I have bought an 81 Avanti this year and had it shipped from the USA to Australia. I know that this car does not appeal to everybody- even my own brother doesn't particularly like it. If you truly appreciate the history behind some of these cars, the appeal grows. I know this, and when I sit in mine I have to pinch myself to realise that I own such a significant piece of motoring history. Like it or not the Avanti is that kind of car. Considering it came out of 1962 and was made just that way for another three decades (with really minimal changes but virtually all for the better) you have to hand it some due. I stlill call it a Studebaker and typical of that marque- ya either love 'em or hate 'em.... and speed isn't everything.
My father worked at Studebaker in Hamilton up until it closed in the 60s. He moved on to Ford then retired there. This was a beautiful and will be missed. Thanks John.
I have had the chance to drive an Avanti, and it is a wonderful car to drive. My late father had one, and my family went into the factory in South Bend, Indiana. Beautiful car…
I grew up in South Bend, and am old enough to remember the glory days of manufacturing here. The Avanti was a cool car way ahead of it's time, and Raymond Loewy was the designer of some other Studebaker cars such as the beautiful "Golden Hawk" in the late 50s. The man was way ahead of his time. I sure would love to see South Bend regain some of that former economic glory from those bygone days.
@Take the red pill Yes! He is STEPPING up production of his ties in China! Ivanka's clothing manufacturing business in Bangladesh is also going to require MORE workers!
@@SonnyGTA - It definitely happened. Those poor winning contestants, too. A 4 door Avanti. As if the 2 door ones weren't ugly enough. Imagine getting a 10-99 form for the tax man for a 4 door Avanti from a game show....
Incredibly interesting! Just watched Motorweek this weekend on PBS and was thinking of those days when they tested an Avanti, a test before this exotic entry. I have to hand it to Motorweek to do this, you couldn't get a mainline publication like Motor Trend, Car and Driver, or Road and Track to even acknowledge Avanti's, or Studebaker for that matter. No wonder we have so few domestic car makers left. They handed the market to foreign makes on a silver platter.
The Avanti chassis changed from the 1953 Studebaker design to one adapted from a Chevrolet midsize car, then to a Chevrolet Caprice. After the 1986 bankruptcy, Avanti went through a succession of owners, a move to Ohio, a short-lived (and ugly) four-door sedan version, another move to Georgia, a change from Chevrolet to Ford engines, another move to Mexico, and the owner's arrest for running a Ponzi scheme. That ended the Avanti for good (bad?).
I had the pleasure of seeing one of these at an NC car show back in Autumn ‘19. If I remember correctly, the man who brought it was the original owner - told him I thought it was the coolest car I’d seen there and appreciated him keeping an oddball like this on the road. Frankly I think the car looks great, though I will say it’s better in-person.
Just goes to show you that you're never to old to learn something! I'm over 50, and for all of these years I thought Avanti was something out of Canada!
You can be excused, since Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana (Notre Dame University) went under before you were born... They even produced a Rockne model in honor of Knute Rockne... My grandpa drove a big car, 1940's Studebaker President...
Our family owned two original 1963 Avanti. First was destroyed in a crash and the second finally sold and replaced with something more practical. The Avanti was a "touring car" similar in concept to the Thunderbird. It was not a sports car and the handling was typical for similar sized cars of that era. The continuation of the car past its original clean design was never an improvement. It was designed in an era when bumpers were just decorations, so the addition of larger bumpers was detrimental to the design. The back seat was very cramped for adults. If you search YT and the net you can find lots of info, tests and stories from owners of the 1963-64 and the Avanti II (that was nearly identical to the original except for the switch to Chevrolet engines & transmissions.) It's great that MotorWeek has given us these retro reviews as a fun way to cover some automotive history.
Man, the variety of cars that have graced MotorWeek's testing facilities over the years is stunning. These post-Studebaker Avantis are really obscure cars... amazing that the business kept going for so long (and in the original South Bend plant at that). Makes me kind of wish they were still around, although they actually *did* survive all the way up until 2006!! By that point they were basically a re-bodied Mustang, after having been a re-bodied Camaro briefly in the early '00s. They were also being built in Mexico, and the owner of the company was apparently running some type of Ponzi scheme. A sad ending, although at least it's a good story!
