RARE GEM! 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 Supercharged! Sights, Sounds & Test Drive!

In Episode 103 of ‘Cars, Shops & Collections’ we revisit Mark Sivek to see his latest his purchase… A 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 - Supercharged!
We first met Mark back in Episode 77 where he showed his Rare 1977 Pontiac Can Am. Mark has since sold the Can Am and recently purchased his 1963 Avanti R II.
This 1963 Avanti is a survivor quality car spending its entire life within one family. With its original paint and gorgeous red interior this car is a show stopper! Power is provided by a legendary 290hp, 289ci V8 with a centrifugal blower!
Mark has a passion for the rare classics! Enjoy the walk around and ride along as Mark drops historical knowledge on this rare piece of Automotive history!
PLUS: We get an update on Mark's 1976 Firebird Formula 400!
The Studebaker Avanti R2, introduced in 1963, emerged as a pinnacle of innovation and style in the automotive industry. Born out of a desire to revitalize the struggling Studebaker brand, the Avanti R2 embodied the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and engineering. Conceived as a high-performance luxury coupe, the Avanti R2 featured a sleek, futuristic design penned by the legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Its distinctive features included a fiberglass body, a pronounced front grille, and a sleek profile that set it apart from other vehicles of its time.
Under the hood, the Avanti R2 boasted impressive power and performance, equipped with a supercharged V8 engine capable of delivering exhilarating speed and acceleration. This engineering marvel, combined with its striking aesthetics and advanced features such as disc brakes and optional air conditioning, positioned the Avanti R2 as a formidable contender in the luxury car market. Despite the challenges faced by Studebaker in the competitive automotive landscape, the Avanti R2 remains a cherished symbol of innovation and elegance, revered by enthusiasts and collectors alike for its timeless appeal and groundbreaking design.
#carsshopsandcollections #studeakeravanti #avanti

[@waltreamer1871]

The Avanti was a head turner when it first hit the roads in the early sixties, and it still looks like a million bucks.

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

All style!!!

[@marksivek]

Built in 63 and still looks stylish.

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

In the late '70s & '80s my next door neighbor had a silver '64, I always thought it was a cool ride since you really didnt see any of them on the road & his was the only one I ever seen in person, only got to ride in it one time...& that Firebird Formula, what can you say ✌💖☮

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

I’m looking forward to going back and spending more time with the Formula! I appreciate you watching!

[@marksivek]

Couple of months to get it in shape.

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

@@marksivek nuttin but a thang

[@waltsnow1762]

Raymond Lowey designed the '53 Studebaker also, was invited to take a shot at the Avanti. I took my drivers test in my Dads Avanti in 63 and sweated more than when I took my first solo in a Cessena 150 two years later ! It was the R2 and Dad ordered it with 3:02 rear gears for high top end speed......it did not disappoint ! Long story short, I took it to 145 with my Dad behind me in the back seat, my brother in the right rear seat and my tall brother-in-law in front with me. Don says ''well, how does it go'' as we entered a brand new hwy between Fresno and Hanford to visit an aging relative there. The funny part of this story is when we got to Hanford, my Grandmother in the Chevy behind us ( full of all the women in the group) said '' you got so small so quickly '' as the power poles were going by like fence posts !

[@600miles]

7:16 1962 Studebaker Daytona Lark had pop up vanity mirror also

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Crazy option!! Thanks for the info!

[@robertromano6879]

Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees is alive and well, he’s 79 years old.

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

The remaining one that is alive.. and I got wrong! Much love to Mickey!

[@elvis-jj1sc]

cant leave the guy hanging at the end! n0 handshake?

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

I just now caught that… good eye! We had a lot of fun doing this episode! Mark is a great guy with great taste in cars!

[@elvis-jj1sc]

@@CarsShopsAndCollections yes sir

[@SuganoPro]

There were many handshakes after the camera stopped rolling. 😂😂

[@Thomas63r2]

I owned an Avanti Red 1963 R2 4 speed with power windows and there was much I liked about the car. Despite the supercharger, it was a 16 second 1/4 mile. The owner can be forgiven for some misinformation, it looks like he just bought this one. In 2006 I went to the Bonneville Salt Flats to cheer on Dave Bloomberg, AKA “The Avanti Kid” in his land speed record quest. Dave was the original owner of the car, and had raced his Avanti for many years. 2006 was not Dave’s record year, the engine crankshaft fractured at 175 mph. A few years later he successfully set a class record at a shade over 215 mph.

