Tuesday 19th September 2017

Studebaker Avanti II: Spotted

Is it time to get your hands on America's four passenger high-performance personal car?

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It's an American car made of plastic. "All American cars are made of plastic" I hear you cry; but this one is different, I assure you. This is the story of a desperate attempt by a newly elected company president to rescue a historic brand, a French stylist, and group of dealers who tried to save a bewitching luxury coupe which died before its time.

Quite an intro for a 1980s American car then, especially one which already looked a bit past it when it was new. The story of the Avanti goes much further back than that though, all the way to the 1960s, to South Bend, Indiana and the home of Studebaker. This period was boom time for Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler; but not for much smaller brands like Studebaker, who were beginning to wilt under the almighty power of the big three.

Studebaker had been quite successful during the late 1950s with the Lark - a compact, affordable car which could still seat six people. But by the 1960s people were becoming richer, a young John F. Kennedy had become President, and the world was looking to the stars as NASA was aiming for the moon. People weren't interested in a practical economy car, they wanted something much more aspirational.

To try and tap into this new found prosperity, new Studebaker president, Sherwood Egbert, thought a personal luxury coupe would do the trick, much like the Ford Thunderbird had for the blue oval. He gathered together a team which included the French-born, American industrial designer Raymond Loewy - whose C.V included Lucky Strike packaging, Coca-Cola vending machines, the Greyhound Scenicruiser bus (Google it) and the Air-Force livery. With a list like that, it's easy to see why he was often referred to as the man who shaped America.

Within six weeks, they'd created a full-scale clay model of the new car, which was promptly given the name Avanti, Italian for forward. It had numerous novelties, such as aircraft style switches in the interior, an integrated roll-cage, and front disc brakes - a first for an American production car. The front was also devoid of a grill, with it instead being moved below the bumper line, in a bid to make the car look more streamlined.

The body was to be made of fiberglass, which is arguably what doomed the project. The thinking was that it would reduce the weight, but it also helped to get the car into production sooner, as they didn't have to create the tooling for an all-steel body. They enlisted the same company which produced the bodies for the Chevrolet Corvette, but early quality control problems delayed orders, with back windows popping out at high-speed and tolerances being a bit hit and miss. Impatient customers simply cancelled their orders and took their business elsewhere.

Despite the early interest, the Studebaker Avanti lasted just over a year in production, with only 4,643 made. For other cars, this would be the end of the road, but not the Avanti. Enterprising ex-Studebaker dealers Nate Altman and Leo Newman bought the rights, tooling and South Bend factory to carry on production as the Avanti Motor Corporation. With a number of improvements they launched the Avanti II in 1965, keeping it in production until the business was sold on in 1982.

The Avanti II in this advert comes from towards the end of this run, which by now was using a smaller 305ci 5.0 V8 also found in the Chevrolet Camaro. Despite what it may say, the 305ci certainly didn't make the 305hp suggested, instead managing a meager 155hp driven through a three-speed turbo 350 gearbox. A far cry from the supercharged Avanti of 1963 which managed nearly 200mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

But who cares? Are you really going to want to drive the wheels off of a 36 year old car? Especially one with what seems to have blemish-free bodywork. I'd suggest you take it easy, enjoy the fantastic Lowey styling, revel in the burble of that American V8 - it sounds a lot more potent than it actually is - and be satisfied in the knowledge you'll be driving a rare car. It's guaranteed to be the talk of your local car meet, and unlikely to receive the negative glances of those who can't stand the ostentatious looks of the Avanti's contemporaries. Aside from anything, it's the perfect classic for a UK owner, because not being made of steel, you won't ever have to worry about using it in the rain.

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STUDEBAKER AVANTI II
Engine: 4,998cc, V8
Transmission: three-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 155
Torque (lb ft): 240
MPG: Not many
CO2: Lots
First registered: 1981
Recorded mileage: 50,000
Price new: $4,445 (1963 original)
Yours for: £22,750

See the original advert here.

[Words: Max Adams]

 

[Turbobanana]

It's certainly distinctive, but to me it looks like it was designed by a group of people who never met each other.

As a quirky, rare curiosity, it seems good value for £22,750 though.

[Turbobanana]

B10 said:

Note to editor.
Can we use cubic centimetres for engine size and not cubic inches in all articles. Just because the US use ci it does not mean we have to when talking about US cars.

Would you like it RHD, critical of the weather and with a fondness for tea as well?

US cars have always been measured in Cubic Inches and, as others have pointed out, engine size does not imply horsepower. If you're stuck divide ci by 0.061 to get a cc figure and multiply cc by 0.061 to get ci.

Edited by Turbobanana on Tuesday 19th September 12:49

[Turbobanana]

unsprung said:

Ian Fleming had an Avanti. He said:

"It has a very nice, sexy exhaust note and will do well over a hundred and has got really tremendous acceleration"

In the years 1962-1963 this car was special.

Some in this thread mock the look... But the Avanti was celebrated precisely because of its Jet Age design. Shortly after launch, it was whisked away to the Louvre for an exhibit on modern industrial design -- along with such Jet Age wonders as the IBM Selectric (the typewriter with all the characters fitted on a single ball).

Studebaker bet the company on Avanti and their strategy was correct. The car set speed records. At Studebaker dealerships, punters filled the forecourt. But, as we now know, there were larger market forces at work, and it was not to be.

My POV is all about the meaning of the car:

Avanti -- as originally designed -- was an American interpretation of a sort of debonair, vaguely Continental, lifestyle. It's an optimistic look reminiscent of a particular time: Jackie and John F. Kennedy, Mad Men (the US television programme), the Boeing 707, Googie architecture, "Time-saving household appliances" and so on.

For many people, including for me, the Avanti story begins and ends with the original production model. The car featured in the PH article is what one might call a continuation -- thus the name Avanti II (the original was simply Avanti). IMO, this II model looks woeful on its jacked up suspension and with a wheel and tyre combination that disfigures the original design language. Also, the photos provided to PH for this article are unfortunate in their perspective / parallax.


Ian Fleming and his Avanti:
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Edited by unsprung on Tuesday 19th September 23:32

An interesting take on it. Certainly the Avanti (II or otherwise) seems to divide opinion.

For me, there are 3 main problems: the wheelarches are too big and swept back; the front looks like it comes from a rear-engined car (I realise a grille-less design was Loewy's aspiration); and the window line droops in the middle, a little like an E-Type would were it not for the chrome window frame. In fact it looks like the whole car was designed with sharp, crisp lines then left in a shower for too long - a bit like Mercedes' current droopy design language.

The interior's great, however, and the early cars do indeed look way better than the later ones.

To continue the Fleming theme, it leaves me shaken, not stirred. Sorry