I remember servicing a couple of these lil gems in the early 90's when I worked for GoodYear. 1 was an 80 with the low suds 350 Vette engine and 3 speed auto, the other was indeed an 85 with the 305 HO and 5 speed. That car was actually quite fun to drive! Both were white on saddle tan interiors, in leather. Both always turned heads, and both were fairly easy to drive, as long as 1 wasn't backing up.. Low seating and limited rear glass area made it seem like I was sitting way down in it, not just in it and ready to go. Still, I never see these cars anymore, so this limited review was nice!
I love MotorWeek, but I notice now, watching it years later, how easy they are on the vehicles in terms of criticism and that critique is somewhat inconsistent as well.
Not one mention of the abysmal quality of some of the cars they tested even by 80s and 90s standards. It was well known what the predicted and actual reliability was with most of the hunks-o-s%it they tested over the years.
In the 80's, my favorite 3 American cars were the '87 Buick GN, Mustang SVO and the Avanti. I still have my '84 SVO, went to trade in another vehicle for a GN when they were still new, but deal fell through because they would't give me enought trade in. Sadly, never got an Avanti either, but hey, at least I still have one of my favorites!
Greatest Design Ever! Designed by the same man that designed the original coke bottle. You can actually trace a coke bottle off the body from the rear corner. Today we hear about coke bottle bodies, this is where it came from. Anybody that cannot appreciate an Avanti (Only car to ever be on display in the Smithsonian as an automotive work of art), should drive a Yugo or Pacer.
Chevs 5.0 litre L69 A great engine. I bought my first Camaro. An '84 Z28 5.0 HO. The best Camaro I have owned. The L69 was a great 5.0 litre mill.....never once had any engine issues with it. I put over 100,000 km's on it while I owned it. Loved that car.
Nice side profile, interior has its charms, better looking then most of the US vehicle interiors if that era, great side and rear profile......but that front end🤮 it’s enough to make baby Jesus cry. You’d need to pass sick bags around at the unveiling of this from end.
@@cowboygeologist7772 Prototype R3, 299.4 cubes (finalized R3 was 304.5). The R5 (304.5, dual superchargers, Bendix fuel injection, belly pan fairings) made it to 196, and I have seen a video of a modified Studebaker-powered Avanti special that made it to 216 MPH.
in the Summer of 84 i visited their showroom in South Bend...just fantasy shopping but the Executives and designers took their own time to show me around, let me window shop and test drive. they shared their fantasies of where it could go and went into unlisted options that could be integrated during build.
Fake Riviera, how freaking insulting! This car was built nearly 2 years before it, and stayed in production until 2007. In it's day it was the fastest production car in existance. Few, if any cars can trace their history back to 1852. And, the grill was under the front bumper. This car was shocking in 1962, no grill, almost no chrome, roll bar, seat belts, etc. Maybe these are taken for granted in the past 10 to 20 years, but 50 years ago, believe me it was radical stuff.
Neil Dickson remember back in 90s..was looking at one at dealership from one built at plant in canada were priced high 30s..mrs ricker of riker motors had one of originales with suoercgarger had trouble keeping up with her at time has a shelby..and she was in her 80s
@@larrywiggin3489 Common disbelief. Studebaker built cars in Hamilton, Ontario for many years, moving all world production there in 64-66. The Avanti was NOT a reproduction. It was a continuing product built until 2007, when the CEO got into serious legal problems. Up until that time, the Studebaker name was planned on being reintroduced on a Hummer like XUV.
It is very interesting how the Avanti's front always used to be very modern, even for the 80's, only the rear (from the small window to the rear) are less modern, but, of course, talking about design.
@@ceesan5605 One of the original designers, Tom Kellogg (RIP) updated it in the early 2000s, setting the revised model on a Firebird space-frame. It worked, and performed on par with or a bit better than with the top-optioned '64 model Studebaker R3 Avanti. After Kellogg's death and the demise of Pontiac, and relocation from Villa Rica, GA to Cancun, a few were built on the Mustang platform before they finally shut down. Have to wonder, though, how a hybrid or full-electric long-range version of the Kellogg design (or even the original Loewy-team --- Raymond Loewy, John Ebstein, Bob Andrews, and Tom Kellogg) would compete today? Remember, the original Avanti had the lowest coefficient of drag in the world at the time, and with a supercharged 299-cubic inch Studebaker (.090 overbore on the Stude 289) engine it set 29 Bonneville speed records, faster than the Pontiac 421, faster than the Dodge 426 wedge.
