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.The 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.Part of
the Duncan Imports collection since 2024 this Avanti was originally
purchased in California and is a rare 4 speed manual. It is
represented as having 24,000 miles.
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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.
