Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally rare
barn-fresh (garage really!) find of an almost all original, apart
from one repaint in it's original 'Avanti Red' color, a 1964
Studebaker Avanti R1 2 door coupe (1 of only 809 R1's built in
1964, last year of production) with rare factory options including
power steering, 'Twin Traction' limited slip differential, tinted
glass, pushbutton radio with rear speakers, electric clock, heater
amp; defroster, center console with its original Borg Warner three
speed automatic transmission and a floor shifter and it's original
289 V8 engine!The original 1963 and 1964 Avantis came in $4,445
R-1, $4,655 R-2 and $5,665 R-3 forms and despite competition from
Buicks Riviera and Fords Thunderbird, were considered Americas only
true high-performance four-passenger luxury GTs. They have been
considered screaming deals in the collector-car hobby for decades
and their relative affordability is sure to diminish going forward
as more people learn of their charms The 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti
was amongst the most daring of 1960's American cars, a modern
masterpiece which still seems contemporary today! Built with modern
safety features such as a built in roll bar, padded interior and
door latches that became structural body members when closed! A
supercharged 289 V8 made the car one of the fastest cars built in
its day with a top speed of over 168mph - a staggeringly fast speed
for a production street car! Some 29 Bonneville speed records were
set by a supercharged Avanti. This was also the first major
fiberglass body four passenger car and also the first such car to
use caliper style disc brakes and anti-sway bars front and rear.
With only 3,834 models built in 1963 and even less, 809 in 1964,
this car was to prove an instant collectible and has since reached
certified 'Milestone Status'. Distinctive features abound such as a
grille-less front end, asymmetrically placed hood bulge, shaped
windows with large glass areas, a short rounded tail end,
aircraft-like cockpit instrumentation and controls, slim section
bucket seats and a padded roll bar.To Studebaker's delight and not
surprisingly, the public loved the car as it was both upscale and
well equipped, although it sported a base price of $4,445 compared
to the Corvette Sting Ray's $4,252. In the end, the main problem
for the original Avanti, was the fact that the public knew that its
parent company, Studebaker, was fast going out of business and
therefore were reluctant to purchase their cars. Upon seeing it
close its South Bend plant on December 20th 1963 and with the last
1964 Avanti having barely come off the production line, its fate
was sealed. Studebaker moved production of its other models to
Canada in 1965 and only Chevy engines were offered in 1965-66. The
renown 'Studebaker Motor Company' which had been incorporated in
1968 and founded in 1852 as a wagon producer, sadly folded in March
1966.In later years, being too good to let die, the Avanti model
continued with Chevy Corvette V8's after two South Bend Studebaker
dealers, Nate Altman and Leo Norman bought all the rights to the
model, formed the 'Avanti Motor Company' and continued to
hand-build the cars in an old Studebaker plant with the cars being
known as 'Avanti II's. After Altman's death in the mid 1970's the
Altman estate sold the operation to another entrepreneur in 1982,
who continued the passion of building the car and so it was for
years to come, until finally the recession of 1991 doomed the car
to history.This is a rare mostly all stock example of one of the
original and last year of the 289 V8 R1 Avanti's, with it's
completely original interior, yes completely original, and only one
repaint in it's original 'Avanti Red' color! It was originally sold
in 1964 to it's original southern California owner with it's
original owner's manual, original CA registrations, original window
sticker and it has only 68,700 original miles. The car has
reportedly, and obviously, always been garaged in a climate
controlled storage. The car had been sitting covered in a garage
for many years, being used only very infrequently, and always
having obviously always been superbly maintained mechanically.We
purchased the car in this all original stock condition with a
recent 'Excellence in Authenticity' award from the 'Avanti Owners
Association' International Meet in 2018 and which required only a
repaint due to the original paint's age and diminished quality. The
engine has been professionally balanced and has new gaskets, seals
and rings and drives absolutely beautifully. It has a stainless
steel dual exhaust system and the original hog troughs are original
and intact. Obviously, being a fiberglass car, the body has no rust
and the floor boards and trunk area are also completely original,
solid and rust free as are the hog troughs.This is a rare
opportunity to own a very rare (1 of only 809 built, with very few
good examples remaining) and internationally desirable 1964
legendary Studebaker Avanti R1 in all original stock condition
apart from one professional repaint in it's original factory
'Avanti Red' color! Few finer examples available anywhere and a
great addition for any American classic car collector to add to
their collection or obviously any Avanti enthusiast!