1963 Studebaker Avanti

Coupe

289 V8 4bbl

Automatic

Clear

Gasoline

Up for grabs is my ’63 Avanti R-1. I purchased this off Ebay in July of 2010 for $5995 from a very reputable dealer in classic cars and had it shipped from California to my home in Nebraska. It’s equipped with an automatic transmission, power steering, power windows, pushbutton AM radio, and optional seat belts. I have a copy of the original invoice from the Studebaker museum indicating it was originally delivered to a dealer in Beverly Hills. I’ve often wondered who the original owner was. The car was stored in a garage on the west coast for some time so what you see in the photos is surface rust, the bones of the car including the frame and hog troughs are all solid as I can tell. The odometer shows 57, 716 miles, but who knows for sure. They say the brake pedal is an indicator of the actual mileage a car has been driven, I’ve included a photo so you can be the judge. The dealer had posted a video of the car running, but he had to use a gas can and an electric fuel pump. Once I got the car home, I removed the gas tank and cleaned it out using POR-15 products and relined the tank. While I was there I replaced the fuel tank sending gauge from Studebaker International and all the rubber fuel lines with “Goodyear” marked lines. The metal fuel lines were in good shape, all they needed was rodding out. I used the correct spring type fuel clamps everywhere and replaced the fuel pump as well I used Studebaker International as my source for that as well. My intentions were not to completely disassemble the car, but to restore it to running/+ driving condition system by system. Once I charged the battery up, it fired up and it ran without any further prompting. I was going to rebuild the carburetor but decided to put an new Edlebrock on there instead (yep, you can still get one). But before I put it in drive, I had to make sure it would stop. I bought a dual/ tandem master cylinder, and after trying some other metal brake lines makers I settled on some lines from U-line. Winter arrived in my unheated garage so the brake lines are not completed, but all are included. It’s at this point I got kind of stumped, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with Turner brakes or something else so I kind of let it sit for a while. I also have a galvanized exhaust system from the manifolds back not installed (stored in the trunk). The car came with an aftermarket wooden rim steering wheel from the period, but I liked the look of the original wheel better so I bought one of Ebay. This is a car for someone who is looking for a cool classic that could be put on the road with not much more work, or a great candidate for a complete restoration. The body in my opinion looks great, no cracking evident any where, it looks straight with panels that fit properly. The hog troughs were represented when sold to me as being in good condition with only some surface rust. I see no evidence to the contrary. I really hate to part with this baby on her 50th anniversary, but I will moving to the East Coast for my job and it’s simply too cost prohibitive for me to consider taking it with me as I will not have the garage space for her. She (or he if you will) has been in my garage since I purchased it. I have all the old original parts (except the tank sending unit) for the potential buyer. You can spend 45K on a 100 point Avanti (worth it in my opinion) or a lot more on another Avanti and still end up having to do the same amount of work on this car. My starting price is less than the sum of the value of the parts new and old. I work for a living so please read my description carefully before asking any questions and I will get back to you ASAP. I’ve tried to include as much information as I could think of. I never thought I would sell this car, but in addition to moving I’ve had some unexpected financial expenses so I am offering this at a huge loss. Due to time constraints I can’t put everything back together (it’s not really that much) but every nut and bolt and Avanti part I have will be boxed up for you. The only missing pieces I’m aware of are most of the exterior emblems, outside mirrors and the interior roof roll bar cover. Cosmetically inside, the only thing that needs attention is the lower drivers seat cover. The rest, including all the vinyl and carpets could do with a simple cleaning. The exterior chrome is pitted but salvageable. Cleaning would do wonders, but again I wasn’t concerned with anything like that until I had her on the road. In the photos I took today in my garage I didn’t even wipe the dust off. The photos of the car outside are a better representation of the car outside as they are of the car being loaded up in California. I blotched out the drivers face (it’s not me). Obviously this car will have to be transported; the buyer is responsible for all associated costs with that, though I can be onsite to assist with loading. The car is being sold as is where is with no warranty expressed or implied. I have a 100% feedback rating with over 13 years buying and selling on Ebay. Payment is due by PayPal at the end of the auction within 48 hours. No tire kickers, please. This is an absolute auction and this car will sell only if you bid. Thanks for looking. On Jan-27-13 at 14:15:22 PST, seller added the following information: Up for for grabs is my ’63 Avanti R-1. I purchased this off Ebay in July of 2010 for $5995 from a very reputable dealer in classic cars and had it shipped from California to my home in Nebraska. It’s equipped with an automatic transmission, power steering, power windows, pushbutton AM radio, and optional seat belts. I have a copy of the original Factory to Dealer invoice from the