Vehicle Description
***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.