The 1963 Studebaker Avanti is a personal luxury coupe celebrated as
an avant-garde masterpiece and one of the most significant
milestones of the postwar American automotive industry. Conceived
by Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert as a high-performance "halo
car" to rival the Ford Thunderbird, it was designed in a legendary
40-day crash program by industrial designer Raymond Loewy and his
team. Marketed as "America's only four-passenger high-performance
personal car," the Avanti combined advanced safety, striking
jet-age styling, and blistering record-breaking speed.Key Engine
Variants & PerformanceThe Avanti was built on a modified Studebaker
Lark Daytona convertible chassis but paired with cutting-edge
powertrain options built for high-speed endurance:- R1 (Naturally
Aspirated): Powered by a 289-cubic-inch V8 engine delivering 240
horsepower. It used a Carter four-barrel carburetor and featured a
10.25:1 compression ratio.- R2 (Supercharged): Equipped with a
factory-installed Paxton centrifugal supercharger on the 289 V8,
churning out 289 to 290 horsepower. The R2 is highly coveted by
collectors, particularly when paired with the rare 4-speed manual
transmission.- R3 (High-Performance Supercharged): : A bored-out
305-cubic-inch version producing 335+ horsepower. Driven by racing
legend Andy Granatelli at the Bonneville Salt Flats, modified R3
models smashed 29 world speed records, clocking speeds of nearly
179 mph.
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buying and selling classic and collector vehicles.
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In 2016 The Journal, brought to you by ClassicCars.com, was celebrated as the SECOND MOST INFLUENTIAL automotive blog in the world by NFC Performance.