It's not like the Avanti Corporation was trying to be in the mainstream market nor did they have the funds to do so. It's a very interesting piece for it's day that's better than quite a few others we were making at the time.
What younger observation fails to grasp is that this design came out in 1962. It was revolutionary, there was absolutely nothing on the road like it nor would there be for 10 to 20 years. It's easy to criticize a 50 year old design now, but totally illogical. What would a 50 year old car look like in 1962? I dare say you won't get admiring looks on 1912 model in 62. The Avanti was decades ahead and the industry finally caught up, but it deserves respect as a pioneer of design. Many later cars copied elements like the Camaro, Jensen Interceptor. many others. Like the Chrysler Airflow, it simply was too advanced for American tastes.
Neil Dickson Yea my dads not an American car guy really but he digs these...more towards a European style at the time. On a side note, at work the other day and wrenching on a mid 60s onan generator and I noticed the tag said "onan, a division of studebaker"....I did not know that.
I don't think that there has every been anything on the road like it. The original Avanti, especially, with the round headlights is one of the coolest cars ever. I say this as a millenial, so I think maybe some people are just being negative, which is nothing new on yt.
Our neighbor was a Studebaker fan and had an original early 60s Avanti. It was a pretty cool car given the time it was built in. I liked the looks of it. Over 20 years later? Not so much.
HAHAHA I also always thought that with the post Studebaker Avanti esp with the modern wheels and tacky interiors. But I still like them :) I'd just pull back on the tackiness If i was ordering one.
They went to Monte Carlo donor cars in 1986, and the seldom seen four door version was put on an El Camino donor , due to the need for a longer wheelbase .
With auto manufactures showimg interest in bringing back in-line six cylinder engines, wouldn't it be neat if someone would bring back the Avanti with an in-line six cylinder under that long hood. Of course the car needs some updates like air bags, four wheel independent suspension, four wheel disc brakes, EFI, ABS, and traction control. But with it's timeless design and amazing good looks I think it would still sell. I know I'd want one.
I spotted one of about this vintage a couple of days ago. All I saw was the roof and a couple of inches of the pillars, but I recognized it, even driving past the lot at about sixty MPH. I turned around and paused to take some pictures. I still prefer the original round-headlight Studebaker model.
Beautiful... standout style, many cars nowadays look like every other car out there... not the Avanti! And 9 seconds was fine for its day, I hope the guys saying it's slow say that for every review from a year like this with such a time... at which point, you'd start to look more than a bit foolish.
+9890jsp well to be fair, less than 100 Avantis were built between 1988 and 2006 with no production at all between 1991-99. Shame the marque ended with a crook, on his way to trial when he died. Would like to see the Studebaker and Avanti names come back though. The Ferrari comparison is ridiculous.
nice power for back then indeed, and still decent today, much better than a Prius. Compared to a Yugo, Chevette, or 2.5 liter Citation, this car was greased lightning
The square headlights clash with the design. I get that they looked more modern, but I think the original circular headlights fit much better with the Avanti body.
Only kids? Look, Show, when the car was new detractors were calling it the "Anteater." Sales under Studebaker were poor. The new '63 Corvette Stingray was much more popular.
In 1963 I lived next door to a guy that had the Avanti, he used me to Watch for Benton, Arkansas police who Lusted to catch him, we always had drag races on Highway 35. I didn't get a Driver's License for 4 years, 1966 i turned 16, when a used 55 Ford Car costed $75.00. A used @100.00 car had No Oil and Exhaust emitting noxious fumes, and a $$50.00 1955 Buick Sedan would last forever, those old cars were designed to be rebuild able under a shade tree by Arkansas Poor Folks and by golly I with we had enough Brains to build like they was then.
As opposed to Ford, Chrysler, or even General Motors , Studebaker and AMC came out with very original, but unconventional car model designs over time. However, this car looked quite ugly without a front grill, or any ventilation traps. I’m sure the engine must have overheated once in a while.
I almost bought a new 1985 one in Kansas City, but just didn't like the looks of the front end looking like it should be the rear. Yes, I know they all looked like that in the front.
I had no idea they were still making these in 1985. Looks like a really nice car, but at the equivalent of $80 grand today? Hmm. Not fast, either, with GM's anemic 1980s V8s. Would be cool to have one today, especially with the drivetrain parts availability.
I just had to look up how long it actually went on for, I was surprised to find all production ceased in 2006... Reason why? the owner was arrested for running a Ponzi scheme :P and if curious, in the last 2 years of production, they were using Ford engines, a V6 and a V8, only one got sold with the V6 though.
