Studebaker Avanti

The Avanti was Studebaker's last major new model, a radical fiberglass-bodied coupe designed by Raymond Loewy's team in a record 40 days. Introduced for 1963, it featured advanced safety items like a padded interior, an integrated roll bar, and standard front disc brakes, a first for a mainstream American car. Performance was a key focus, with naturally aspirated (R1) and supercharged (R2) versions of Studebaker's 289 V8 available, with a handful of ultra-high-performance R3 cars built.

Collectors are drawn to the Avanti's unique origin story, dramatic styling, and performance credentials. Studebaker-built 1963-1964 models are the most desirable, particularly the supercharged R2 and the exceptionally rare R3 variants, which command the highest values. After Studebaker's closure, the Avanti design lived on for decades under a series of new owners as the Avanti II, often with Chevrolet V8 power.

The market for these cars is broad. The average sale price sits around $30,000, indicating that solid driver-quality cars are accessible. However, project cars can be found for under $5,000, while concours-quality, numbers-matching supercharged originals can soar past $150,000, showing a significant value gap between standard models and top-tier examples.

Based on 66 sales, prices range from $3,900 for projects to $152,500 for rare, high-performance R-series models.