1964 Studebaker Avanti

The Avanti was Studebaker's final attempt at rebuilding its corporate fortunes. As the 1950s were coming to a close, the Studebaker-Packard Corporation was reeling from decreasing automobile sales. Sherwood Egbert assumed the company's presidency in 1961 and immediately began work on two fronts, with Brooks Stevens commissioned to update the existing models, and Raymond Loewy Associates tasked with designing a sporty new Studebaker with style and performance. The new car was dubbed the Avanti, meaning 'Foward' in Italian.

Raymond Loewy's team included Tom Kellogg, Bob Andrews, and John Ebstein, and the entire design was created in a mere 40 days. The clay scale model was created in eight days, with one half being a four-seat GT coupe and the other side being a two-place sports car.

The Avanti used a modified Studebaker Lark 109-inch convertible chassis, clothed in fiberglass bodywork, and powered by a modified 289 Hawk engine with an optional Paxton supercharger. The line of high-performance engine options, developed by famed racer and record holder Andy Granatelli, ranged from the 'R1' 289 CID V8 with 240 horsepower, the Paxton-supercharged 'R2' with 290 horsepower, the supercharged 'R3' with 335 horsepower, the twin-carbureted 'R4', and the twin-supercharged 'R5.' Granatelli proved the Avanti's capabilities, setting dozens of speed records at Bonneville in late 1962, including a 158.14-mph flying mile blast with a stock but carefully tuned R2 Avanti. In total, the Avanti would set 29 world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. At the time of its introduction, the Avanti was the fastest production car in the world.

The Bendix disc brakes were the first caliper discs in domestic production.

Studebaker marketed the Avanti as 'America's only four-passenger high-performance personal car.' The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door coupe had a luxurious yet purposeful designed interior similar to that of an aircraft cockpit. The exterior styling was unique, particularly the nose, which was rendered completely without a conventional grille and taking its cooling air in through a wide, nearly hidden, gap under the bumper. The front fenders were distinctive blades extending well forward of the nose. The graceful curves and pronounced Coke bottle sweep of the overall design were complemented by the parabolic curves and shape of the wheel wells. In the back were dual exhausts with low-restriction mufflers.

Introduced in 1962, Egbert estimated that approximately 20,000 examples would be sold in its inaugural year. However, sales fell far short of those estimates with approximately 1,200 units sold. The Avanti's lifespan was cut short by the closure of Studebaker's factory on December 20th, 1963. It is believed that 3,834 examples were sold in 1963 and 809 the following year.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2021