The Avanti was Studebaker’s last roll of the dice and with it the eccentric 100-year-old company excelled itself. Designer Raymond Loewy’s iconic vision would be built for an astonishing 40 years by a string of die-hard enthusiasts, but Studebaker’s 1963-64 originals are the purest examples. Even now, survivors of the 4,643 that left the factory in South Bend, Indiana, are still found in barns now and then and lovingly restored. The Avanti concept was created by Loewy’s team of Tom Kellogg, Bob Andrews and John Ebstein in only 40 days in 1962. The wasp-waisted sports coupe featured a grille beneath the front bumper and featured a fiberglass body on a separate chassis. The Avanti name is an Italian exhortation for “forward!” and cried out for an exclamation mark on the badge. Original cars have a pronounced forward rake to assist streamlining, and the car was marketed as “America’s only 4-passenger High-Performance Personal Car. They were equipped with front disc brakes and powered by versions of the “Jet Thrust 289” cid overhead valve V-8 engine with a Paxton supercharger. Only 809 Avantis were sold in 1964 and only 281 R2’s. When the final whistle blew in South Bend on December 9th 1963, after a short 1964 production run. The American plant was closed after 101 years, although production continued in Hamilton, Ontario for a short time…….This is a stunning example of one of 281 Avanti R2 supercharged coupes built. It is finished in Turquoise metallic with matching interior the original transmission was a 2 speed which has been change to a 3 speed t-bird automatic and the rear end was changed from a 3.73 to a 3.08 for better millage. It is equipped with power steering, power brakes, a paxton supercharger, custom Foose wheels, up graded modern sound and more. This is very rare and hard to find in this condition, it runs and drive great, powerful, dependable, iconic and a great investment. #R5056. Now on display at the home of “over the top cars” VALUE PRICED AT ONLY $49,900
