Jim Bunting chanced to make the acquaintance of Tom Kellogg, the only member of the original Avanti design team still active. The two struck up a friendship and, soon, Bunting had gotten together with Bill Lang, a Harrisburg hot rod and custom car builder of national repute, to convert Bunting's Studebaker Avanti into a two-passenger coupe according to a design supplied by Kellogg.

As the two-passenger conversion was nearing completion, Kellogg sent Bunting yet another design along with a jocular note saying something to effect of, "Let's do this one next." That second design became the genesis for the AVX, for what Kellogg had proposed—and what Bunting immediately accepted—was the undertaking of a modern car based on Avanti design themes.

The year was 1993. In response to Bunting's enthusiasm for the project, Kellogg quickly supplied a series of drawings. Notes Kellogg: "We used the same design criteria on the AVX as we did on the Avanti." The design criteria included the distinctive Avanti no-grille front end, pronounced forward rake, "Coke bottle" side sculpting, wedge shape, and large, round headlights. As the design progressed, it became necessary to select a platform. Several were considered, but the then-new General Motors F-body was ultimately chosen. Specifically, the Pontiac Firebird Formula/Trans Am was deemed most appropriate for the project.

AVX stands for AVanti eXperimental. The original idea was to produce one car. That vehicle was built during the winter of 1995-96, then shown at several Studebaker and Avanti meets to wide acclaim. The idea of transforming the AVX from a one-off into a production car began to take seed. The design was refined again, this time with limited production in mind, and the first production prototype was shown at the June, 1997, International Studebaker/Avanti meet in South Bend, Indiana.

It takes about 280 hours to build an AVX. The exterior body panels are made of high-grade fiberglass, then fitted to the Firebird structure. The Firebird itself is manufactured in much the same way, with door panels that are also fiberglass, for example. Ride&Drive was told by a well-informed company source that Bunting has about $200,000 invested in all, including custom molds and the other bits and pieces necessary to enter limited production. Whatever the amount, it is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what it would cost to build a similar car in Detroit—General Motors probably spends more than that on executive stationery—but the technology and very low volume involved make it all feasible.

When we visited Bill Lang's shop to examine the construction methods used on the AVX, we were surprised at the level of quality. The level of fit and finish were superb, both inside and out. The interior is upholstered in leather throughout and features very attractively done wood trim accents. Performance is typical of what one would expect from a Firebird Formula or Trans Am, which should hardly be surprising. The exhaust system has been tuned to give a traditional Avanti sound, i.e., robust. Since the AVX will be essentially custom-built, any number of options are available. In fact, the options are only limited by the customer's taste and bankroll. Bunting and Lang will make a serious effort to accommodate any requirements.

A couple of exotic engine options feature Paxton superchargers, as did the car we drove.This is a nice Avanti-esque touch, and the Paxton unit really dresses up the engine compartment. We were unable, alas, to give it a true performance evaluation, but Bunting claims that 650 horsepower is possible with the top-end AVX-4 Performance Group. (The standard GM 5.7-liter V8 is rated at 285 horsepower.) Bunting notes that this option "is not for the faint of heart," although whether he is referring to the performance or to the $20,779 additional cost is unclear. What is clear is that going that fast is going to cost you plenty. We suspect the typical AVX customer will be satisfied with the level of performance offered by the standard GM powertrain. If so, the cost of the conversion will be $33,900—for coupe, T-top, or convertible—not including the cost of the Firebird Formula or Trans Am.

A would-be AVX owner can supply his or her own, or AVX can do it and tack the cost onto the price of the AVX conversion. The total tab will come to something over $60,000, which strikes us as pretty reasonable for a limited-edition, custom-built vehicle with this sort of pedigree. Bunting plans to sell perhaps 20-25 cars a year, a figure that appears plausible considering that the Avanti II regularly achieved a production rate of 100-200 cars for vehicles that were similarly targeted and priced. The design is well done and seems to be a legitimate claimant to the Avanti mystique, which is to be expected given Kellogg's intimate involvement with it. AVX 2-Passenger Coupe