I have bought an 81 Avanti this year and had it shipped from the USA to Australia. I know that this car does not appeal to everybody- even my own brother doesn't particularly like it. If you truly appreciate the history behind some of these cars, the appeal grows. I know this, and when I sit in mine I have to pinch myself to realise that I own such a significant piece of motoring history. Like it or not the Avanti is that kind of car. Considering it came out of 1962 and was made just that way for another three decades (with really minimal changes but virtually all for the better) you have to hand it some due. I stlill call it a Studebaker and typical of that marque- ya either love 'em or hate 'em.... and speed isn't everything.
Nope- No Longer necessary with the advent of club plate registration
I hope that avanti is doin you well
The square headlamps are the only thing that puts me off the newer ones. Still wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to own one though...
Oh I get it all right. I drive a 1988 BMW 535is as a DD even though I own a much newer 2003 SAAB convertible.
add some hp. very easy with that car.
My father worked at Studebaker in Hamilton up until it closed in the 60s. He moved on to Ford then retired there. This was a beautiful and will be missed. Thanks John.
Avanti is very nice car
I have had the chance to drive an Avanti, and it is a wonderful car to drive. My late father had one, and my family went into the factory in South Bend, Indiana. Beautiful car…
I grew up in South Bend, and am old enough to remember the glory days of manufacturing here. The Avanti was a cool car way ahead of it's time, and Raymond Loewy was the designer of some other Studebaker cars such as the beautiful "Golden Hawk" in the late 50s. The man was way ahead of his time. I sure would love to see South Bend regain some of that former economic glory from those bygone days.
@Take the red pill Yes! He is STEPPING up production of his ties in China! Ivanka's clothing manufacturing business in Bangladesh is also going to require MORE workers!
@@TheOzthewiz Acute TDS. Seek help, posthaste.
I remember the time when wheel of fortune used to give these away as prizes.
I don't think that ever happened
@@SonnyGTA WoF had an Avanti as a bonus prize. The show also offered a Countach as well. I do not know if anyone ever won them.
Yep. I remember seeing the 4-door on WoF. It looked awful
@@4jp People would have thrown up when they got the tax bill for it.
@@SonnyGTA - It definitely happened. Those poor winning contestants, too. A 4 door Avanti. As if the 2 door ones weren't ugly enough. Imagine getting a 10-99 form for the tax man for a 4 door Avanti from a game show....
Incredibly interesting! Just watched Motorweek this weekend on PBS and was thinking of those days when they tested an Avanti, a test before this exotic entry. I have to hand it to Motorweek to do this, you couldn't get a mainline publication like Motor Trend, Car and Driver, or Road and Track to even acknowledge Avanti's, or Studebaker for that matter. No wonder we have so few domestic car makers left. They handed the market to foreign makes on a silver platter.
The Avanti chassis changed from the 1953 Studebaker design to one adapted from a Chevrolet midsize car, then to a Chevrolet Caprice. After the 1986 bankruptcy, Avanti went through a succession of owners, a move to Ohio, a short-lived (and ugly) four-door sedan version, another move to Georgia, a change from Chevrolet to Ford engines, another move to Mexico, and the owner's arrest for running a Ponzi scheme. That ended the Avanti for good (bad?).
I believe you meant 1963. The Avanti from Studebaker first appeared as a 1963 model.
I had the pleasure of seeing one of these at an NC car show back in Autumn ‘19. If I remember correctly, the man who brought it was the original owner - told him I thought it was the coolest car I’d seen there and appreciated him keeping an oddball like this on the road. Frankly I think the car looks great, though I will say it’s better in-person.
Just goes to show you that you're never to old to learn something! I'm over 50, and for all of these years I thought Avanti was something out of Canada!
You can be excused, since Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana (Notre Dame University) went under before you were born... They even produced a Rockne model in honor of Knute Rockne... My grandpa drove a big car, 1940's Studebaker President...
Bricklin SV?
Our family owned two original 1963 Avanti. First was destroyed in a crash and the second finally sold and replaced with something more practical. The Avanti was a "touring car" similar in concept to the Thunderbird. It was not a sports car and the handling was typical for similar sized cars of that era. The continuation of the car past its original clean design was never an improvement. It was designed in an era when bumpers were just decorations, so the addition of larger bumpers was detrimental to the design. The back seat was very cramped for adults. If you search YT and the net you can find lots of info, tests and stories from owners of the 1963-64 and the Avanti II (that was nearly identical to the original except for the switch to Chevrolet engines & transmissions.) It's great that MotorWeek has given us these retro reviews as a fun way to cover some automotive history.
