The rakish 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti was among the most daring 1960s american cars, a modern masterpiece with totally unique american styling that even top exotic italian auto stylists wouldnt attempt to do.the Avanti had advanced safety features, when no u.s. Automaker particularly gave a darn about safety. Such features included a built-in roll bar, padded interior and door latches that became structural body members when closed. An Avanti with a supercharged v-8 was one of the fastest 1960s autos. A supercharged model hit 168 mph, while a modified version reached 196 mph--a staggering speed for a 1960s production street car. Some 29 bonneville speed records were smashed by a supercharged Avanti. James bond author ian fleming ordered a black Avanti and shipped it to foreign countries he visited outside his native england. Ricky nelson, the second most popular (behind elvis) rock and roll singer of the late 1950s and early 1960s, also owned an Avanti (which i drove one evening in the 1980s because it was for sale at a ft. Lauderdale exotic car dealer). In short, the Avanti was a modern masterpiece. Too bad it didnt last long enough to help the veteran Studebaker corp. From failing in the united states in late 1963. Studebaker was more than 100 years old when the Avanti debuted. It began making horse-drawn wagons in 1862 and produced its first cars--electric models--in 1902. But stude was in deep trouble by the mid-1950s. It lacked the economy of scale of larger u.s. Automakers and thus its cars, although good, werent cost-competitive against giants such as general motors. Fresh in! Super nice car. Clean body and paint and interior. Runs great! Took lots of pics for you however we are doing research to see what all this model is equipped with.
