 in 1966. The R 1 was rated at 240 HP while the supercharged R 2’s were rated at 289 HP. My R 1 would get rubber starting in 1st with the 3 speed automatic and also get a healthy chirp going into 2nd gear. I never had the opportunity to drive a supercharged model so I couldn’t tell what the power difference between the two engines was. I now have a ’76 Avanti II with a reworked 400 SBC and an ’89 Avanti convertible with a crate 383 SBC, both of which would be on a more equal power basis as the supercharged models. Both vehicles are a lot of fun to drive.
At least the front seats have been recovered. The pleats are running in the wrong direction!
Door panels lacking pleats too, implying reupholstered.
A great car designed in a southern California home by a team of stylists directed by Ramond Lowey. Studebaker CEO Sherwood Egbert tried to save the company with this beautiful car that had superior build quality to the 1963 Corvette. It was too little too late. South Bend was shut down in 1966. Beautiful example here.
Look up Bonneville records for 1963 and 1964 production cars – yes ever one was cheating with a 10 year old base engine – some Studebaker records stood until the 1990’s.
I like the headlights of the 63…. You could get the 64 with the R-3 engine; only 7 were produced….or so I read somewhere.
There were 9. They are awesome. Rated at 335 HP they really exceeded 400 HP.
I love the Hundi boys chirping about the interior.I drove my friend Randys R2 many years ago.Still impressed. These same chirpers are the same bunch that like to clear coat rust,and call it patina. Nice Wheels. People are just holding on to money because of the virus.I have worked on many a TYPE 356,most are rust buckets that have given their all to save the bondo industry.