Avanti Avanti II 327/350 V8

Avanti Avanti II 327/350 V8

The Avanti II is one of the most remarkable stories of automotive survival. When Studebaker ceased production in December 1963, two South Bend businessmen — Nate Altman and Leo Newman — purchased the rights to the Avanti name and the tooling for its distinctive fiberglass body. They set up production in a section of the former Studebaker factory and began hand-building Avanti II coupes using Chevrolet powertrains, creating a continuation car that would remain in production, in various forms, for decades.

The original Studebaker Avanti, designed by the legendary Raymond Loewy and his team in an extraordinary forty-day design sprint in 1961, was one of the most striking American cars ever created. Its coke-bottle profile, absence of a traditional grille, and aircraft-inspired interior were years ahead of their time. The Avanti II faithfully preserved Loewy's exterior design while substituting readily available Chevrolet engines and transmissions for the discontinued Studebaker components.

The switch to Chevrolet power was arguably an improvement. The 327 cubic inch (later 350ci) Chevrolet small-block V8 was more powerful, more reliable, and infinitely easier to maintain than the Studebaker Jet Thrust engine it replaced. Paired with the Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission, the Avanti II offered brisk performance — approximately 300 horsepower in a 3,500-pound car delivered a 0-60 time of around 8 seconds.

Each Avanti II was essentially hand-built. Annual production rarely exceeded 100-150 cars, and each was assembled with a degree of individual attention impossible on a mass-production assembly line. Buyers could specify custom colors, interior trim, and equipment levels to a degree unusual outside of the European luxury car world. The price reflected this exclusivity — an Avanti II typically cost more than a Corvette.

The fiberglass body was a mixed blessing. It was impervious to rust (a significant advantage over steel-bodied competitors), lightweight, and relatively easy to repair. However, the gel coat could craze and develop spider cracks over time, and the fit and finish of hand-laid fiberglass varied with the skill of the individual builder.

The Avanti II was never a commercial success in the conventional sense — annual production measured in the dozens or low hundreds made it more of an artisanal operation than a business. But it succeeded in keeping one of the most beautiful American car designs alive for decades after Studebaker's demise. The continuation Avanti, in its various incarnations, survived until 2006 — an extraordinary testament to the enduring appeal of Loewy's design.

Today, the Avanti II is appreciated by collectors as a unique American grand tourer that offers striking Loewy styling, reliable Chevrolet mechanicals, a hand-built exclusivity, and the fascinating story of a design that refused to die.