NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Studebaker Avanti

The Studebaker Avanti was a sports coupe originally built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, USA between June of 1962 and December of 1963. Designed by a team of stylists employed by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, the Avanti was all new on the surface and a radical design that is still appealing in the 21st century. Dimensionally, the car's size was very close to that of the Ford Mustang. 1963 Studebaker Avanti. ... 1963 Studebaker Avanti. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupe A coupÃ© (from the French for cut) or coupe is a two or four-seater car with a fixed roof and two doors. ... Studebakers Lazy S logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966 The worlds largest living sign was planted at the Studebaker Proving Grounds, west of South Bend, Indiana. ... Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates: County St. ... Industrial Design is an applied art whereby the aesthetics and usability of products may be improved. ... Raymond Loewy standing on one of his designs, the Pennsylvania Railroads S1 steam locomotive. ... The Ford Mustang is an automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company, originally based on the Ford Falcon compact. ...

Introduction

Avanti is Italian for "forward" or "advance," and the car lived up to its name. While Jaguar began offering production-car disc brakes in 1957 on the XK140, the Avanti was the first American mass-produced car to feature standard disc brakes (check 1951 Chrysler Crown Imperial), it also led in its adoption of aerodynamics with a smooth nose -- beating the Ford Taurus and other cars to the streamlining trick of hiding its grill under the bumper by 20 years. The Avanti's emphasis on safety, with seatbelts available as an option, safety door latches and roll-over protection bar, was also very advanced, befitting its name. The Avanti has survived failure after failure of its host companies, yet has risen to cult status, maintaining a loyal customer base large enough to support production as a luxury specialty car on and off for over 40 years.

Origins

The Avanti's classic design originated in an intense five-week session in a rented house in Palm Springs near the home of lead designer Raymond Loewy. It proved so timeless in appeal the car was produced as a hand-built, custom-order model for decades after Studebaker stopped its production. Image File history File links LC-USZC4-3923_Avanti_Loewy. ... Image File history File links LC-USZC4-3923_Avanti_Loewy. ... Raymond Loewy standing on one of his designs, the Pennsylvania Railroads S1 steam locomotive. ...

Because of Studebaker's precarious financial situation, it had little capital to invest in product development. Though the Avanti looked entirely new it was mounted on a Lark convertible frame first developed in 1953. For power, the Avanti relied on Studebaker's own excellent V8, which underwent considerable high-performance modifications. The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders. ...

Power

When it debuted in 1951, the Studebaker 232-cubic inch V8 produced just 120 horsepower. However, the base Avanti version of this engine (R-1) produced 240 horsepower from 289 cubic inches and the optional "R-2", which added a Paxton supercharger, produced an honest 289 horsepower, or one horsepower to every cubic inch.

To put the performance of Studebaker's 289 V8 in perspective, the Ford 289 V8, as used in the 1965 - 1967 Mustangs, produced 210 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor, 220 horsepower with a four-barrel carburetor, and 271 horsepower in Ford's high-compression, solid-lifter, four-barrel "K-code" engine. Thus, Studebaker's "Jet Thrust" 289 V8's were significantly more powerful than any 289 production engine offered by Ford through 1967 (in 1968, Ford began relying on the new 302 cubic-inch engine).

With the assistance of car racing legend Andy Granatelli, Studebaker also developed a production "R-3" engine for the Avanti. The 289 was bored initially to 299 cubic inches, and later to 304.5 cubic inches (just under the class-C five-liter limit). The R-3 employed special cylinder heads with much larger intake ports and larger valves, an aluminum intake manifold with correspondingly larger ports, "long-branch" lower restriction exhaust manifolds, a higher lift cam, and a Paxton Supercharger blowing through a Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor mounted in a pressurized aluminum box. The R-3 was rated at 335 horsepower, but reportedly dynoed at 400 horsepower at the flywheel! Andy Granatelli (born March 18, 1923) was the CEO of STP. He was once a racecar driver himself, and eventually became very visible in the racing world as the entrepreneur of his oil and gasoline treatment products, appearing on television and radio as well as sponsoring racecar drivers. ...

