1963 Studebaker Avanti

The Studebaker Avanti was a revolutionary vehicle, and its design was courtesy of the talents of renowned industrial designer Raymond Loewy's design team. Its body was made of fiberglass, and this was the first American car, mass-produced, to have front disc brakes. Safety features included door reinforcements, an overhead vinyl-covered roll-bar, and door locks designed with a stainless-steel pin and lock system to achieve a positive lock. The suspension was comprised of front and rear sway bars.

Initially called the Model X, it was eventually called the Studebaker Avanti. It was the brainchild of Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert, and Studebaker engineers and designers had the first Avanti built in less than six months and at one-tenth the cost of a normal Detroit-built automobile. The design featured smooth lines, a wedge shape, and an under-the-bumper radiator air intake. Studebaker advertised the Avanti as a new class of American automobiles that had both sophistication and great elegance.

For 1963, Studebaker built 3,834 examples of its 2-door Sport Coupe. Power was from an overhead valve 289 cubic-inch 8-cylinder engine offering 240 horsepower. With the R2 Supercharged engine, horsepower rose to nearly 300. The engine had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, solid valve lifters, a Carter four-barrel carburetor, and five main bearings. The addition of the supercharger added an additional $210 to the base price of the Avanti (the base price of the two-door Sport Coupe was $4,445).

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2019