Man, the variety of cars that have graced MotorWeek's testing facilities over the years is stunning. These post-Studebaker Avantis are really obscure cars... amazing that the business kept going for so long (and in the original South Bend plant at that). Makes me kind of wish they were still around, although they actually *did* survive all the way up until 2006!! By that point they were basically a re-bodied Mustang, after having been a re-bodied Camaro briefly in the early '00s. They were also being built in Mexico, and the owner of the company was apparently running some type of Ponzi scheme. A sad ending, although at least it's a good story!
I remember servicing a couple of these lil gems in the early 90's when I worked for GoodYear. 1 was an 80 with the low suds 350 Vette engine and 3 speed auto, the other was indeed an 85 with the 305 HO and 5 speed. That car was actually quite fun to drive! Both were white on saddle tan interiors, in leather. Both always turned heads, and both were fairly easy to drive, as long as 1 wasn't backing up.. Low seating and limited rear glass area made it seem like I was sitting way down in it, not just in it and ready to go. Still, I never see these cars anymore, so this limited review was nice!
I love MotorWeek, but I notice now, watching it years later, how easy they are on the vehicles in terms of criticism and that critique is somewhat inconsistent as well.
Yup. This was a far too fawning review for a car that hadn't changed in 22 years.
If you are too rough on them you lose press access eventually
True but also cars were worse overall back then. The Pontiac 1000/Chevy Chevette took 30 seconds to get to 60 mph for example. The bar was low.
Not one mention of the abysmal quality of some of the cars they tested even by 80s and 90s standards. It was well known what the predicted and actual reliability was with most of the hunks-o-s%it they tested over the years.
@@realazduffman Maybe, but they were even somewhat kind to the shitbox Chevette.
04:55 Looks like a first-gen Chevy Lumina going in reverse
lol
Lol that's funny
wtf? You must have cataracts
Lol
It looked pretty competent going through those cones.
Especially for an old Studebaker suspension. Very level indeed!
i've been lusting after one of these since i first saw one in the 60's
In the 80's, my favorite 3 American cars were the '87 Buick GN, Mustang SVO and the Avanti. I still have my '84 SVO, went to trade in another vehicle for a GN when they were still new, but deal fell through because they would't give me enought trade in. Sadly, never got an Avanti either, but hey, at least I still have one of my favorites!
the bumper makes it look like a platypus...
Raymond Loewy is spinning in his grave!
Well, it's different. You look at it and just know it's an Avanti.
Studebaker Avanti, the official car of Perry the Platypus
Looks better than most american cars of that era. It also looks better than a lot of modern cars.
nothing is ugly about the Avanti. beautiful looking car at any angle.
Greatest Design Ever! Designed by the same man that designed the original coke bottle. You can actually trace a coke bottle off the body from the rear corner. Today we hear about coke bottle bodies, this is where it came from. Anybody that cannot appreciate an Avanti (Only car to ever be on display in the Smithsonian as an automotive work of art), should drive a Yugo or Pacer.
Loewy did not design the original coke bottle. He modified it.
I did not know about the Smithsonian. The Citroen DS should have been parked alongside it there.
I could see a truly updated evolved forward design of this car.
Chevs 5.0 litre L69 A great engine. I bought my first Camaro. An '84 Z28 5.0 HO. The best Camaro I have owned. The L69 was a great 5.0 litre mill.....never once had any engine issues with it. I put over 100,000 km's on it while I owned it. Loved that car.
The Avanti has always been one of my favorite cars. It's a beautiful design!
Nice side profile, interior has its charms, better looking then most of the US vehicle interiors if that era, great side and rear profile......but that front end🤮 it’s enough to make baby Jesus cry. You’d need to pass sick bags around at the unveiling of this from end.
I'd like to have an original R2 supercharged '63 Avanti with the Stude 289 V-8.
I believe a few R3s escaped.
Is that the one they had at the flats and stock went 178 mph?
@@cowboygeologist7772 Prototype R3, 299.4 cubes (finalized R3 was 304.5). The R5 (304.5, dual superchargers, Bendix fuel injection, belly pan fairings) made it to 196, and I have seen a video of a modified Studebaker-powered Avanti special that made it to 216 MPH.