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Over 215?? That is just wild! I’m looking him up now! Thanks for sharing the info.

[@Thomas63r2]

@@CarsShopsAndCollections The best part is that he did this with a (highly modified) supercharged Studebaker V8, I believe it was slightly over stock at ~ 299ci. Just look up Dave Bloomberg The Avanti Kid, I'm pretty sure there are KZbin videos and probably more details over in the land speed racing forum archives.

[@vernanderson4358]

That 16 sec nonsense is so prolific in the opinion world as to be scary. First off the factory limited HP rating (and thereby performance) to just over 5000 rpm. Even today 60 years LATER the Avanti R2 runs 100 mph in flat 14 seconds. And it was capable of that in 63. The floor shifter from factory was weak, the clutch recalcitrant and shifting was below peak HP output added at least one second. Then failing to green light pre rev added nuther half second. And how many big 3 magazine testors "eased" off the full throttle the last 100 feet + so as not to embarrass their "faves" from the big 3. Any number of them Don't kid yourself. Those factors easily account for 2 seconds. It WAS a 14+ second car then.

[@vernanderson4358]

Jim lange circa 1990. Bested 200 MPH. So did Ron Hall back in the 88 -89 era. But Hall never achieved a boni fide Record at 200 +. Remember talking to him at Ozark fun in 91 natl meet. That talk plus turning wheels I believe it was about 193-195 MPH.too worn out to look it up. After 63 years as a dedicated Avanti afficianado and AOA member original in 1965,# 298 and an owner, I'm tired of all the erroneous malarkey being posted by "experts" who weren't even BORN until 20 years AFTER Studebaker stopped producing automobiles.

[@vernanderson4358]

Oh man here we go again. Errors galore. Total Avanti production around 4643 most accepted figure. Yes R2 capable from the assembly line at 158 MPH. R3 -178.5 MPH with two way record of168+170 MPH. I couldn't stand to listen any further. You own an Avanti but fail to research actual facts? Please.

[@trainliker100]

Seatbelts were only just starting to take hold and the federal mandate started January 1, 1965. Studebaker was somewhat advanced making them standard. I'm not positive, but I believe they had a "seatbelt delete" option, and it might have applied to only the rear seatbelts. While they had to build the car out of their existing parts bin (Studebaker Lark X frame for more strength due to the fiberglass body since they couldn't afford the time or money for dies for steel), a very old engine design from 1951 that was based on an even older 1949 Cadillac engine, king pin steering, and such, they did put in a number of safety aspects. There is a built-in rollbar. The dash is safety oriented. The gas tank is behind the rear seat and the spare tire is below the trunk (under a round panel making up part of the floor of the trunk) where gas tanks are usually located. So, if you get hit from the back, there is not gas tank right there. Of course, disk brakes were another "first" claimed by Studebaker on an American production car. But they were not the first. They were the first with CALIPER disk brakes (on the front, standard drums on the rear). The first American production car with disk brakes (but of a different sort of design) was, of all things, the 1949 Crosley on all four wheels and for only one year. Then in 1949 to 1954 Chrysler offered them as an expensive option, also not the "caliper" type, though. So, when Studebaker omitted the word "caliper" in their claim, they were not accurate.

[@vernanderson4358]

Yes the crosely rotors were so flimsy it is claimed they rusted out in cold snow climes in as little as six months The chrysler brakes? Examine them carefully. Not disc brakes at all. Some kind of complicated apparatus almost indescribable and mechanically a nightmare. No Avanti WAS the first "successfully" American disc brake Car. Studebaker literally DRAGGED the big 3 outa the dark ages of braking. And they came forward kicking and complaining. Big 3 NOT concerned with safety -- only profits IMHO.

[@trainliker100]

@@vernanderson4358 The Chrysler design was a stationary split disk with six pressure pads on each side. The disks were forced apart to contact the pressure pads. There were some other design nuances, but they aren't important. This was definitely a disk brake design, just not of the caliper design.

