Avanti

"Dakotahound" (dakotahound) 02/07/2020 at 10:00 • Filed to: Avanti

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This Avanti was across from me at a red light this morning. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a better look, or a better picture.

Avanti on International Speedway Boulevard.

I t is marked “Avanti,” but I believe that it is an Avanti II because of the rear bumper. It is almost cer tainly not a Studebaker Avanti (fewer than 5,000 were made) , although these reproductions are very close to the original design.

I have always liked the Avanti, along with the Studebaker “Hawk” models.

Milky > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 10:17

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hot hot hot

Sovande > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 10:25

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My uncle used to have a couple Avanti's. They are neat as shit. 

Dakotahound > Sovande 02/07/2020 at 10:28

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You are lucky. I have only been up-close to an Avanti once. Most of my adm iring has been from a distance (and photographs).

punkgoose17 > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 10:38

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I think you are right. An earlier Avanti II with the II removed from the badging, because it looks original except it says Avanti instead of Studebaker and there is a key lock on the gas flap.

Dakotahound > punkgoose17 02/07/2020 at 10:47

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Yes ... I didn’t notice the key lock until you mentioned it. I was looking at the two black bumper guards.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 11:03

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The front end styling is a let down for me. Needs more “flair” like a Jensen Interceptor. 

Sovande > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 11:15

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One wa s nice and one was a heap. Both were silver.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 11:23

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Am I the only one that thinks these  are fugl y as all get-out?

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 11:24

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Raymond Loewy certainly did design a very interesting and unique form with the Studebaker Avanti, which carried on afterward.

I kind of enjoyed the FantomWorks episode where they resto-modded an Avanti to be more driveable and modern. They had to do a fair amount of custom work to get things to fit, including an aftermarket electric power steering rack, IIRC.

Dakotahound > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 02/07/2020 at 11:24

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I have never seen a Jense n Interceptor, and ha ve only ever seen one Jensen-Heale y which, I know, is a completely different type of automobile.

Dakotahound > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/07/2020 at 11:26

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I have always liked the design, although cooling must be a challenge with the solid front.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 11:30

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I can kinda see the lines  they were going for, but the car needs to be wider. As a result it’s too long and tall and somehow both curvy and rectilinear at the same time.

Dakotahound > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 02/07/2020 at 11:33

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I have always thought that owning a restored classic would be fun, and my personal favorite is the Auburn 851 Speedster. That was before I got to ride in, and drive, some classics (a 1936 Ford Coupe and a 1957 Bel Air) - they were kind of awful. For driving, a resto-mod would, by far, be my preference. I am sure that the purists would be horrified.

benn454 > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 11:51

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 Did it at least shoot flames from the exhaust? 

Dakotahound > benn454 02/07/2020 at 13:07

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Not this one, although it did sound nice.

ranwhenparked > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 14:24

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Its a fairly early one, before the 80s facelift and before the new 5mph bumpers from the early 70s. The only really major change from Studebaker Avanti to Avanti II was swapping the Studebaker drivetrain for a GM one. Otherwise, they were built in the same factory, with the same tooling, on the same Lark convertible chassis as the original. More continuation cars than replicas. The replica part came later on, in the mid 80s, when the stockpile of new 1960s Studebaker chassis was exhausted and they had to switch to GM platforms.

Dakotahound > ranwhenparked 02/07/2020 at 14:46

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Interesting - I didn’t know that. It is amazing that the chas si s lasted until the 80s (2 0 years). The main thing that I noticed were the bumper guards, which were not on the original Studebaker.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 14:48

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The Interceptor was a very interesting automobile. Could be had with AWD in the 6 0's!

ranwhenparked > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 14:51

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Production was extremely low, 120-150 a year on average, if I remember correctly. Avanti bought up all the inventory when Studebaker ended car production.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Dakotahound 02/07/2020 at 15:54

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Yeah if it was a Studebaker Avanti, it would say Studebaker in the back like this:

NojustNo > Dakotahound 02/09/2020 at 19:55

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The had one of these at the museum in Tacoma when I went a few months ago.

Dakotahound > NojustNo 02/10/2020 at 06:12

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Nice - and I kind of like that red interior.