When Studebaker ended U.S. production of its automobiles in late 1963, the short-lived Avanti touring car would be one of the casualties. But only for a short time. Two Stude dealers bought the name and equipment to continue making the automobile, so it was reborn as the Avanti II in 1965 using Chevrolet engines and transmissions. We’re told this 1980 example runs great and seems to look fine, though photographed inside a tight garage. This reincarnation is available in Colton, California, and is here on craigslist for $11,500. Thanks, T.J. for your continued diligence in finding us tips like this.
The Avanti debuted in late 1962 along with a lot of Studebaker hype. The company had big plans for the car with its fiberglass body and seating for four. But one delay after another occurred (along with buyer concerns over Studebaker’s viability) and the end came a little over a year later when Studebaker pulled the plug after 4,647 copies had been built. Auto production was consolidated in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and the Avanti and Gran Turismo Hawk did not get to make the trip. Studebaker would exit the auto business altogether in 1966.
Studebaker dealers Altman and Newman felt there was a market for the Avanti, so they made arrangements to secure what they needed to build the Avanti II which applied the car’s original design and chassis to mechanicals provided by Chevy. The first reborn cars went on the market in 1965 and they were truly custom, upscale luxury coupes in the image of the original, just sold and built in even smaller numbers. Estimates are that about half as many Avanti IIs were built compared to the Avanti.
Changes to the cars between 1965 and 1982 (when the company (Avanti Motor Corp.) was sold) were minimal from year to year and usually due to changes in available equipment. For example, the Chevy V8 morphed from the 327 to a 350 and then to a 305. Because production output was so low, the outfit must have been able to avoid some of the federal safety requirements as came down the pike since they avoided some of the atrocities of the 1970s like cow-catcher bumpers. Note, the seller’s car does not have them.
The seller doesn’t say much about his 1980 Avanti II. It’s described to be in excellent condition, which the photos seem to support. But if it runs so well, why not back it out of the garage for some decent photos? The indicated mileage is 50,000, so the automobile has been used sparingly over the past 42 years. We’re told that the 350 V8 is present with an automatic transmission (TH-350 or TH400?). The interior looks good and includes Recaro buckets seats (did the Avanti II have these or were they added later?) Whatever the case, the asking price seems reasonable considering that these machines were largely true to the originals of 1963-64. This may be 1 of 168 built in 1980.
It’s quite likely that the Recaro seats are “factory” inasmuch as these cars were basically custom-built to order. I found a brochure/price list for 1982 (nothing changed anyhow) showing the seats as an $1100 option.
https://www.studebaker-info.org/Avanti/82Avanti/82avbro.html
“14 weeks of hand workmanship that goes into each automobile.
The fibreglass body and reinforced steel perimeter frame are
each individually hand assembled. Each body is finished with
about 16 coats of hand sanded primer and acrylic lacquer paint.”
Aargh, a repaint is very difficult and time consuming as acryl
can’t be paint over -it has to be sanded down to the fibreglass.
Pro is the body is fibreglass then with a steel body the coat
becomes over long time micro cracks the humidity sits behind
the coat and the steel rusted away. The frame have been
coated in the factory or just left paint metal to the environment?
And they sold each according to the sales brochure for 23k$,
with thus production methods not attainable to mass production.
No wonder they went out of production. Maybe bancrupt?
Basically sad because there could have be made an Avanti
convertible. Or today we would made it a 3.5L ecoboost with
twin turbo.
This here uses the simulated walnut grain. Only part i would
remove is this silly luggage rack. Again a desirable car sold
for a fair price. Nice nice nice.
Mitch the luggage 🧳 rack is great, what’s missing is a 3rd pedal. I don’t believe the avanti II ever offered a manual transmission , like their forebearer?
The Avanti II was offered with a T10 four speed transmission from 1965 through 1972, the last year that Avanti II could be optioned with a four speed transmission. There were a couple built with a 5-speed, on for Avanti owner in 1983 and one or two built in 1985.
I dont know where you got your info on repainting acrylic because you sand it and spray it,,unless it is crazed then you start over at the glass,,I have and work in a body shop and never had a problem repainting acrylic with either enamel,acrlic laquer,or acrylic enamel,,but if you want to put the” new” base coat clear coat over it ,,strip it
Is that an AMC or Chrysler sport steering wheel? & a ’68-’81 corvette emergency brake pull lever?
they scavened chrysler parts towards the end,,chrysler column wheel etc
Got an ’81 in the same bland colors except stock seats to match the beige, Nardi wheel, and factory sunroof. It all works great and can go 80 mph all day.