[@mkphilly]

ALWAYS loved the Avanti

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Classic look! With an incredible backstory! Plus power

[@muncher64]

You mentioned that the Avanti was a car of choice for celebrities. In the mid-nineties, a car dealer in Southport, CT, had an absolutely beautiful R1 for sale and I put some money down for him to hold it for me. I was in between jobs and was concerned about my finances and so I backed out of the deal. I learned shortly after that Jason Robards ended up buying the car. Thanks for posting this.

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Thanks for watching! Wasn’t he in the move The Day After? Don’t ask me how I know this. Lol

[@charlesyoungblood1402]

Have a 63 R2 , S/N 5,000 . Love this little beauty 😂

[@trainliker100]

It was nice that they showed a little demo of flipping down a sun visor. That's all it does. It is very small and does not swing to the side. I've read that Studebaker President Sherwood Egbert provided some design input and this was one of the items. That he didn't like the big ugly floppy sun visors that were common. He wanted something more like what you would find in an aircraft. And he was a pilot and apparently that influenced other aspects of the interior where a lot of the controls, like the heater and vent controls, look aircraft inspired. As well as the very large number of gauges very untypical in an American car. And the switches above the windshield were the first time a car had any switches located there. One of the switches changes the gauge back lighting from white to red (there are two sets of bulbs in the gauge panel) which I think is also from the aircraft world with the red being better for night vision.

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Wow!!!!! 1) I appreciate you watching and 2) I appreciate the knowledge you are dropping!

[@kevinbarrett9615]

My uncle was a wholesaler in the 60’s once we went to visit him and he had a Avanti in the driveway, so cool !

[@trainliker100]

While the little panel on the deck to access the trunk was marketed as access to put things into and out of the trunk, it really wasn't very practical for that sort of thing if you think about it. Despite their advertising photo of a lovely model putting something into the trunk through it. It was really there as an alternate means to get to the trunk latch with a long screwdriver to get it open. Normally, you pulled on a handle at the bottom left of the rear seat and you were pulling a cable. If the cable broke, and that access panel door was NOT there, you would have to cut through the fiberglass to get the trunk open. Studebaker simply turned that necessity into another advertising feature.

[@trainliker100]

Some other celebrity Avanti owners were Johnny Carson, Dick Van Dyke, Beach Boy Al Jardine (post Studebaker convertible), Sandy Kofax, Michael Landon (post Studebaker convertible), Ricky Nelson, Rod Serling, Herb Shriner, Frank Sinatra, Roger Ward (one was presented to him upon winning the 1962 Indianapolis 500 making him the first official Avanti owner), actor David Arquette (post Studebaker convertible) and Ian Fleming of James Bond novel fame. Fleming apparently planned to have Bond drive an Avanti in his next book after "Octopussy and The Living Daylights", but he ended up not writing another Bond book. Alice Cooper has had three Avantis: A white 1963, black 1963, and a 2003 convertible (the 2003 being a very restyled version of the original as part of 2000 to 2007 production on Monte Carlo platforms until they became unavailable and then on Ford Mustang platforms).

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

I remember Danny working on Coopers Avanti! It was in his shop when I went to do a news segment with Danny (I work at the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas).

[@KevinMullett0509]

I know the name studabaker, but this is not my dad's studabaker 😮

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

A little bit different than the one I would see in the neighborhood! lol!

[@trainliker100]

I don't know where he got his production numbers from. Perhaps talking about only R2 models. There were a total of 4,643 Studebaker Avantis made. 3,834 as 1963 models and 809 as 1964 models. Contrary to a popular belief, square headlight bezels do not automatically denote a 1964 model. They came along a little after the model year date change. Studebaker didn't really have model years in the sense of other car companies with completely restyled cars. Instead, they intended to make continual "running changes." Of about 30 running changes over the production life, 8 occurred starting with serial number 4892 and that is sometimes considered, more or less, the "transition" from the 63-ish to the 64-ish model year physically. Square headlight bezels were one of those 8 changes, but they really occurred after the model year date change and early 1964 models had round bezels and they could also be special ordered even after the square bezel change. Also, some unsold 1963 models with round bezels were later sold and registered as 1964 models. There were probably six hundred and some square bezel cars.