The most powerful version of the Studebaker V8 was the Granatelli-developed, experimental R-5. With a supercharger mounted on each cylinder bank, it produced 575 horsepower! The R-5 was used only in Granatelli’s special Avanti “Due Cento” (200 in Italian), with which he planned to break 200 miles per hour. Unfortunately, Granatelli could not get enough traction during his Bonneville run, only achieving a top speed of 196.62 miles per hour.

During the summer and fall of 1962, Granatelli took an R-3 Avanti to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where he piloted it to a record speed of 170.78 mph. By the time he was done, Granatelli had set or broken 34 U.S. land speed records in the Avanti, allowing Studebaker to proudly proclaim it the "World's Fastest Production Car." In addition to being fast, the Avanti led the domestic auto industry in the use of front caliper disc brakes (Dunlop discs produced under license by the Bendix Corporation). Bonneville Salt Flats The Bonneville Salt Flats are a 121 kmÂ² (47 miÂ²) salt flat in northwestern Utah. ...

Early orders and problems

The Avanti was heavily promoted and many enthusiastic buyers placed advance orders. However, long production delays negatively affected sales. The production delay of the Avanti was due to problems with the alignment of some of the fiberglass body panels and that the rear window opening was too large for the glass. These difficulties were quite surprising to Studebaker executives since body fabrication had been farmed out to the Moulded Fiberglass Products Company of Ashtabula, Ohio, the same firm that had fabricated the Chevrolet Corvette bodies since that car's production began in 1953. In order to solve these problems, Studebaker was eventually forced to assemble the body panels themselves - but it was too late as many sales had already been lost.

Instead of offering separate model years of the Avanti, Studebaker made running changes until production of the car ended. In general, the easiest way to differentiate between the earlier and later variants is by the headlight bezels. All Avantis produced from June 1962 through July 1963 featured round headlight bezels. Beginning in August 1963 the car was fitted with squared bezels. Most people refer to the models with round headlight bezels as 1963's and the models with square headlight bezels as 1964's though a number of early 1964 models were made with the round headlight surrounds.

In December 1963, Studebaker announced the end of automobile manufacturing in South Bend, Indiana and the consolidation of all Studebaker automotive manufacturing in its Hamilton, Ontario, Canada plant. At that point, the company dropped the Avanti, the Gran Turismo Hawk, and all pickups and trucks in order to focus on sedans, coupes and station wagons. Only 4,643 Avantis had been produced by the time Studebaker closed the South Bend factory. The final Avanti, a white fully optioned R-3 car, contained a letter signed by Studebaker employees advising the future owner of the car's significance under the carpeting near the spare tire well.

Studebaker survived another two years by assembling Commanders, Daytonas, and Cruisers equipped with Canadian built McKinnon (GM) engines.

Image File history File links Brandspankinnewavanti. ... Image File history File links Brandspankinnewavanti. ...

Avanti II

Following the closure of the South Bend operation, two South Bend, Indiana Studebaker dealers, Nate Altman and Leo Newman purchased the Avanti name, the body molds, remaining parts, tools, jigs, and a portion of the South Bend factory to continue making the Avanti. Altman and Newman had first approached the Checker Motors Company, maker of the iconic Checker Marathon and taxi cab, about taking over production. However David Markin, Checker's President reportedly stated that his company was not interested in building "an ugly car" like the Avanti. Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates: County St. ... Studebakers Lazy S logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966 The worlds largest living sign was planted at the Studebaker Proving Grounds, west of South Bend, Indiana. ... Checker Motors Corporation Logo used in the 1960s thgrough 1981 when marketing its consumer vehicles, the Marathon and the Superba Checker Motors Company was the manufacturer of the famed Checker automobile, the iconic taxi cab vehicle. ... Metal die-cast model of a Checker taxicab Originally, a Checker Cab was a taxi produced by the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company (later known as Checker Motors Corporation) of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and operating under the name Checker Cabs in New York and other American cities. ...

