25,137 original miles. One of only 190 built in 1980. Corvette 350, TH400 automatic, cold A/C, upgraded stereo, sunroof. Beautiful condition, awesome survivor. Fast, unusual, luxurious fun.
Like the original, the body is fiberglass, so that has certainly helped it weather the passage of time, but as you can tell from the shiny paint, brilliant chrome, and very clean interior, someone really cherished this car. The light blue finish isn’t aggressive, but it does have an understated elegance to it that works rather well, and you have to bear in mind that it was 1980, after all, so fashion was a bit different. Fit and finish are factory-grade, which is to say quite good, and while the paint is now 37 years old, it still looks pretty darned nice. The chrome details are excellent, and someone has thankfully removed the awkward auxiliary front bumper installed so that the 1963 design could meet 1980s crash standards. The glass, including the unique wrap-around rear window, is excellent and all the lights and signals are fully operational. It’s finished with a single darker blue pinstripe that accentuates the fender lines and I would argue that it needs nothing else. The stunning design speaks for itself.
Tan leather bucket seats are in excellent condition save for some wear on the passenger’s seat bolsters and the light blue piping matches the paint almost exactly. Plush deep pile carpets are pure 1980s funky but that’s how they were built so I’d leave it alone since it’s in good shape, too. The panels for the dash and console are real burled walnut and the steering wheel is real wood as well. The Avanti’s trademark aircraft switches, both overhead for the lighting and on the console for ventilation, are all intact and fully operational. You get a full array of gauges, which includes the usual stuff plus a vacuum gauge, all from Stewart-Warner. Very racy. The shifter is a stylish chrome knob on the console and the only way you could get an Avanti II was loaded, so this car includes things like ice cold A/C, power windows, a power antenna, and a very rare sunroof overhead. Everything appears to be operational but the clock, and the original Blaupunkt AM/FM stereo has been augmented with a remote CD changer and a set of subwoofers hidden in the trunk. The back seat is almost entirely unmarked and good enough for children and there’s a good-sized trunk that’s upholstered to match the interior.
For power, this one uses a 350 cubic inch V8 from a 1980 Corvette, which was the most powerful American engine you could buy. It runs superbly and pulls the blue coupe around with real vigor. It starts easily and idles smoothly, indicative of its low-mileage status, and someone has kept it in a fine state of tune all its life because we’ve never had a C3 Corvette that runs as well as this Avanti. It stays cool, the A/C blows cold, there’s a nice mellow burble from the 2-1-2 dual exhaust system, and the alternator keeps the battery topped up easily. It’s also quite clean, suggesting a car that has never seen inclement weather.
It's backed by the Corvette’s bulletproof TH400 3-speed automatic transmission, which means it should last practically forever. Crisp shifts but never harsh, and with 3.07 gears in a GM 10-bolt rear end, it’s a fantastic high-speed highway cruiser. The chassis is a little grimy and crusty, as you’d expect from a 37-year-old car, but since the floors are fiberglass, you have no worries about rot there and the frame is a heavy-duty unit that looks like it could hold up a railroad bridge. Even the exhaust system is still mostly original, including the factory GM catalytic converter, so it is emissions legal in most states. Chrome wire wheels were standard equipment and they’re in good shape, and wear a recent set of 215/70/15 whitewall radials.
Now that the original Avantis are seeing some serious gains in the market, can it be much longer before the Avanti IIs catch on? They’re reliable, fast, fun cars that look like nothing else on the road, and that’s a big part of owning a collector car. This one is very low maintenance, easy to live with, and if you’re a guy who likes to modify cars, this one seems ripe for a makeover to create something truly special (call us if you’d like some ideas). A heck of a lot of car for the money, no matter how you look at it. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