My right ear is really lonely
Daniel Pfender lmao
This clip was recorded in monaural sound it seems.
Talk to the guy from Nantucket
Daniel Pfender So, purchase the new Avanti, and adjust the balance control so it favors your right ear, then you and your ear won’t be lonely.
Tyrone Smalls o
in the Summer of 84 i visited their showroom in South Bend...just fantasy shopping but the Executives and designers took their own time to show me around, let me window shop and test drive.
they shared their fantasies of where it could go and went into unlisted options that could be integrated during build.
My friend Master P loves American cars of this vintage, he would love this.
looks futuristic and sleek, even for its time
"..and with a little luck Avanti might go on forever.." Description "Sadly avanti went bankrupt just a year after testing this." lol
There was a 1985 Avanti?! Now that, I didn't know!
Avanti II.
Scooter George Actually by 1985 the “II” designation was dropped as you can see it’s missing from the nose unlike earlier cars.
Fake Riviera, how freaking insulting! This car was built nearly 2 years before it, and stayed in production until 2007. In it's day it was the fastest production car in existance. Few, if any cars can trace their history back to 1852. And, the grill was under the front bumper. This car was shocking in 1962, no grill, almost no chrome, roll bar, seat belts, etc. Maybe these are taken for granted in the past 10 to 20 years, but 50 years ago, believe me it was radical stuff.
Neil Dickson remember back in 90s..was looking at one at dealership from one built at plant in canada were priced high 30s..mrs ricker of riker motors had one of originales with suoercgarger had trouble keeping up with her at time has a shelby..and she was in her 80s
theflyingpenguin I thought a reproduction was produced in Canada!
@@larrywiggin3489 Common disbelief. Studebaker built cars in Hamilton, Ontario for many years, moving all world production there in 64-66. The Avanti was NOT a reproduction. It was a continuing product built until 2007, when the CEO got into serious legal problems. Up until that time, the Studebaker name was planned on being reintroduced on a Hummer like XUV.
It is very interesting how the Avanti's front always used to be very modern, even for the 80's, only the rear (from the small window to the rear) are less modern, but, of course, talking about design.
I love this car. One day, im getting one.
Scott, in 1985 With emission control harder every year , 190hp was really not bad. Computers have improved a lot sinne then.
I like this car, it's different for sure. Wonder what it would look like rendered as a 2016 model?
@@ceesan5605 One of the original designers, Tom Kellogg (RIP) updated it in the early 2000s, setting the revised model on a Firebird space-frame.
It worked, and performed on par with or a bit better than with the top-optioned '64 model Studebaker R3 Avanti.
After Kellogg's death and the demise of Pontiac, and relocation from Villa Rica, GA to Cancun, a few were built on the Mustang platform before they finally shut down.
Have to wonder, though, how a hybrid or full-electric long-range version of the Kellogg design (or even the original Loewy-team --- Raymond Loewy, John Ebstein, Bob Andrews, and Tom Kellogg) would compete today? Remember, the original Avanti had the lowest coefficient of drag in the world at the time, and with a supercharged 299-cubic inch Studebaker (.090 overbore on the Stude 289) engine it set 29 Bonneville speed records, faster than the Pontiac 421, faster than the Dodge 426 wedge.
They did this car on counts custom for Alice cooper , older model but almost exactly did this white cars treatment even wheels and wider rear tires.
They just took an Oldsmobile, modified the front, the back, the interior, added thousands of dollars to the price tag...and....walla! The Avanti!
So true. There's a sucker born every day.
It's not like the Avanti Corporation was trying to be in the mainstream market nor did they have the funds to do so. It's a very interesting piece for it's day that's better than quite a few others we were making at the time.
More style than cars today
kano b It literally looks like a shovel, even a modern garbage Kia has more style than that thing
@@ReallyRyan. A shovel???? Man, go eat dry plain ricecake. In your Kia.
It’s like a concept car version of the K car lol
Love the broken crystal ball there.. "long term survival" my rear end
I'd call 1985 to 2006 pretty good in the car game with the same car
Nice looking car. I'd drive it
What younger observation fails to grasp is that this design came out in 1962. It was revolutionary, there was absolutely nothing on the road like it nor would there be for 10 to 20 years. It's easy to criticize a 50 year old design now, but totally illogical. What would a 50 year old car look like in 1962? I dare say you won't get admiring looks on 1912 model in 62. The Avanti was decades ahead and the industry finally caught up, but it deserves respect as a pioneer of design. Many later cars copied elements like the Camaro, Jensen Interceptor. many others. Like the Chrysler Airflow, it simply was too advanced for American tastes.