[@MaxRockatansky17]

JC, This is what your tube show is about. This is a NO EV ZONE! No disrespect meant. Sorry, Not sorry. 😉

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Based on the comments on my Banshee short… you are not alone! lol! I appreciate the support!

[@jasonredwood154]

The Avanti II is using the same frame as the og Avanti’s. It’s only the drive train that was Chevy. At least into the late 70’s or so. I have a 1970 Avanti II. Came from the factory with a sbc 350 and 3 spd 350 transmission. Everything else on the car was studebaker

[@trainliker100]

Avanti Motors did have to modify the Avanti II body some to clear the taller GM engines. The most obvious place to spot this is the distance between the top of the front wheel well and the top of the fender blade. It is about two inches more in an Avanti II than the Studebaker. This also means the car doesn't have quite the same rake as the Studebaker. But otherwise, true, the follow-on Avantis, at least at first, were made with leftover Studebaker parts - frames, bumpers, suspension, much of the interior, etc.

[@trainliker100]

The interior rear-view mirror is not in the original position which was down low just above the dashboard. At first, the mirror was on a short stalk sticking up from the dashboard. Later, they cemented the mirror to the windshield at the same location (and I believe were the first to cement it to the glass like that). I have a very stock 1964 and it is hard to see much with it mounted that low. I can see where it would be an improvement to mount it higher. The car may have originally had the stalk, but I suspect the interior was redone and a new dash pad assembly installed. Also, original production had a different exterior mirror design, and they were part way down the fender blades (like some race cars). But you couldn't reach them from inside the car to adjust them. So they changed to the design you see here. Also, the right hand mirror was an option.

[@vernanderson4358]

To my knowledge on the Avanti from 63 years being an avid fan and owner,I've never seen any evidence of a dash stalk mounted rear view mirror. I believe you may be incorrect on this.

[@vernanderson4358]

Ad to the chrylers so called disc brakes you are correct. Certainly NOT caliper type.. and they were not successful nor easy to fix adjust. Calipers won out because there not only were superior to chrylers but much simpler. Chrysler units were nightmares.

[@trainliker100]

@@vernanderson4358 If you look at the car in the July 1962 Motor Trend article, it has the larger mirror on the stalk. Of course, this might have only been a "pre-production" car thing. There might have been no production cars with it, or perhaps only a few. But I suspect some of those cars with the stalk did get out "into the wild", or some very early cars might have had it before the smaller windshield mounted one. I suspect the windshield mounted ones were placed so low (and as you probably know, annoyingly low) to be in the same position as the original stalk mounted scheme.

[@vernanderson4358]

@@trainliker100 ok I'll check that out. I have that issue and have read it dozens of times in 62 years. Which only goes to show what a person cannot see right in front of ones face.. thanks .

[@trainliker100]

​@@vernanderson4358 I think the "Duo Cento" was the same way, but again, a "factory car." The running changes listed in Tom Bonsall's "Avanti" book does not mention it. But it also doesn't mention the change from fender mounted to door mounted exterior rear-view mirrors. It says it show only "major" running changes. I don't think I have seen a listing of ALL changes. The exterior mirrors were obviously a change in their production at some point. But originally, they recommended fender mounting but had door mounting as an alternate. They had drill template drawings for both. At some point, it seems they started recommending door mounting and also did that at the factory. I'm not positive, but I sort of think early 63's had a different fender mounted mirror style, perhaps the "Stratoline", and then a change was made to the "Strato-Vue." Or maybe it was Strato-Vue all along.

[@trainliker100]

To be a bit pedantic, the "R3" that got the Bonneville records was 299 CID, not 304.5. They did that to stay in a certain class. The production R3 cars, of which there were only nine (but quite a few clones have now been made) was 304.5. The R4 engine was also 304.5 and it was normally aspirated with dual 4 BBL carburetors. However, no Avanti was ever ordered with one. One Lark was. There was also a factory "R5" engine with twin Paxton superchargers driven at Bonneville by Andy Granatelli himself to a 196 mph best two way run. In a paper Studebaker provided to the Society of Automotive Engineers they said the R5 engine was 638 hp. Some online sources say 575 hp, but the paper to the SAE is certainly the definitive source.

