Avanti Coupe

Don't drive this if you want to travel unnoticed! 

Before getting in to the nitty gritty I have to explain that there is no eBay category for Avanti and no way to enter a valid VIN in the correct place. Since it largely Studebaker. I have opted to categorize the car as "Studebaker" even though it isn't correct.   The listing form simply won't accept my valid Avanti 17-digit VIN. so I had to put in a dummy number. The actual VIN is 12AAV1239E1003917. (The car has an original Avanti serial number plate which reads "RQB-3917. ) 

Due to downsizing and losing garage space in addition to just getting too old to properly care for my cars I have reluctantly decided to sell two of my four Studebakers ('84 Avanti is still a Studebaker in my mind).   First to go is this stunning '84 Avanti in “drive anywhere” condition.   The odometer shows 68. 95 miles.   This could be correct. but I have no way of knowing for sure.   While my seller did little to the car in the eight or so years he had it. I was able to reach the owner previous to him and he gave me much information about the car including a spread sheet listing everything he had done to the car (and it was a lot).   That list goes with the car.   By the way. the NADA Collector car values for '84 Avantis range from Low Retail of $11. 50 through Average Retail of $16. 00 to High Retail of $24. 00.   The original list price was $31. 60 before any options.   My realistic reserve is below any of those numbers. just don't ask me what it is or if I take trades or finance cars.

I have loved Avantis since I saw my first one in 1962 and have owned one or more almost continuously since 1969 when I got my first one.   My other Avanti which I bought several years ago is my ultimate Avanti. a late '64 R-1 with virtually all options.   Avantis aren't the easiest cars to work on. and while the '64 is a wonderful car. it still is ‘60s technology.   When this '84 came up on eBay a couple years ago. I decided it would be a better touring car with a number of more modern conveniences (automatic overdrive. power locks and trunk release. cruise control. nice stereo and more) so I bought it.   While it is still a very nice car. the seller proved to be a master of true. but deceptive answers to my inquiries.   I'll get in to that when I discuss the cons of the car.   When I replaced the master cylinder. tried to make adjustments to the carburetor. learned about complications and cost of computer-controlled carburetion and such I decided to get back to simple Studebakers.   So. here we are.

For those not familiar with Avantis. they were continued in production under private ownership after Studebaker shut down in South Bend. Indiana.   In 1982-83 the original private owners sold the company to a Washington. DC entrepreneur. Steve Blake. who happened to love Avantis.   He then began making changes to make the cars more modern.   For the 1984 models he made a lot of changes the most noticeable being the molded bumpers and changes to parking. tail and backup lighting.  

He also made interior and power train changes such as different dash material. different instruments (with much better back lighting). different overhead controls. intermittent wipers. and more.   The facing for the instruments and the console is aluminum which in my humble opinion looks much better than the wood grain style.   I doubt that the steering wheel is original though.   Somehow I don't think Zora Arkus-Duntov would have signed an Avanti wheel.   My son confirmed that his '79 Corvette had the same wheel.   I had thought about selling the Corvette wheel to some Corvette fan and buying an Avanti wheel. but decided it was too much trouble

Steve Blake also made driving and handling improvements in the ‘84s including much heavier front sway bars and quicker steering.   He also upgraded the brakes to GM disc front brakes for simpler. less expensive maintenance.   This car has the 305 (cubic inch) High Output (HO) V-8 which I understand is the same as the Z28 Camaro of the same period.   Per a 1984 car magazine test it  was stated that this engine in an Avanti was ten percent more powerful than the Camaro version due to the twin snorkel fresh air intakes which pull fresh air from under the front bumper to the air cleaner.   In addition. I learned that a power chip to the computer was added by the previous previous owner.   Someone in the past has also “de-smogged” the engine- no catalytic converter or air pump.   It also has bullet mufflers in the dual exhaust system ( a bit “throaty”).   What it boils down to is this car runs STRONG with the only minor disadvantage being that it is much happier sipping premium gasoline than regular or mid-grade.   The rear end is a Dana 44 Twin Traction (limited slip differential) with a 2. 73 to 1 ratio.   In spite of good power and acceleration I having been getting 26 to 27 miles per gallon adjusted to actual miles.

In the picture below showing the air inlets you will notice that an air deflector is installed below the body.   This is a Saturn deflector which many Avanti owners have used to make the engine run cooler at highway speeds.   Personally I can't verify how well it works because the car. for me. has held a very steady 185 degrees even in hot weather with the AC running full blast both in town and on the highway.   By the way. the picture below reminds me. I have always loved the Avanti front-hinged hood.

The exterior appearance of this car is simply stunning.   The bright white paint is virtually spotless in itself.   The chrome wire wheels with the raised white letter tires really set off the car and the molded bumpers seem to make the car look even sleeker in profile.

The previous owner. in having the car repainted (more later). decided he wanted a pearl coat too so it was applied at great expense (I was told that the paint cost $1. 00 a gallon).   While the car appears to be just white in lower light conditions. direct sunlight brings out the reddish glow which absolutely blows away spectators (and me too).  