I took a look at the original, it's much better looking. But damn, what mark said, they basically predicted 70's styling.
Neil Dickson
Yea my dads not an American car guy really but he digs these...more towards a European style at the time.
On a side note, at work the other day and wrenching on a mid 60s onan generator and I noticed the tag said "onan, a division of studebaker"....I did not know that.
Neil Dickson , unlike the Jaguar E - Type that really was ahead of it's time, was quicker, lighter, cheaper and handled way way better.
I don't think that there has every been anything on the road like it. The original Avanti, especially, with the round headlights is one of the coolest cars ever. I say this as a millenial, so I think maybe some people are just being negative, which is nothing new on yt.
I think it’s beautiful. And it looks a thousand times better then most modern exotics.
Very cool looking car, thank you motor week
I have always wanted one of these cars. Someday....
Love the old school Recaro seats!
They don't match the car, but in the 80s, it worked very well.
Our neighbor was a Studebaker fan and had an original early 60s Avanti. It was a pretty cool car given the time it was built in. I liked the looks of it. Over 20 years later? Not so much.
Something about it says Liberace and pimp. I don't know
HAHAHA I also always thought that with the post Studebaker Avanti esp with the modern wheels and tacky interiors. But I still like them :) I'd just pull back on the tackiness If i was ordering one.
It's probably the same thing that causes people to say the same thing about you when they see you--pimp and Liberace. lol
@Matthew Caughey A Blackhawk says "Pimp of Pimps"
Did the '85 Avanti use the original Studebaker chassis? When did they upgrade to the GM chassis?
They went to Monte Carlo donor cars in 1986, and the seldom seen four door version was put on an El Camino donor , due to the need for a longer wheelbase .
Раймонд Лоуи - один из лучших промышленных дизайнеров. "Аванти" - редкая и интересная машина.
for some reason I can't help but think of a mid 80's Mercury Cougar when I see this car on the sides.
I wonder if the rear windows are interchangeable with the mercury cougar?
Raymond Loewy was always ahead of his time!!
I believe he once said, if you design something too well you'll never need another which leads to a destitute designer.
With auto manufactures showimg interest in bringing back in-line six cylinder engines, wouldn't it be neat if someone would bring back the Avanti with an in-line six cylinder under that long hood. Of course the car needs some updates like air bags, four wheel independent suspension, four wheel disc brakes, EFI, ABS, and traction control. But with it's timeless design and amazing good looks I think it would still sell. I know I'd want one.
I spotted one of about this vintage a couple of days ago.
All I saw was the roof and a couple of inches of the pillars, but I recognized it, even driving past the lot at about sixty MPH.
I turned around and paused to take some pictures.
I still prefer the original round-headlight Studebaker model.
Looks like that one effed up cookie you dont put in the gift basket, like seriously WTH is that shape, marshmallow hard poop?
No clsaa, no soul comment.
Beautiful... standout style, many cars nowadays look like every other car out there... not the Avanti! And 9 seconds was fine for its day, I hope the guys saying it's slow say that for every review from a year like this with such a time... at which point, you'd start to look more than a bit foolish.
Uh what? this is an *exotic* I'm sure a Ferarri F12 of today,doesn't look like everything on the road.. there is a reason why this car died XD
+matthew von ...in 2006. How many Ferraris stayed in production for 43 years?
+matthew von this car was built for decades, what in the actual fuck are you talking about?
+9890jsp well to be fair, less than 100 Avantis were built between 1988 and 2006 with no production at all between 1991-99. Shame the marque ended with a crook, on his way to trial when he died. Would like to see the Studebaker and Avanti names come back though. The Ferrari comparison is ridiculous.
nice power for back then indeed, and still decent today, much better than a Prius. Compared to a Yugo, Chevette, or 2.5 liter Citation, this car was greased lightning
The rear end is actually really nice, but the front is horrible. It looks like an electric version of a Chrysler Daytona. Why no grill?
The original ones with circular headlights and chrome bumpers are way sexier.
The square headlights clash with the design. I get that they looked more modern, but I think the original circular headlights fit much better with the Avanti body.
