1963 Studebaker

289 V8

63R3769

Clear

Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond novels, owned and loved one of these Studebaker Avantis, as did Frank Sinatra. Need we say more? I am thrilled to offer this gorgeous Avanti White on Red work of art! Background: I am sure if you looking at these beautiful cars you already have quite a bit of background, but in case you are new to the car, let's dive into a little background. This iconic coupe was the brainchild of legendary Studebaker CEO Sherwood Egbert. It was an intriguing blend of two Studebaker classics on the inside, and a radical new body design. To achieve the stunning shape, Studebaker's engineers sculpted it from fiberglass, then mounted it on a modified Studebaker Lark Daytona X-braced convertible chassis, topped off with a modified 289 V-8 Studebaker Hawk engine. The result? A beautiful piece of automotive history. From American classic collector’s perspective, the Avanti is choice: it was only made for two years by Studebaker, and the 1963 in particular saw only 3,834 come off the line. You’ll immediately notice the Avanti has no grille. This coupe was one of the first bottom-breather constructions, in which the front-mounted engine cooled from air sucked up beneath the front of the vehicle. It was also the first American auto fitted with front caliper disc brakes, imported from Dunlop in Britain. Everything about this coupe was meant to scream “modern!”, from the aircraft-inspired dials to the name, which comes from the Italian for forward. And it was: a number of innovations in the Avanti are still used in cars today. Let's more about this specific car: Pleated regal red vinyl interior in beautiful condition. Elegantly contrasting creamy white body paint. Factory-installed AC (optional upgrade and rare) AM push-button radio (optional upgrade) Factory-installed safety belts (optional upgrade) Textured red and black carpet Wood-patterned steering wheel Power windows The Condition and Service: Let's start on the engine and drivetrain: -ENGINE This engine comes to life immediately with a twist of the key. I started her up cold this week and she was alive within the first rotation of the engine. With even a crack of the throttle it, the Avanti feels torquey, smooth and powerful, and effortlessly pulls away! 1,800rpm seems to be all you need for all but the steepest of hills. More then a leisurely drive? Keep your foot in it and the real thrill of the engine comes to life! The Avanti hustles away from traffic with ease! Recent fine tune on the carbs and she is running wonderful. She doesn't smoke down the road, knock, bang or rattle. A great motor. Check out the underside pics and the engine bay pics! -TRANSMISSION The 3 speed transmission is in wonderful shape. Tight, confident shifts, no slipping and goes into gear firmly. -SUSPENSION No bangs, no rough ride, no clunks! The shocks dampen wonderfully! The car is tight in corners, and comfortable on the straights! -BRAKES Confident pedal, great pressure with a firm positive stop. Front discs stop this car on a dime and the shoes and drums have good life. Avantis were amongst the best braking cars of their day and this one feels none the different. -STEERING Steering feels good, no excessive play or vibrations. Let's continue to the exterior: -PAINT and BODY The paint is quite nice! It is a 8 out of 10 easily. Shiny, beautiful, Avanti White paint was recently polished, finished and waxed and looks wonderful. Car was repainted in the reasonably recent past and shines very nicely. No signs of a fiberglass job, accidents, or rust behind the fiberglass. The flaws are so minor they are essentially unnoticeable unless someone points them out. Some very minor overspray in little insignificant areas, small chips or touch ups, and other such minor flaws. I can only see some of these extremely minor flaws from certain angles and I can't capture it in pictures well. This car's exterior presents as a "Driver +", to some perhaps a "Show -". Clean floors and no rust lurking around. -WHEELS and TIRES Great shape tires with plenty of tread left and beautiful shape wheel covers without any major flaws -BUMPERS and BRIGHT WORK The bumpers are in wonderful shape! No dents, cracks or issues! Chrome is nice all around the car with only minor flaws at best. -GLASS/WINDOWS Not to let a pebble defeat this car, the windshield is great shape, with no chips or sandblasting. The door and rear glass is wonderful shape! Clear and clean! Onto the cabin: -SEATS The red vinyl seats are in great shape! Wonderfully original and super supportive! No sitting on the floor and the snug bolsters are in great shape! No splits, no worn spots on the seating surfaces! Just wonderful soft vinyl! They are comfortable and the dual buckets look great! Rear seats are in great shape as well! There are some threads to the bead strip on the back of the drivers side seat which have come undone. Very minor and unnoticeable unless you tip the seat forward. Take a look at the pics - it is the only discernible flaw on the seats. -DASHBOARD ZERO cracks. Beautiful shape!! -DOOR