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| Avanti was sold to Stephen Blake
on October 1, 1982. Blake boldly attempted to make the Avanti
more visible. Avantis appeared at the Miami, Washington, and
Los Angeles Auto Shows. Blake knew
better than tamper with the car's design yet he was determined
to make the car look competitive. The body-colored, contoured
bumpers of the era were added and the 1984 Touring Coupe was
a limited edition. The first convertible
Avanti was built the same year by Richard Straman in California
and another by Mark Doyne in Florida. Blake was hailed as Avanti's
savior by magazines like Car and Driver. However, Blake's ambitious
plans did not succeed. His failure appears to have been caused
by a misjudgment about sealants used in the paint that were
not compatible with the fiberglass
bodies. |
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Front of the Avanti plant in South Bend
in 1983. |
Rear of the Avanti plant in South Bend
in 1983. |
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