Simnett Nutrition Dodge built the Daytona Chrysler built the Laser
Ya, every angle looks good...except the Front. Just looks kinda goofy.
Only kids? Look, Show, when the car was new detractors were calling it the "Anteater." Sales under Studebaker were poor. The new '63 Corvette Stingray was much more popular.
These are beautiful imo
from the side it looks razor sharp, from the rear it looks like a boat, from the front it looks like the family truckster
FROM A DISTANCE IT REMINDS ME OF THE AMP AMX FROM THE REAR
+Joey R GIANT EYES WIDE SHUT!!!!!!!!
UGLY AS A MOKING BIRD ON WEEDS
lmfao
Nope.
How did this thing stay cool with no grille to direct air
through the radiator?
+thomas williams The intake was located underneath the front bumper, just like a lot of cars today.
Amazing how many people can look at something and every detail escapes them such as the air intake.
The wiper switches are from AMC.
I would LOVE to have the music in this for my Ipod!!!!
Why was this segment shot in darkness?
Beautiful. Never knew they actually made these after Studebaker went under. Nice.
Studebaker didn't go under at the time. They moved production to Canada for trucks only.
rear end looks like a Buick Reatta. I like it.
If you bought one of these back in the day, condolences.
Clearanceman2. why? they are still worth more money than many cars of the era.
What an eyesore
In 1963 I lived next door to a guy that had the Avanti, he used me to Watch for Benton, Arkansas police who Lusted to catch him, we always had drag races on Highway 35. I didn't get a Driver's License for 4 years, 1966 i turned 16, when a used 55 Ford Car costed $75.00. A used @100.00 car had No Oil and Exhaust emitting noxious fumes, and a $$50.00 1955 Buick Sedan would last forever, those old cars were designed to be rebuild able under a shade tree by Arkansas Poor Folks and by golly I with we had enough Brains to build like they was then.
I would love to see one of these modernized in 2018. Turbo and 6 speed or even electric.
Entièrement d'accord!
As opposed to Ford, Chrysler, or even General Motors , Studebaker and AMC came out with very original, but unconventional car model designs over time. However, this car looked quite ugly without a front grill, or any ventilation traps. I’m sure the engine must have overheated once in a while.
Pontiac should buy the Avanti name. It will be a good fit with their brand. Oh, wait...
SueBobChicVid rip Pontiac :\
SueBobChicVid : and Studebaker could do the Firebird Trans Am...
I actually like the look of this car.
Studebaker was not "failing" but merely struggling in its car business. When they stopped building cars they carried on with other stuff.
A Nardi wheel and Recaros? This thing could win some scene points with the stance hotboys, just needs some BBS reps and 10° of camber.
Beautiful car
How did these not overheat?
Exotic version of the AMC Gremlin
Neat cars way ahead of its time just about own one in 64 in 69
Looks better than an Audi TT
Which gen? You’re not allowed to say first.
I almost bought a new 1985 one in Kansas City, but just didn't like the looks of the front end looking like it should be the rear. Yes, I know they all looked like that in the front.
Still very sharp in 2022.
Right speaker thought; Fuck this shit im outta here
Classy.
EGGBIRDTHEROOSTER Mono audio is a thing
This car has the kind of style that makes you want to take the car out behind the shed and shoot it.
I had no idea they made those until 1985.
We want the DougScore!
How does this thing not overheat?
такая грустная машинка ((( такой у неё взгляд , покормить хочется...
Very nice this car
I love the AVANTI II it had more thought put into to it than the cookie cutter designs of today.
Johnn Lawrence’s Avanti in The Karate Kid brought me here
I love this car i wish I owned one
They're still sort of affordable.
Very futuristic. Even today.
Avanti: The coming out of the closet of cars
Are they still making these?
I had no idea they were still making these in 1985. Looks like a really nice car, but at the equivalent of $80 grand today? Hmm. Not fast, either, with GM's anemic 1980s V8s. Would be cool to have one today, especially with the drivetrain parts availability.
I just had to look up how long it actually went on for, I was surprised to find all production ceased in 2006... Reason why? the owner was arrested for running a Ponzi scheme :P and if curious, in the last 2 years of production, they were using Ford engines, a V6 and a V8, only one got sold with the V6 though.
The 22 years have not been kind to the Avanti, it's gained a THOUSAND POUNDS in all those years!
I wonder how the engine gets air to cool down with?
Chin scoop, like a lot of cars today