Vehicle Description
1963 Studebaker Avanti SC - Factory Supercharged 289 V8 - Dark Red
over Red Interior - Original Build Sheet and other paperwork -
Clean, Collectible Example (Please note: If you happen to be
viewing this 1963 Studebaker Avanti SC on a website other than our
Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some
of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website
limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 145
photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video,
please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.) The rakish
1963-64 Studebaker Avanti was among the most daring 1960s American
cars, a modern masterpiece.... �€" Dan Jedlicka's Road Tests and
Classic Cars Longtime automotive writer, Dan Jedlicka, raved on
about the Avanti: Performance? An Avanti with a supercharged V-8
was one of the fastest 1960s autos. A supercharged model hit 168
mph, while a modified version reached 196 mph--a staggering speed
for a 1960s production street car. Some 29 Bonneville speed records
were smashed by a supercharged Avanti. Safety? The Avanti (Italian
for 'forward') was the first mass-produced, fiberglass-body
four-passenger American car. It also was the first such car to use
caliper-style disc brakes. Sexy? James Bond author Ian Fleming
ordered a black Avanti and shipped it to foreign countries he
visited outside his native England. Ricky Nelson, the second most
popular (behind Elvis) rock and roll singer of the late 1950s and
early 1960s, also owned an Avanti.... In short, the Avanti was a
modern masterpiece. Too bad it didn't last long enough to help the
veteran Studebaker Corp. from failing in the United States in late
1963. Offered here is a clean, documented, original, and very
collectible 1963 Studebaker Avanti SC in metallic red over red. The
original build sheet detailing the car's factory-installed
equipment (including the supercharger) together with a full
complement of original owner literature is included in the sale.
The car's odometer currently shows 53,022 miles, or fewer than
1,400 miles per-year on average since new. With a total of just
4,643 Avantis sold for the 1963-64 model years, this beautiful red
Avanti must stand as one of the very best such examples still in
existence. The exterior metallic red paint (almost burgundy)
displays a virtually showroom-new finish across the entire car:
even gloss and reflectivity, even on lower-body surfaces.
Panel-alignment is excellent and there is no sign of damage or
appreciable wear to be seen. The sculpted, Raymond Loewy-designed
body of the Avanti-crisp edges, flowing lines, and a perfect
stance-- was stunning in 1963, and still looks appealing today. (To
best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be
sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the
accompanying gallery.) Chrome was used sparingly to good effect.
Here, all chrome-on the bumpers, headlight trim, cabin-window trim,
delicate taillight trim, front-fender-mounted side mirrors, and
door handles-shines beautifully with only very light patina evident
in spots. The restrained badging mounted at the factory-the
stylized Avanti script on the front, Studebaker script logo on the
rear, the lovely stylized S on the offset hood trim and sail
panels, and script Supercharged designation on the lower front
fenders-remains in place and in excellent condition. Factory-tinted
cabin glass and all lighting lenses are clear and undamaged.
Firestone® Deluxe Champion thin-whitewall 6.70/15 tires are mounted
on factory steel wheels with chrome faux-spoke wheel covers. The
car's interior color theme is a very appealing dark red. The
forward-folding front bucket seats and rear, sculpted 2-position
seats are upholstered in well-maintained red leather (the driver's
seat has been recovered). The upholstery is free of damage and
shows virtually no wear overall. Black safety belts (appropriate in
a car which, when modified, hit a then-record 196
