|
|
"Looking
unlike any other American car, the Avanti attempted to bolster
Studebaker's flagging fortunes.
Raymond Loewy's swoopy styling and sports-car
feel won many friends." Avantis are powerful, and the
top versions are among the most potent road cars of their day,
with a gutsy V8 engine, suspension
tuned for sports-car driving, a low roof line and a long hood.
The ride is hard and the car doesn't roll much because of its
anti-roll bars. Its overall sensation tells you the Avanti is
a special car. Styling of the Avanti's smart and very functional
interior is surprisingly European
in design. The Avanti has all the credentials of a hand-built
European sports coupe, yet it's 100 percent American made. Nothing
else looks like it and, in 1962, very few cars went as fast.
Supercharged V8 engine—Some
versions of the Avanti's V8 engine have Paxton superchargers.
One experimental version, the R5, has two superchargers and
fuel injection, and is claimed to develop 575 bhp and an amazing
196 mph.
Four-seat interior—Opening
up the fiberglass doors reveals an interior that is spacious
by the standards of contemporary sports coupes.
Sturdy chassis—The simple,
twin-rail, box-section ladder chassis is a development of Studebaker's
standard sedan car chassis, which dates back to 1953.
Antiquated suspension—Although beefed up with anti-roll
bars, the suspension belonged to a previous era.
Fiberglass bodywork—To
minimize time and tooling costs, Studebaker opted for fiberglass
bodywork. The Molded Fiberglass Company had quality problems,
however, so Studebaker decided to manufacture its own bodyshells
after a critical delay.
Front Disc Brakes—The
Avanti was the first American road car to have standard front
disc brakes. They are a Dunlop design with servo assistance.
Loewy styling—The
fantastic and unusual styling of the Avanti was the responsibility
of famous designer Raymond Loewy.Back
cover text—Under the skin
The power pack—Although
the engines used in the Avanti are versions of the 1950s Studebaker
289-cubic inch V8, they have been substantially modified. There
are five versions in all. Firstly, there is the basic 240-bhp
R1 and the 290-bhp R2 fitted with a Paxton supercharger. The
335-bhp R3 has a supercharger and a higher compression ratio,
the 280-bhp R4 is a twin-carb, four-barrel version and the experimental
R5 has twin blowers and fuel injection to produce 575 bhp. The
post-Studebaker Avanti IIs use Chevrolet engines.
Old-fashioned chassis—Studebaker
used the twin-rail steel chassis from the Lark. For its new
task, Studebaker engineers beefed up the chassis with front
and rear anti-roll bars and rear radius arms. |
 |
|
|