[@vernanderson4358]

Oops another error friend. Yes early Bonneville was 299 cubes. But NOT in aug and Oct 63. They WERE 304 cubers. It is unfortunate that some who post opinions don't know the facts of Studebaker history. Correction administered.

[@vernanderson4358]

HP varied by the rpm. Both are correct depending on said rpm

[@trainliker100]

@@vernanderson4358 Of course HP varies by RPM. However, when a single value is noted, I think most everybody in the universe means it to be maximum.

[@vernanderson4358]

@@trainliker100 huh? You mean like when in the sixties the big 3,420+ cubers were rated at 425 HP but in actuality closer to 450-475? You mean that universe? Or the R3'S factory rated at 335 HP but virtually every one left Granatellis shop at 375 minimum. That universe.? The 575 HP figure is what is called covering the derriere by sae. Time and money spent Substantiating 635 HP from a company as small as Stude was not going to happen. Further, getting 600+ HP from a near 15 yo design engine, Of a mere 300+ cubes, obliterating the big 3 Egos was not acceptable even if Studebaker would have pushed$$ under the table as the big 3 most likely did. Oooh that's the real universe few know about. IE - ignorance is bliss remains yet today.

[@trainliker100]

@@vernanderson4358 I'm not sure that's correct. Studebaker called the 299 R3's the "A" engines and the 304.5 R3's "B" engines. They were limited to 299, at first, to be able to be in "production" class as 0.060" over pistons (I think that's the dimension) were a standard Studebaker part for rebuilds. Once the pistons for 304.5 became a production item, then they could run that in the production class. The 29 stock records touted by Studebaker were from 1962 which is BEFORE the dates you mention for the 304.5. It would have been a 299 "A" engine.

[@sharonhale4111]

Old Jeeps used to had push buttons to open the doors. You could easily bump the button, and fall out.

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Dang! Thanks for the info!

[@franknemes3064]

Seatbelt were dependent on State Laws, not all States required seatbelts it was not a Federal Law yet for the 1963 - 1964 era..

[@CarsShopsAndCollections]

Thanks for the info!

[@trainliker100]

Mercedes did not merge with Studebaker and Packard. Studebaker was merely a distributor of Mercedes. Mercedes was definitely a distinct and separate company.

[@dm5374]

I had no idea that Studebaker distributed MB in the States! I though it was Max Hoffman and then MB USA.

[@trainliker100]

@@dm5374 It was 1957 to 1964. M-B had been looking for somebody for a while. In 1952 they sold just 52 cars in the U.S. Studebaker, who REALLY needed cash and got 5 million to put M-B in their dealerships. M-B sales increased considerably. 3,150 in 1957 to 11,296 in 1964. When Studebaker ended U.S. auto production in 1963, M-B started negotiating their way out of the agreement and ended up paying 9 million to buy out the contract from Studebaker. Studebaker DID continue as they had other divisions, but automotive no longer fit their business model so the buyout was quite good for Studebaker. Interestingly, the Studebaker Avanti has M-B cone style door locks. Another little thing that came from that association.

[@davebalek4093]

He should've studied the facts of the Avanti before doing this. Didn't even know the President of Studebaker name. Sherwood Egbert. Studebaker brought the Mercedes over in 1958 not in the 60's. Just needed to bone up a bit other wise it was good.

[@trainliker100]

I have a Studebaker Avanti and like to show people the cone style door locks. They are from Mercedes. Then I also explain that Studebaker had been the exclusive distributor of Mercedes in the U.S. and Canada at one time which is something most Mercedes owners don't even know.

[@vernanderson4358]

Actually knows very LITTLE about any Avanti. 😢

[@marksivek]

Cars must use premium gas or they don’t count

[@trainliker100]

Even "premium gas" isn't really real gas anymore, at least not in California (a percentage of ethanol in it). I have a Studebaker Avanti and it really doesn't run great on what the peddle as "premium gas", and gets even lousier mileage than usual.