Vehicle Fully loaded Ice cold A/C (converted to R134) Looks & runs great Low mileage No accidents Performance tires Power everything Very clean interior! This 1984 Avanti Coupe is one of the first 50 cars built by Steve Blake in 1984 designated as a Touring Coupe and only 12 were built in white. Body is fiberglass. It features the forward “rake” of the Studebaker Avanti black out trim Western BBS wheels with high performance tires and two-tone Recaro C-Seats. As with all original Touring Coupes this vehicle features the steering wheel which was etched with thesignature of Zora Arkus Duntov “father” of the Corvette.

The Touring coupes were powered by a Chevy 305 V8 and a 4-Speed Automatic transmission w/Overdrive. This vehicle has nearly every factory option: Power moonroof (that does not leak) full hand-crafted leather interior black aluminum dash/panels limited-edition cast aluminum wheels etc. Everything works though some minor paint touch-ups are needed. This particular car was one of a very few chosen to participate in the Avanti Timeline Exhibit of significant Avanti’s produced celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Avanti at the Studebaker National Meet in 2012.

Owner has original letter (addressed to them) and brochure from the Avanti Motor Corporation dated January 3 1984 and signed by Stephen H. Blake Chairman and CEO of Avanti. Factory build sheet and Owner’s Manual also present.

The original 50 Touring Coupes listed at an MSRP of $36995 when first sold and this one has a clean accident-free title. The white Touring Coupe was featured on page 60 of John Hull's book “Avanti Studebaker and Beyond”. It was also presented at the Chicago Motor Show in 1984. Hog troughs and rear frame cross-member are solid and have been treated with POR-15. Master cylinder was replaced in 2012 with correct parts from Nostalgic Motor Cars.

Avanti - its name means “forward” in Italian. The history...In the spring of 1961 Sherwood Egbert the new president of Studebaker hired Raymond Loewy to revitalize the Studebaker public image by designing a radical luxury sport coupe. Loewy agreed to take on the job despite the rush schedule. He recruited a design team consisting of experienced designers and former Loewy employees John Ebstein and Robert Andrews as well as Tom Kellogg a young student from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. The team gathered in Palm Springs and sequestered themselves in a house leased solely for the purpose of developing the new car design.

The Studebaker board approved the concept and the Avanti went into production a few months later. It was a Studebaker for less than two model years then continued as the Avanti II until 1983 and later on simply as the Avanti.

As with other post-war Studebakers the comparably exotic Avanti is also blessed with a devoted fan base and a number of active clubs both brand-inclusive and Avanti-exclusive who strongly support Avanti owners and provide great parts and service resources.