For Sale: 1982 Avanti Avanti II in Stanley, Wisconsin

***SALE PENDING*** Fabulous opportunity to own a rare and wonderful conversation starter, as well as a fun car to drive! Rust free FL and TX car, reportedly owned previously by Leo Newman of the Avanti Motor Co. Turn key, runs and drives great! Fully loaded and ready for a new owner. Reasonable offers encouraged, we can assist with financing and shipping, just ask. Thank you!The famous Studebaker Avanti was radically different from anything on the road during its two-year production run, from 1963-64. The design was polarizing, but thoroughly modern, and it could be configured in both mild and wild states of tune. Studebaker was plagued with problems at the time, however, and fewer than 6,000 were manufactured before production ceased. A few years later, in 1966, the Studebaker Corporation exited the auto business and Leo Newman and Nate Altman picked up the Avanti torch. Former Studebaker dealers from South Bend, Newman and Altman bought part of the original Studebaker plant, and had access to Studebaker's molds, tooling and development work. The two created the Avanti Motor Corporation and began producing the Avanti II. The earliest cars with the RQA serial number prefix and low-back seats were basically Studebakers with Chevrolet small-block V-8s, usually 327 cubic inches. The cars looked much the same, except the Avanti II had different badges and lost its pronounced forward rake. Eschewing mass production, the Avanti II became a bespoke automobile and buyers had endless color options and choices interior materials. Emissions restrictions suppressed power on the 305-cid V-8 engine that was used, and these later cars are less lively than the earlier cars. They did have several nice new features, though, like front disc brakes and decent GM air conditioning. Avanti IIs tend to have very affordable entry prices. Prevailing wisdom for the Avanti II is that the older the car, the better. Solid provenance is recommended, with no badly repaired accident damage. Most import, look for rust damage to the frame "hog troughs," as rot here can be difficult and expensive to fix. Avantis always invite conversation.