Avanti Headlights

[Quicksilver]

Just curious. All 63's and a few early 64's had round headlights and covers.

After that they we were replaced with rectangular housings, although still with round headlight lenses.

Today i saw a picture of an 86 or 87 LSC (the longer wheelbase luxury Avanti) with rectangular headlight lenses set in rectangular housings. In all the years I've observed Avanti's I've never noticed this before. Is this a one off, or did they change the lights at some point?

[Quicksilver]

Just found it. It's an 88 and it's listed on Ebay

[Gunslinger]

When Steve Blake purchased the company there were some styling changes that included the body color impact absorbing bumpers and the rectangular headlights.  They began in the '84 body year I believe.  The rectangular headlights stayed through the end of production for the 1991 model year.  

[studegary]

4 hours ago, Gunslinger said:

When Steve Blake purchased the company there were some styling changes that included the body color impact absorbing bumpers and the rectangular headlights.  They began in the '84 body year I believe.  The rectangular headlights stayed through the end of production for the 1991 model year.  

Like other changes made during the 1983 model year, like dropping the "II", the 1983 20th Anniversary Coupes had rectangular lights.  There was also one 1989 with large rectangular lights.  Yes, the rectangular lights carried through the 1991 model year.  All 1984 - 1991 model year Avantis, with the one example cited, had normal rectangular headlights.     

[studegary]

20 hours ago, Quicksilver said:

Just curious. All 63's and a few early 64's had round headlights and covers.

After that they we were replaced with rectangular housings, although still with round headlight lenses.

Today i saw a picture of an 86 or 87 LSC (the longer wheelbase luxury Avanti) with rectangular headlight lenses set in rectangular housings. In all the years I've observed Avanti's I've never noticed this before. Is this a one off, or did they change the lights at some point?

The 1988 Avanti on eBay is NOT an LSC model.  They show an LSC brochure, but the car is not an LSC.  

[Quicksilver]

14 hours ago, studegary said:

Like other changes made during the 1983 model year, like dropping the "II", the 1983 20th Anniversary Coupes had rectangular lights.  There was also one 1989 with large rectangular lights.  Yes, the rectangular lights carried through the 1991 model year.  All 1984 - 1991 model year Avantis, with the one example cited, had normal rectangular headlights.     

I guess I'm simply not versed in Avanti minutia, What's the difference between large and normal rectangular lights?

[studegary]

6 minutes ago, Quicksilver said:

I guess I'm simply not versed in Avanti minutia, What's the difference between large and normal rectangular lights?

Normal rectangle lights are the sealed beam units that were used on many production cars of the time.  The one Avanti with large rectangular lights had lights that were about twice a wide.  

[Gunslinger]

Was that one the custom Avanti JJ Caffaro had made for his wife?

[regnalbob]

[WayneC]

Strangest "candy apple red" I've ever seen.

[bob caser]

This is a photo of my 1964 Avanti R 5487 at the La Palma Studebaker show in 1985 sporting the then new Blake head light buckets.

[Quicksilver]

I do not like that one off with large rectangle lights.

Now that I see the difference I think I prefer the rectangular production headlights as in Bob Caser's picture.