1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 4-Speed
The Studebaker Avanti is a personal luxury coupe manufactured and marketed by Studebaker Corporation between June 1962 and December 1963. A halo car for the maker, it was marketed as “America’s only four-passenger high-performance personal car.”
Described as “one of the more significant milestones of the postwar industry”, the Raymond Loewy-designed car offered safety features and high-speed performance. Called “the fastest production car in the world” upon its introduction, a modified Avanti reached over 170 mph (270 km/h) with its supercharged 289-cubic-inch (4,740 cm3) engine at the Bonneville Salt Flats. In all, it broke 29 world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
This 1963 Studebaker Avanti is one of 1,833 supercharged R2 examples produced for the 1963 and 1964 model years and was delivered new in Avanti White over red. Power comes from a numbers-matching supercharged 289ci Hawk V8 paired with a four-speed manual transmission, and equipment includes a Twin Traction differential, 15″ wheels with covers, whitewall tires, power-assisted brakes with discs up front, power steering, an electric clock, and a factory AM radio.
The fiberglass exterior was finished in Avanti White (P-6331) by the factory and features chrome-finished bumpers with guards at the rear.
Cream-finished 15″ steel wheels wear spoke-style covers and are mounted with Americus Classic whitewall tires. Front disc brakes came standard, and the car is equipped with power-assisted brakes and steering.
The interior is trimmed in red and features a contrasting cream-colored dashboard. The doorsills have rubber covers, and amenities include power windows and a Studebaker-branded AM radio.
A two-spoke steering wheel frames instrumentation that includes a 140-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, an electric analog clock, and secondary gauges.
Studebaker enthusiasts have a reputation for being among the most brand-loyal car lovers around. Chances are, if you run into a “Studebaker guy,” he’s owned a bunch of them in his life, and odds are good he still has more than one at home.
Studebaker lovers always seem to have cars — and parts — in large quantities, and while they many own cars of other ilks, they generally make no secrets about where their devotion lies.
