1984 Avanti convertible, serial number RQB3370, appears in The Karate Kid. This 1984 film about a triumphant underdog facing a seemingly hopeless situation is an unlikely place to spot an Avanti. The car used in the film was the red convertible that Richard Straman made for Stephen Blake in 1984 (serial number RQB3370). Director John G. Avildsen had the (folded) top mashed down for the film because he felt it looked "too bulky."

The Karate Kid brings together bullied teenager, Daniel, and a Japanese gardener in a coming-of-age story of a native of New Jersey who feels out of place when he and his mother move to California's San Fernando Valley. Daniel sets his eye on the pretty debutante Ali Mills. Ali takes a liking to the young outsider, which really ticks off ex-boyfriend Johnny, the leader of a gang of bullies. Meanwhile, Daniel strikes up a friendship with Mr. Miyagi, the Japanese gardener at his apartment complex. After verbal and physical warnings, Johnny and his clique decide to beat Daniel to a pulp. Miyagi appears and interupts the young chumps. When Daniel recovers and learns what Miyagi did, he asks him to train him in the martial arts. Miyagi suggests they go right to the boys' hard-nosed, ex-military sensei, John Kreese. Kreese is a brutish jerk, but agrees to settle the dispute at the All-Valley Karate Championship, where Johnny is the defending champ. It's a long, gruelling effort, and Daniel isn't sure he can do it, but the wise Miyagi keeps him going.