The interior is also striking with white leather seats. panels. headliner. and back shelf set off  by red piping on the seats and the red dash. console and carpets.   The red carpets are in excellent condition even in the trunk.

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When Studebaker built Avantis the standard tire/wheel was a 6. 70x15 bias ply tire on a five-inch wide rim.   It barely fit in the spare tire well even without the jack and jack handle tucked under it.   With newer. wider tires and wheels. conventional spares wouldn't fit and allow the cover to close.   Steve Blake dealt with this by raising the height of the lid about an inch.   This car has seven-inch wire wheels.   No way they fit the well so the spare became a small radial on a six-inch wide wire wheel.   The tire on the spare wheel pre-dated even date coding so I tossed it and bought a new 205x75x15 radial to serve as the spare.   Guess what- it's too big too.   So. choices are. let the air out of the tire and push it down. go without a spare or leave the lid loose (both which I have done).   The lug nuts for the wire wheels are different from standard lug nuts so to carry a conventional steel rim would mean carrying five different lug nuts too.  

The jacks on the later Avantis are much improved over the flimsy Studebaker ones.   However. there is no way they will go under the spare tire so the black bag you see in the picture below contains the jack.   The jack handle and tire tool for the wire wheels are both carried in the pouch on the front wall of the trunk.

Speaking of tires. the tires on the car when I bought it had 1997 date codes so the first thing I did was bought new 215x70x15 Goodrich Radial TA tires (loved the effect of the raised white letters).   While Studebaker Avantis ran 6. 70x15s. Steve Blake apparently went to smaller diameter tires.   I should have bought 205x70x15s.   The 215s make the speedometer run almost ten percent low.   Can you say speeding ticket magnet?  So. if you want to drive 70. hold the speedometer reading to about 63 (or carry your Garmin).

Equipment. some standard and some optional. includes power steering. power disc brakes. automatic overdrive (GM 700 R4). limited slip. very full dash. moon roof (that doesn't leak). power windows. power door locks. power trunk release. nbsp;electric mirrors. intermittent wipers. Recaro seats (actually very comfortable on long drives even though my wife hates them). tilt steering. wire wheels. Blaupunkt stereo radio with cassette player with an automatic power antenna. and probably some other things I'm forgetting.   The moon roof also has an aftermarket wind deflector.   The funny black cables you see in the rear carpet pictures is a hookup for a ten-disk CD changer.   I unplugged it from the radio because I wasn't enchanted with its mounting on a piece of 2x10 board placed in the back seat.   The player. complete with a wired remote come with the car and the buyer can either install it properly in the trunk or use the board.

Structure.   Avanti owners worry about rusted torque boxes (also called “hog troughs”) and a rusted rear tubular frame cross member.   Fear not.   Both the hog troughs and the cross member are totally solid.   The heavy X-frame has typical surface rust. but NO rusted out places.

OK. we have to talk about nits (or cons if you prefer).   As I said earlier. the seller was the master of deceptive answers.   First. he didn't bother to mention that most of the leather was cracked.   That I expected considering the age of the car.   He also cleverly didn't photograph or mention the small tear in the outside upper bolster of the driver's seat.   He also forgot to mention the frosted inside rearview mirror or the slightly frosted right outside mirror and that the wire wheels had some corrosion.   He may not have even realized that one wire wheel was slightly out-of-round.   We put it on a rear wheel so it really isn't noticeable except at parking lot speeds (five mph or so).   The first truly deceptive answer came to my question about water leaks at the window. the moon roof. the trunk lid.   His response was that he had never had a drop of water in the car.   He must have never had it in the rain or washed it because the first event we went to in a driving rain had us wishing we had a bunch of big beach towels.   Rain was coming in all along the tops on both door windows.   I had doubted his answer because my experience over the years was never take an Avanti through an automatic car wash.   On the plus side. the moon roof didn't leak nor did the back glass or trunk gasket.

 But. the really bad deception was when I asked him if the car had suffered any accident damage. his reply was only that it had a crack in the fender when he bought it.   He somehow forgot to tell me that he had hit a deer with the car and most of the front fiberglass was shattered (the previous owner sent me the picture below).   So. obviously the current crack in the right front fender (along with a small ripple on the left) weren't there when he bought the car.   On the positive side. the damage was properly and skillfully repaired by Jon and Mike Myer (truly Avanti experts) at Myer's Studebaker. Duncan Falls. Ohio.   Obviously Mr. Deception had bumped something with the front of the car during his ownership.   It only takes about a one mph tap to do damage on the front of these cars.

Other nits.   I haven't tried to detail under the hood.   It could look a lot better.   Everything works on the car. but the AC switch is fussy and has to be kind of stroked to be sure it has engaged the compressor.   And. the AC which has been switched to R-134 including a rebuilt compressor tends to lose some of its charge when it is left sitting for extended periods.   It has always run very cold with just a small shot of 134 when I found it not cooling as well as it should.

In summary. you buy this car and fly in to either Washington Dulles Airport or Baltimore BWI Airport (I don't do Reagan National). I'll pick you up in this car. drive to my place. do the paperwork and you can confidently drive home from there.

Want to buy this car?