Vehicle Description
Founded in 1852, The Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company was
a wagon builder who went on to become one of the only American
companies of its type to successfully transition to automobile
production at the turn of the century. While still selling their
wagons and coaches, they formed an early partnership with E-M-F to
sell automobiles at Studebaker dealers. Quality issues with E-M-F
led to Studebaker taking over that firm's automobile line and the
rest, as they say, is history. Studebaker remained staunchly
independent in the face of competition from GM, Ford and Chrysler.
They produced many a great car, and particularly in the post-war
era, were not afraid to take some daring stylistic risks to stand
out against the might of the Big Three. Yet as the 1940s rolled
into the 1950s, Studebaker began to struggle financially and their
product line became more and more staid and dated. In the early
60s, company president Sherwood Egbert saw the runaway success of
the Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette and realized he needed
a "personal car" of his own; a well-equipped and sporty coupe with
four full seats and brisk performance. Just 37 days into his tenure
as the top man at Studebaker, Egbert sketched out a concept while
on a plane out of South Bend, handed it to his hugely talented
design team and demanded quick action. Given just 40 days to work
up a design, chief stylist on the project Raymond Loewy and his
team (comprised of Tom Kellogg, Bob Andrews, and John Ebstein)
worked 16 hours a day from a rented Palm Springs ranch home, and
penned a sleek and ultra-modern body to sit atop a modified Lark
Daytona platform. The somewhat antiquated chassis was reworked by
engineer Eugene Hardig to resemble a sporting car. Given the
complexity and subtlety of the Avanti's curves, fiberglass was
chosen as the most cost effective material to build the bodywork.
Although production of the Avanti lasted only two years, with fewer
than 6,000 built, it has rightly earned its place as a stylistic
icon; one of the greatest designs of the era and a significant
piece of both Studebaker history and automotive history as a whole.
Our featured 1963 Avanti is a genuine and highly desirable, numbers
matching R2 4-speed example that has received a great deal of
restoration work, with careful attention paid to preserving
original and correct components. The car has seen regular,
sympathetic use and maintenance and remains in wonderful order.
Copies of the original build sheets and dealer invoices confirm
this car's correct, original specification (supercharged, floor
shift four speed manual). Finished in its original colors of
turquoise over a handsome turquoise and beige interior, this is a
super-attractive example of Studebaker's most famous car. The
fiberglass body is straight and free of typical waves and warping
that sometimes afflicts these cars, while the gaps and panel fit
are consistent and even. Paint work, in the original Turquoise, is
very well presented and the car rides on factory steel wheels
fitted with the signature Avanti polished wheel covers and wrapped
with proper narrow whitewall tires. The sporty and luxurious
four-seat cabin is trimmed in a rare combination of Avanti
Turquoise on the seats, carpets and door cards offset by beige dash
and door caps. The cabin is a beautiful expression of
aircraft-inspired mid-century modern design, and one of the best
examples of the "personal cars" of the period. Upholstery is in
very good condition throughout, appearing to be in largely original
condition and beautifully preserved. Original options included
tinted glass, sunshade windshield, radio, electric screen washer
and seatbelts. It has been usefully upgraded with a discreetly
installed Vintage-Air air-conditioning unit and an AM/FM stereo
with auxiliary input. As an R2 spec model, the original,
numbers-matching Studebaker 289 cubic inch V8 is equipped with the
optional Paxton supercharger, which pushed power output to a
healthy 280 horsepower. When backed by the optional 4-speed manual
transmission, this Avanti certainly delivers performance to match
the looks. The engine presents quite well; nicely detailed in
largely original condition. While it shows some light use it still
looks great, particularly with that big Paxton blower off to the
side. Per the build sheet, this car is also equipped with power
steering and a "Twin Traction" limited slip rear differential.
Recent mechanical work includes a comprehensive suspension refresh
with new bushes, rebuilt springs, new dampers and the addition of
factory quick-ratio steering arms to sharpen the handling. The disc
brakes (the first on an American production car) and power steering
hydraulics were also rebuilt at this time, ensuring the car is
ready for action. Finished in desirable colors and in the best
factory specification, it strikes a fine balance of being pretty
enough for casual show yet completely suitable for regular driving.
This finely presented, very well-sorted Avanti R2 is a great
example of this early 1960s icon.
