The supercharged 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 recently listed for sale on eBay is a low-mileage original example. The car is still in its original color of Avanti Gold with a black interior.
The body shows a few scuffs and scratches, but there’s no rust. It’s fiberglass! These supercharged Avantis were both rare and very fast. A modified version reached 196 mph. As we reported last year - opens in new window or tab., it broke 29 Bonneville speed records.
Wild Styling Proved Divisive
By the early 1960s, Studebaker was best known for producing compact economy cars like the Lark. Other American companies had muscle. But Studebaker’s innovations with vehicles like Raymond Loewy studio’s Starliner coupe of 1953 were well behind in the pony race.
Nonetheless, Studebaker still believed in the genius of Raymond Loewy - opens in new window or tab.. So Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert recruited Loewy’s team to design the clean-sheet-of-paper Avanti coupe.
The concept was ready by early 1961. Egbert loved it, and the fiberglass-bodied 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 was rushed into production.
The look is polarizing. A few people loved that grille-free prow. The rest of the public bought something else.
The rear treatment is quite handsome and advanced for the era. The interior resembles an airplane cockpit, which is appropriate because this '63 Avanti R2 could fly.
A $210 Supercharger Makes The Difference
There’s no doubt the car was very aerodynamic, which helped give it stellar acceleration. The standard engine was Studebaker’s 289-cubic-inch “Jet Thrust” V-8, with 240 horsepower on tap. But the R2 was also available with supercharging from Paxton - opens in new window or tab. (bought by Studebaker in 1962), bumping output to 290hp. That’s the car for sale on eBay.
Supercharging was a $210 option, the bargain of the century. With that package, the Avanti could reach 60 mph in 7.5 seconds.
The few produced as supercharged R3s, with 335 horsepower, are even more exotic. Thanks to dual four-barrel carbs, the R4 gets 280 horsepower out of a non-supercharged V-8. And the crazy twin-supercharged and fuel-injected R5 produced 575 horsepower.
Fiberglass Was Not a Miracle
Despite being priced at $4,445 to start, the 1963 Avanti R2 sold well until word of fiberglass problems got around. Studebaker canceled its contract with Molded Fiberglass Company and took the work in-house. But the damage was done, not only to the Avanti’s reputation.
Studebaker closed its Indiana factory at the end of 1963 after producing about 3,800 Avantis for the 1963 model year. Only 1,833 Avantis had the Paxton supercharger.
Considering that it’s such an exotic and limited-production car, eBay has many Avanti parts available - opens in new window or tab.. However, this Studebaker Avanti R2 doesn’t need much—maybe a set of wheels to replace the pair of alloys in the rear and fresh tires to match.
Just change the fluids and be ready to have onlookers stop, stare, and point at this unusual classic.
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