StanNH

I had a chance to drive an acquaintance's 1963 Studebaker Avanti yesterday. I then let the Avanti's owner drive my 2005 C6.

Bill, the father of one of our daughter's friends, stopped by our store yesterday and introduced himself. "My daughter says you like cars and own a Corvette", is pretty much how his introduction went. "Well, yeah" was my succinct answer. My wife agreed to give me a break from work and I headed out to see this fellow's prized possession, a really cherry 1963, burgundy Studebaker Avanti.

Since I was a kid, the Fiberglas bodied Avanti has been a dream car of mine. The Raymond Loewe design was dramatic and sleek ... art on wheels. I think this was the first time I have ever actually been able to examine one up close and personal, let alone drive one. Bill gave me the keys and said, "Let's go for a ride." I turned the key, let it crank, let it crank some more, and then let it crank some more. "You have to let it crank for a while when it's hot", explained Bill. Another round of cranking and the Avanti finally turned over and rumbled through its glass packs.

The interior felt cramped compared to the C6, the bucket seats board like in their contour. I stepped on the clutch, amazed at how heavy it was...like stepping on a brick. I forced the big Hurst shifter into first and got going. Shifting was close to a cardio workout .. it took real effort to get through the massive 4 speed Hurst shifter that had been installed in this car. Acceleration was decent, but not at all impressive. Holding on to that skinny plastic steering wheel, I wondered how this car would do on really curvy roads, since just keeping it going straight was a bit of a challenge. The steering was very light and totally disconnected from the road. After this bubble bursting little drive, we headed back to my house to pick up my C6.

I pulled the C6 out of my garage and told Bill to hop in and take it for a drive. I warned him about the touchy clutch, but he mastered it almost instantly and off we went. We had a chance to cover some great back roads as well as some long straight stretches, and Bill really wound it out. Top off, sunny day, and running through the gearbox like a kid, Bill couldn't get this huge grin off his face the whole time. He loved the sound of the Corsas, the crisp handling, the huge amounts of torque, and just marveled at how tight the car felt. I have to admit that, sitting in the passenger's seat, this car felt MUCH faster than it does when I'm behind the wheel. I caught myself white-knuckling the grip on more than one occasion. Now I understand why my wife closes her eyes when I nail it.

The day ended with Bill thanking me for the "driving experience of my life". I thanked him for giving me the chance to drive a legend on wheels, his 1963 Avanti. Although the Avanti was far from a driver's car, it's still one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced and will always be an automotive classic. Coming from work, I didn't have a camera with me. I will try to get Bill back up here with his Avanti soon, so I can do a side by side photo shoot. I kicked myself afterwords that I didn't stop for a camera, but I was too caught up in the moment.

Two great American classic cars ... it doesn't get any better than this.

WMark

I've always loved the original Avanti. Not surprised at your driving evaluation. Its a 44 year old car. But what a looker.

Great write-up.

Craymond

Nice post Stan. My father has a pristine 1963 Avanti in turquoise with about 55,000 original miles. When we take that car for a ride it's always slow and easy, just cruisin' and enjoying the time together. When we take my 07 C6 out for a ride, things get "slightly more spirited". I agree, two American great cars!

gilbybarr

Great post....we have a 1980 Avanti II in excellent condition, which is essentially the exact same car as the Studes except for the GM drive train and certain bits such as the seats and brakes that were outsourced from the big three (and AMC's) parts bins. It has the old Studebaker Lark X frame under it and it drives honestly like a late 50's or early 60's car. Its Steel Cities Gray with a red leather interior...very striking. That was the original way it was ordered "hand and custom built" from the factory. They only built about 160 Avanti's that year. I have the original build sheet and also have found and talked to the original owner about its history. There is literally no way to compare one of these cars to a C6 (my 2008 is being built sometime in October). But I have to say that this old Avanti draws even more attention than my '65 Corvette Coupe most of the time. You will hear two things....either "damn, I havent seen one of those in 30 years", or "it looks like its going backward." I had wanted one since high school when a buddy had a '63 Turquoise supercharged four speed (that he flipped and destroyed on graduation night). When I find the right one, I will probably buy an original Studebaker version some day....but for now, this unique car is fun to drive to shows...and you dont see yourself coming (or is that going?).