Every time I see one of these FOR SALE I wonder why I don’t have one
Recaro seats were indeed a factory option. My 78 was a factory show car that went to the Detroit auto show etc. 1st. 78 built. Original owner’s son who I purchased it from told me his mother bought it off the floor at the NY Auto show for $22,656 in February of 78. They never built 200 cars per year. Definitely a limited production vehicle. Production continued until early 2000’s. Eventually ending up in Cancun Mexico, building rebodied Mustangs. Company was forced to close when the last owner was convicted of a Ponzi scheme back in the US.
To my mind, true Avanti production ended in 1985, when they ran out of original Studebaker Lark chassis.
After that, they switched to Chevy chassis, changed the interior, and the bodies seemed to lose detail, looking a bit softer-edged like maybe they took molds from an original Avanti body and modified those to adapt to the new chassis. These seem more like “Avanti replicas” to me, sharing nothing but the general body shape with the original/continuation runs. This is when the convertible and short-lived 4-door variants were added, until the operation folded in 1991.
Then in 1999, the (IMO stunning and very tidy) AVX prototype appeared, designed by original Avanti stylist Tom Kellogg to be a rebody of the 4th-gen GM F-body, which were a drivable space-frame with replaceable plastic body-panels as pioneered by the Fiero and Saturn S-series. These weren’t even “Avanti replicas” anymore, but more of a speculative exercise in what Avantis might look like if Studebaker had survived and continued Avanti production in successive generations up to the modern day. When GM retired production of new 4th-gen F-bodies, they turned to modifying new Mustangs instead, which IMO lost some of the elegant panache of Kellogg’s F-body-based AVX design.
the idea that a car can’t change over times seems a bit ridiculous. All car companies change and improve their designs to survive and to sell more. Once the Lark Chassis were gone doesn’t mean the car had to stop, there were customers and employees and investors that needed the company to survive. The fact that many of the Employees of 1985 were former Studebaker Employees alone is a testament to the Avanti brilliance. You’re idea or concept of the car not being a Studebaker anymore is quite ridiculous. The car stopped being a Studebaker in November of 1963 when Studebaker started the process of closing South Bend down and selling the rights or spinning off the car to Newman and Altman. It idea of the car being a “replica” literally makes no sense because the car was evolving and changing into something different. I don’t know if you know this or not but a replica is to try to achieve a copy of something that already exited. The fact that Avanti Motor Corporation was taking the car into other directions, four door and convertible is the complete opposite of being a replica, it was something new and different and not done by Studebaker. Using your flawed logic, you could then say, an Opel isn’t an Opel anymore because GM sold Opel and it’s owned by Stellantis and is now using a different chassis……or you could also say. A Bentley isn’t a Bentley anymore since Rolls Royce sold the car rights to Volkswagen and Bentley is now build on a VW chassis….the concept is idiotic to say the least.
Joe, there are plenty available. Really a fun car to drive and a real attention getter. Beware though, there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Avanti.
Parts are plentiful, though very expensive. Chevy drivetrain makes mechanical repairs quite easy.
If it runs great why not take it out and take better photos?
The Avanti did not escape the “Cattle Catcher” (also shin scraper) front safety bumper. They were present from around ’72 – ’82. They are easily removable and many II owners have done so, as I have with my ’76. The SBC 400 was also a power plant in the II’s ’72-’76, only producing around 170 HP, but quite “torquey” with the THM 350 and 400 transmissions. Recaro seats were an option for many years in the Avanti II as the cars were custom built, buyers could add about anything they wanted to the car, including paint and wild interior choices.
7 pathetic photos of the car on Craigslist.
You’d have to be a fool to purchase this based on the pics of closeup pieces of the car.
Let us here a bit speculate,
From the technical view they could have been used in the 80’s
the uniframe from the C5 Corvette. Alu lightweight structure and
front V8 engine support as needed. (And impact safe?)
As another source for good handling cars i had also in mind to use
something from Lotus but back in the 80’s there was no Lotus
Evora as source avail and the stumble is Lotus are all rear-engined.
Engine sourced from Cosworth and the chassis from Gordon
Murray design. The left behind stuff from the out to the cloud
attempts of Les Edgar as he want to build a new TVR Griffith.
https://youtu.be/iLxpXlFutCQ
WELL, and a DIFFERENT FRONT-END.
whats wrong with the front end?? unique
Unique yes but this overlapping fender corners. Nah, i dont like it.
((When something shows me how to use a good 3d software to
make a sketch and i show it you.)) I have some ideas.