Studebaker museum indicating it was originally delivered to a dealer in Beverly Hills. I’ve often wondered who the original owner was. The car was stored in a garage on the west coast for some time so what you see in the photos is surface rust, the bones of the car including the frame and hog troughs are all solid as I can tell. The odometer shows 57, 716 miles, but who knows for sure. They say the brake pedal is an indicator of the actual mileage a car has been driven, I’ve included a photo so you can be the judge. The dealer had posted a video of the car running, but he had to use a gas can and an electric fuel pump. Once I got the car home, I removed the gas tank and cleaned it out using POR-15 products and relined the tank. While I was there I replaced the fuel tank sending gauge from Studebaker International and all the rubber fuel lines with “Goodyear” marked lines. The metal fuel lines were in good shape, all they needed was rodding out. I used the correct spring type fuel clamps everywhere and replaced the fuel pump as well I used Studebaker International as my source for that as well. My intentions were not to completely disassemble the car, but to restore it to running/ driving condition system by system. Once I charged the battery up, it fired up and it ran without any further prompting. I was going to rebuild the carburetor but decided to put an new Edlebrock on there instead (yep, you can still get one). But before I put it in drive, I had to make sure it would stop. I bought a dual/ tandem master cylinder, and after trying some other metal brake lines makers I settled on some lines from U-line. Winter arrived in my unheated garage so the brake lines are not completed, but all are included. It’s at this point I got kind of stumped, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with Turner brakes or something else so I kind of let it sit for a while. I also have a galvanized exhaust system from the manifolds back not installed (stored in the trunk). The car came with an aftermarket wooden rim steering wheel from the period, but I liked the look of the original wheel better so I bought one of Ebay. This is a car for someone who is looking for a cool classic that could be put on the road with not much more work, or a great candidate for a complete restoration. The body in my opinion looks great, no cracking evident any where, it looks straight with panels that fit properly. The hog troughs were represented when sold to me as being in good condition with only some surface rust. I see no evidence to the contrary. I really hate to part with this baby on her 50th anniversary, but I will moving to the East Coast for my job and it’s simply too cost prohibitive for me to consider taking it with me as I will not have the garage space for her. She (or he if you will) has been in my garage since I purchased it. I have all the old original parts (except the tank sending unit) for the potential buyer. You can spend 45K on a 100 point Avanti (worth it in my opinion) or a lot more on another Avanti and still end up having to do the same amount of work on this car. My starting price is less than the sum of the value of the parts new and old. I work for a living so please read my description carefully before asking any questions and I will get back to you ASAP. I’ve tried to include as much information as I could think of. I never thought I would sell this car, but in addition to moving I’ve had some unexpected financial expenses so I am offering this at a huge loss. Due to time constraints I can’t put everything back together (it’s not really that much) but every nut and bolt and Avanti part I have will be boxed up for you. The only missing pieces I’m aware of are most of the exterior emblems, outside mirrors and the interior roof roll bar cover. Cosmetically inside, the only thing that needs attention is the lower drivers seat cover. The rest, including all the vinyl and carpets could do with a simple cleaning. The exterior chrome is pitted but salvageable. Cleaning would do wonders, but again I wasn’t concerned with anything like that until I had her on the road. In the photos I took today in my garage I didn’t even wipe the dust off. The photos of the car outside are a better representation of the car outside as they are of the car being loaded up in California. I blotched out the drivers face (it’s not me). Obviously this car will have to be transported; the buyer is responsible for all associated costs with that, though I can be onsite to assist with loading. The car is being sold as is where is with no warranty expressed or implied. I have a 100% feedback rating with over 13 years buying and selling on Ebay. Down payment is due by PayPal at the end of the auction within 48 hours. No tire kickers, please. This is an absolute auction and this car will sell only if you bid. Thanks for looking. Note: photo 4 is actually the body number (how confusing) the actual VIN is 63R2669 On Jan-29-13 at 15:39:12 PST, seller added the following information: For the people contacting me thinking they can put a few spark plugs in the engine and drive it away, please read the ad carefully. I am not misrepresenting anything here. I paid nearly seven grand to have a non-functioning collector car delivered to my home so I could go through it and make it road worthy again. Your goals may be higher, but they shouldn't be lower. This car will have to be checked carefully by someone who knows what they are doing. I was an ASE Master Technician before I moved on to another field. I can assure you this car is a pleasure to work on, but if you don't have the skills or knowledge to enjoy doing the work yourself or the money to pay someone else why are you looking at a 50 year old car?