FortMorganAl

Didn't have a camera? Is this it?

Landru

Great write-up, Stan.
The Avanti & Jag XKE-Type were two cars of my youth I most wanted to own.

There're many great points I could've quoted but found this one to be the best:

Class act.
I love doing that for a real car guy, just to see that grin.

jcortney

Like this one? 1966 E Type 4.2 trip weber carbs - absolutely the only car I ever owned in my life that I'd do anything to have back.

CQRT

I worked summers at a boat marina in western NY during college where the owner collected Avantis. My job every morning was to wash, vacuum and gas up whatever Avanti he chose to drive that day and accordingly, I've always admired, but never owned one.

There seem to be quite a few out here - - between those that go through the Barrett Jackson auction and others in private ownership, they appear fairly regularly in the local papers and photo-trader.

Although I certainly wouldn't have one in place of my C6, it may be time to part with my old MGB to create room in the garage - -the original Avanti still trips my trigger . . . .and the II's were being built in Ohio for a time, does anyone know if they're still being manufactured ?

Thanks for a great thread.

Landru

Uh huh.
Exactly like that one, Joe.
I especially liked 'em in Canary Yellow (if that's what it was called) in either coupe or roadster.
Trust me I'd had gladly owned one in primer gray if I'd the chance back then.

Perfectly understandable.
Bet your old car's probably had a complete body-off restoration by now & sells for 6 digits.

Like Avanti the E-Type's styling was so far ahead of its time their lines still look fabulous, 50 years later.

johnodrake

I saw my first Avanti in 1962. A relative of mine had a Studebaker dealership and had one on the floor. Never got to drive one or ride in one but always loved the look. 40+ years of technology will make a difference

double eagle

- I remember the Avanti from my high school days - it was a head turner.

carpe dm

Me too! Great design.

StanNH

That's it, right down to the whitewalls! Thanks for posting that picture, and thanks to all the other Avanti owners for adding their photos to this thread. What a classy looking car that was.

Next time I meet up with Bill, I promise there will be pictures to accompany the thread.

kgelliott

1963 Avantis and Corvette split-window coupes...one of my very favorite car-watching times of life!! What great cars!

Wayne O

I still see an occasional Avanti cruising down the road from time to time and they still turn-heads like they did back in the day. Granted it's dated by today's standards but I still consider the Avanti to be a classic.

It was cool you exchanged driving experiences. Nice post.

gilbybarr

In response to the question on if the Avanti was still being built....the answer, until the last 6 months or so, was "yes". But, the company went thru a variety of owners and also went from the old Lark chassis, to being built on GM systems (Monte Carlo's, El Caminos, Impallas, and even Firebird bodies). The most recent version was being built on the Mustang body....they would rebody by hanging on new Fiberglass panels and doing some interior upgrades, wheels, etc. Cost had jumped to $80k plus (in convertibles too). Were being "built" in Georgia (Villa Rica) during the Firebird years...then the company was moved to Mexico by the last owner. They were just barely putting out cars and then about 6 months ago, the company owner, a big real estate and resort investor, was arrested on Federal Fraud charges for some of his other dealings. Sad.....but dont count the Avanti out. If it follows pattern, it will resurface at some point...who knows when. There is a great website for fans at www.theavanti.com

redrokit8

NICE

easyrider13

Thanks for the write-up.
I've loved the design of the Avanti since it was first made.
Avanti is one of the few designs that looked fresh for almost thirty years. I grudgingly admit that it now looks dated, but it still looks great!

jschindler

Nice write-up. Long story, but I rode in one back in the mid 60's owned by the guy who supplied some of the moldings for the Avanti. I met his son at Bowling Green four years ago at the Labor Day bash. He is supplying some of the moldings for the Corvette now - I think the tub under the back hatch area.

I also drove one in the late '60s that was owned by the parents of a high school friend.

slvr 07

nice write up, only thing its not fair to compare the two, not really fair with the c6 technology.....