PANELS Very nice what appear to be original panels with only minor flaws. Great armrest/door pulls -CARPET Very nice carpet in the car! Some light wear and tear, but nothing significant. Some light discoloration on the heel placement on the passenger side. -POWER WINDOWS The power windows roll down and up with no issues and quickly! Good tracks and no dead rollers. -RADIO Original radio looks great AND works!! AM cruising at the local shows! -STEERING WHEEL The wheel is in great shape with no major defects or cracking! -GAUGES All the gauges work! RPM, speedo, boost, fuel and temp all read loud and clear! -AC AC service unknown. All components appear to be intact and complete, but have not tried to get her working. -HEADLINER Great shape headliner and roll pillar! Miscellaneous This gorgeous Avanti also comes with manuals, spare parts and spare tire (perhaps original?) The Experience: This isn’t a “car”; this is an automobile, from a time when American styling was at its zenith, the era of Mad Men and the Kennedys. Be prepared: you will be flagged down at stoplights to explain the make and model frequently. The lines of this coupe are as eye-catching now as it was in 1963. Piloting the Avanti takes one back to another era. I found it almost eerie, settling into the rich red interior and cruising past the Beverly Hills Hotel. It was as though I was in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, on my way to have coffee and a cigarette with Audrey Hepburn. I put my cell phone away in my pocket, because it felt like a hideous affront to the hopeful, simpler world this coupe harkens back to. I couldn’t help but throw my arm over the passenger seat and just motor, guiding the large textured steering wheel around the curves. (I resisted the urge to call people “Fred baby” and “knucklehead”). The 289 engine is torquey off the line and pulls nicely even from a stop. The Avanti was built to compete with the Thunderbird (though it in many ways was in its own class), and it has the giddy-up typical of 1960s coupes. Here’s what I noticed most of all: unlike modern luxury sports cars, which isolate the driver from the car and the world outside in every way they can, you feel this coupe: the V-8 purring up the steering column, the satisfying change of gears of the automatic transmission, and my favorite, really hanging on to the wheel going around curves. It was a letdown to get back in my daily driver, which felt soggy in comparison. What a breath of fresh air to get to at least test out such a crisp ride. I know you’ll enjoy it! This is a NO RESERVE auction which means winner takes all. Moreover, PLEASE ask all questions BEFORE bidding, check with your wife, your brother in law who owes you money from 1982, your psychic and your banker BEFORE bidding. It really helps sellers more than you can imagine and it helps keep the integrity of the sales process on eBay. Feel free to ask me any questions at all. Residents around the country I am happy to be flexible for your arranged shipper so that you can get your new car as soon as possible. My standard disclaimer/mantra for any car regardless of service or price: The car is sold with no warranty. You are buying a used car. Eventually every car will break, if you find one that doesn't please let me know. I do my ABSOLUTE BEST to offer only cars that are of TOP NOTCH service. I am not a dealer, just a guy who loves Avanti (among other cars) and hope to pass along my passion and fervor for these cars. That said if ever you encounter an issue I do my best to provide advice, direction or even parts if I have them. Please understand that it is a used car and will have minor signs of use. That means please do not expect a showroom brand new car. Please adjust your expectation level to that of a 50+ year old car, but however is WELL above average for it's year/miles. This is very nice condition for an Avanti of this year, but please just remember that no 50 year old car is perfect. It is though a great Corvair! Please only bid if you intend to buy. If you would like to have an Ebay 3rd party mechanic service check out the car I MORE than welcome it. Please have the car checked out BEFORE bidding and not after, if you intend to use that service. And please, if you would like to utilize this service, contact me with more than a couple days left in the auction so we can arrange schedules. Please check your local laws and registration procedures before buying. Buying over the internet can be scary sometimes! I get it, because I am an enthusiast too!! For that very reason, I am more than happy to answer every and any question you may so you know 100% what you are buying. But, please ask any and all questions ahead of purchase! All sales are final, you are buying as-is, the sky is blue, etc, etc. Sorry to have to give the boring speech. Please feel free to ask any and all questions!! Please excuse me, there are a couple pics I had to retake because the light washed the car out (I was shooting at noon in sunny CA!) and I had to drive on a dirty road for the reshoot (hence some dirty tires in a couple pics).