These Avantis, called the Avanti II, were given a 327 in³ (5.4 L) Chevrolet Corvette engine and were meticulously hand-built to order in very small numbers. The Avanti II's engine evolved from the 327 to the 350, the 400, and finally the 305. The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car that has been manufactured by Chevrolet since 1953. ...

On October 1, 1982, real estate developer Stephen Blake bought the rights to the Avanti II. Stephen Blake made some updates to the car and also introduced a convertible model.

Blake's company declared bankruptcy in 1986, and the company was purchased by Michael Kelly, who relocated production to Youngstown, Ohio. These cars continued to be built until 1991. Location within the state of Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Mahoning Founded 1796 Incorporated 1848 (village) - 1867 (city) - Mayor Jay Williams (I) Area - City 88. ...

Avanti

A second generation of Avanti automobile was styled by Tom Kellogg, one of the original Avanti design team members working for industrial designer Raymond Loewy, in the late 1980s. This car was based on GM's "F" platform Camaro/Firebird and carried the same styling themes as the Avanti marketed today. Sad note is that Tom Kellogg would die from aggravated injuries in a car wreck in Orange County, California. While driving an Acura sports car, he was involved in a wreck on the Long Beach freeway. He died shortly afterwards, in Newport Beach, California, on August 14, 2003. Raymond Loewy standing on one of his designs, the Pennsylvania Railroads S1 steam locomotive. ...

Trivia

The Avanti survived the closure of Studebaker's US operations as the Avanti II Shirley Bassey. ... Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American television and movie actor. ... Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 â€“ August 12, 1964) was an English author and journalist, best remembered for writing the James Bond series of novels as well as the childrens story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 â€“ May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... Gene Siskel Eugene Gene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 â€“ February 20, 1999) was one of the worlds most successful film critics. ... For other people named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 â€“ June 11, 1999) was an actor best known for his starring role as Dr. Leonard Bones McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek and six of its subsequent movies. ... Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean (born on August 10, 1928 in Plainview, Texas) is an American singer, actor, and businessman. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Twilight Zones original opening The Twilight Zone was a television anthology series created (and often written) by its narrator and host Rod Serling. ... Julius Erving (born February 22, 1950 in Roosevelt, New York), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American basketball player who helped launch the modern style of play that emphasizes leaping ability and play above the rim. ... For other uses, see Carpenter (disambiguation). ... The Nelson family The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, an American radio and television series, was once the longest-running, live-action situation comedy on American television, having aired on ABC from 1952 to 1966 after a ten-year run on radio. ... Avanti (AVX), based on GMs Firebird/Camaro platform. ...

Michael Eugene Kelly, owner of Avanti Motors Corporation, was arrested by the FBI on Dec 22, 2006 in Florida. Kelly is suspected of running a $400 million Ponzi scheme from 1999-2004 and is in jail without bail facing mail fraud charges.

Toy Reproductions

Micro Machines There are relatively few reproductions of the Avanti, no Hot Wheels or Matchbox. However Micro Machines made them in a very small size in several colors and they can be found on Ebay for $5-$7, somewhat higher than the average anonymous micro car which is only worth perhaps 25 cents. In 2006, Johnny Lightning produced a 1/64 scale 1963 Studebaker Avanti. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Hot Wheels Car â€” Dodge viper Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. ... Matchbox Superfast box art. ... eBay headquarters in San Jose eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) eBay Inc. ... Johnny Lightning Dodge Rebellion modern Johnny Lightning model Johnny Lightning was a brand of model cars originally produced by Topper Toys, similar to the hugely successful Mattel Hot Wheels die cast racing cars. ...

Franklin Mint Models also made highly detailed replica of Avanti in 1/43 scale. This replica was very precise in scale and shape, had opening doors and hood and featured meticulously reproduced engine details. The Franklin Mint is a private corporation based in Media, Pennsylvania, USA which markets collectables of their own designs. ...

