Studebaker produced the Avanti from June 1962 to December 1963 (though production actually ceased in November). What was originally Studebaker’s 11th-hour attempt to save itself became an enduring neoclassic that managed to survive through 2006.
Thanks to two enterprising Studebaker dealership owners (the Altman and Newman families) in the company’s hometown of South Bend, Indiana, the tooling, production space, and production rights were transferred. By 1965, the Avanti Motor Corporation began building the Avanti II with a Chevrolet small-block. The brand had its ups and downs, especially starting in the 1980s once the Altman family sold the operation, but the Avanti II (later to become Avanti) endured.
Join our very own “Jalopy” Jeff Sutton as he discusses this 1982 Avanti II that appeared at the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction. When the gavel fell, this 305-powered vehicle sold for $11,000.
