Vehicle Description
1963 Studebaker Avanti. AT, 4.7L V8, AC. ---- The Studebaker Avanti
is a personal luxury coupe manufactured and marketed by Studebaker
Corporation between June 1962 and December 1963. Described as "one
of the more significant milestones of the postwar industry", the
stunning Raymond Loewy-style car offered unrivaled safety and
exceptional high-speed performance. The fastest production car in
the world upon its introduction, a completely stock Avanti could
reach over 178 mph[8] with its supercharged 289 cubic inch engine.
In all, a it broke 29 world speed records at the Bonneville Salt
Flats. The Avanti featured front disc-brakes that were British
Dunlop designed units, made under license by Bendix, "the first
American production model to offer them."
This 1963 Studebaker Avanti was assembled in October 1962,
underwent a five-year body-off restoration in the mid-1990s, was
acquired by a US dealer in 2009, and resided in Japan from 2011
through November 2018. It is now in California. The car is finished
in Avanti Gold over Elk and Fawn vinyl. It is powered by a 289ci R2
V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission, although the
factory supercharger is no longer present. Equipment includes power
windows, windshield washers, and power steering. The starter motor
reportedly was replaced and the oil changed in summer 2019. This
Avanti has service records going back to 2011, a photographic
record of the refurbishment, a 1987 letter about the car from a
Studebaker historian, and a clean California title.
Summary: 1963 Studebaker AvantiThe exterior received a body-off
repaint in the factory Avanti Gold during the mid-1990s. A pair of
fender-mounted Strato-Vue mirrors and an asymmetric hood hump are
featured. Body sits on Factory 15 stamped steel wheels with wear
decorative covers and a set of Firestone FR380 whitewall tires
showing 2010 date codes.
The interior is trimmed in two-tone Fawn and Elk vinyl, with
pleated upholstery and brown carpeting on the lower door panels and
floorboards. An aftermarket air-conditioning system is installed
with controls mounted beneath the dash, just left of the steering
column. The odometer shows a little over 10k miles, which is the
approximate total said to have been added by the US dealer in 10
years of ownership; true mileage is unknown. The Studebaker-branded
push-button AM radio is retained, and speakers have been added on
both sides of the center console in the footwells.
The 289ci R2 V8 was reportedly rebuilt under prior ownership and
was originally equipped with a now-deleted Paxton supercharger.
Power travels to the rear wheels through a Borg-Warner three-speed
PowerShift automatic transmission and a Twin Traction limited-slip
differential. The starter motor was reportedly replaced and the oil
changed in summer 2019. Recently, a new water pump and battery.