Image:FranklinMint_1963_Studebaker_Avanti_04.jpg

Image File history File linksMetadata FranklinMint_1963_Studebaker_Avanti_03. ... Image File history File linksMetadata FranklinMint_1963_Studebaker_Avanti_04. ...

See also

External links

Categories: Studebaker vehicles | Sports cars Studebakers Lazy S logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966 The worlds largest living sign was planted at the Studebaker Proving Grounds, west of South Bend, Indiana. ... The following list consists of automotive models produced by the Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana from 1899 to 1963 and Studebaker Canada LTD. from 1964 through the spring of 1966. ... 1920 advertisment for the Studebaker Big Six touring car The Studebaker Big Six, also known as the Model EG was a line of automobiles produced by the Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana between 1918 and 1926. ... The Champion was an automobile series of the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... The Studebaker Commander was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) and Studebaker Ltd. ... The Studebaker Conestoga was an all steel station wagon produced from 1954 to 1955 by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA). ... Studebaker eased their way into the automobile market after the turn of the century, introducing an electric car in 1902 and Gasoline-powered Studebakers came in 1904, produced by the Garford Company in Ohio, marketed under the name Studebaker-Garford. ... 1960 Studebaker Lark convertible was advertised extensivly; the airborne womens handkerchiefs mimicked the cars stylized lark in flight insignia. ... 1960 Studebaker Lark convertible was advertised extensivly; the airborne womens handkerchiefs mimicked the cars stylized lark in flight insignia. ... The Studebaker Dictator was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) from 1927 through 1936. ... Studebaker Silver Hawk The Studebaker Silver Hawk was an automobile produced between 1957 and 1959 by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... The Studebaker Flight Hawk was the lowest-priced model in the four-model Hawk family sports car line introduced by Studebaker in 1956. ... 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk The Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (or GT Hawk), a sporty coupe-type car sold between 1962 and 1964, was the final development of the Studebaker companys Hawk series that began with the Golden Hawk of 1956. ... 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk The Studebaker Golden Hawk was a two-door pillarless hardtop coupe type car produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana between 1956 and 1958. ... The Studebaker Power Hawk was a two-door pillared coupe manufactured by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation for the 1956 Model Year only. ... Studebaker Silver Hawk The Studebaker Silver Hawk was an automobile produced between 1957 and 1959 by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... The Studebaker Sky Hawk was a pillarless two-door hardtop coupe produced by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation for the 1956 model year only. ... The Studebaker Land Cruiser was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA). ... 1960 Studebaker Lark convertible was advertised extensivly; the airborne womens handkerchiefs mimicked the cars stylized lark in flight insignia. ... Studebaker Light Four touring car The Studebaker Light Four was an automobile poroduced by the Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana from 1918 to 1919. ... 1921 Studebaker Light Six The Studebaker Light Six was a car built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1918 to 1927. ... The Studebaker President was the premier model range for automobiles manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) during the 1927-1942 model years. ... 1958 Studebaker Scotsman was advertsied as inexpensivly priced car for those who wanted a big car feel. The Scotsman was an automobile series of the Studebaker Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana that was produced for model years 1957 and 1958. ... Ad for the 1923 Studebaker Special Six from the Saturday Evening Post The Studebaker Special Six was a car built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1918 to 1927. ... 1955 Studebaker Speedster Studebaker Speedster was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana produced only during the 1955 model year. ... 1921 Studebaker Light Six The Studebaker Light Six was a car built by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1918 to 1927. ... 1963 Studebaker Wagonaire The Studebaker Wagonaire was a station wagon produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1963 to 1966. ... The Studebaker Champ was a light-duty pickup truck produced by the Studebaker Corporation from 1960 to 1964. ... The Studebaker Coupe Express was a pickup truck, produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana between 1937 and 1940. ... The E Series was a series of trucks produced by the Studebaker Corporation, originally to be called the Studebaker Transtar, that was brought out in 1955. ... The M Series Truck was an automobile truck designed in the late 1930s by the Studebaker Corporation. ... // History Background We can look back now and say that Hitlers Germany was not as close to producing an atomic bomb as we thought but during the early part of WWII things did not look quite that way. ... 