When it comes to buying or restoring an Avanti, most enthusiasts will tell you that finding a genuine R2 is the only way to fly. These were the models that truly gave the Avanti the performance it deserves, a powerplant that could cash the checks the gorgeous body always wanted to write. This example here on craigslist is said to need complete restoration but also presumably has its numbers-matching engine with the Paxton centrifugal supercharger still attached.

Details and photos are scarce, but the Avanti looks like a tired project that hasn’t been significantly altered from new. Now, it would help if some under-hood photos were included, as the engine is main draw here, but we’ll have to make do with a lone photo of the interior to validate what the exterior shots show as a tired-but-worthy project. The interior appears to just need a cosmetic refresh, not a total gut renovation.

It’s harder to say whether the body is in need of a similar light-touch refurb or more extensive work. Regardless, the fiberglass construction should put to rest any concerns about major corrosion. What’s more important is that the engine remain the numbers-matching unit, as the supercharged models were the ones that woke everyone up as to the true potential of an Avanti – and due to the company’s financial troubles, less than 2,000 were made in R2 specification.

Of course, the real jewel in the Avanti crown is the uber-rare four-speed manual equipped R2s, of which fewer than 500 were made. Regardless, finding a genuine R2 is always a worthwhile discovery, and I can’t see how you’d lose money on this example, even after restoration, with an asking price of $8,500. Four seats with a supercharged V8 up front is hard to find from any country, but practically unheard of in the land of the Corvette in the 1960s. Thanks to reader Jonah M. for the find.