1958 Studebaker Scotsman was advertsied as inexpensivly priced car for those who wanted a big car feel. The Scotsman was an automobile series of the Studebaker Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana that was produced for model years 1957 and 1958. ... The Studebaker Transtar was a heavy duty line of commercial trucks produced by the Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana from 1956 to 1963. ... The Studebaker US6 is a class of trucks manufactured by Studebaker during World War II, produced in the United States from 1941-1945 and in the Soviet Union beginning in 1942. ... Studebakers Lazy S logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966 The worlds largest living sign was planted at the Studebaker Proving Grounds, west of South Bend, Indiana. ... The Studebaker-Packard Corporation was the entity created at the time of Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana merged into the Packard Corporation of Detroit, Michigan, in 1954. ... Studebaker Canada Ltd. ... Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana. ... In 1937 Studebaker Corporation planted 5,000 trees at its proving grounds west of South Bend, Indiana. ... Automatic Drive was the trade name for Studebaker Corporationâ€™s first automatic transmission, designed in conjunction with Borg-Warners Detroit Gear division. ... Gravely Tractor, of Brillion, Wisconsin is a manufacturer of outdoor power lawn and garden implements which was established in early 20th century. ... Hill-Holder is a name for the mechanism invented by Studebaker that holds the brake until the clutch is at the friction point, making it easier to start up hills from a stop in manual transmission automobiles. ... The Starlight coupe was a unique 2-door body style offered by Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) from 1947 to 1952 in its Champion and Commander model series. ... STP is a brand name and trade name for the automotive additives and performance division of the Clorox Corporation. ... 1956 sales brochure for Clipper automobiles Clipper was a stand alone make of automobile produced by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation in 1955-1956 for the 1956 model year only. ... The E-M-F Company (E-M-F were the initials of the three company founders: Everitt, Metzger, and Flanders) was an early American automobile company that produced automobiles from 1909 to 1912. ... The Erskine was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1927 to 1930. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... Packard red hexagon symbol made its debut in 1905, with the color red added in 1913 Packard was a United States based brand of luxury automobile built by the Packard Motors Company of Detroit,Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... In 1946, Packard applied Clipper styling to all its post-war models The Packard Clipper was a model of the Packard Motors Company from 1941 to 1954, and the Studebaker-Packard Corporation for 1955 and 1957. ... 1919 Pierce-Arrow advertisement The Pierce-Arrow was a Buffalo, New York (United States) based manufacturing company from 1901 to 1938. ... The Rockne was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1931 - 1933. ... SPA Truck Company (S-P-A) was a manufacturer of trucks, which was owned and operated by Studebaker Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pierce-Arrow of Buffalo, New York. ... Studebaker-Garford was an automobile produced jointly by the Garford Company of Elyria, Ohio and the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1904 through 1911. ... Tincher was a brand of automobile produced between 1903-1906 in Chicago, Illinois, and between 1907 and 1909 in South Bend, Indiana. ... Sherwood Harry Egbert (1920-1969) served as president of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation and Studebaker Corporation from 1961 to 1963. ... Albert Russel Erskine (January 24, 1871 â€“ July 1, 1933) was an American businessman. ... Raymond Loewy standing on one of his designs, the Pennsylvania Railroads S1 steam locomotive. ... James J. Nance, (b. ... Brooks Stevens (1911-1995) was an industrial designer, as well as automotive designer, graphic designer, and stylist. ... Clement Studebaker (1831-1901) was one of the brothers who founded what eventually became the Studebaker Corporation, an early manufacturer of automobiles. ... John Mohler Studebaker (1833-1917) was the American co-founder and later executive of what would become the Studebaker Corporation automobile company. ... Harold Vance on the cover of the February 2, 1953 edition of Time Magazine Harold Sines Vance (1890â€“1959) was an American automobile company executive and government official, notable for being chairman and president of the Studebaker Corporation and for his four year term on the Atomic Energy Commission, where...

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