Avanti before it's time

[cobrajoe74]

Here's the link to a recent Jalopnik piece: http://jalopnik.com/the-avanti-was-before-its-time-1365740242

[plwindish]

Some comments about the design being dated are way off base. That outdated design was produced in the 60's, 70's, 80's and into the 90's before the ownership unsuccessfully tried to swing every buyer's taste to buying 4 doors or convertibles. I personally like the 2 door coupe and convertible, though the 4 door is starting to grow on me. I also liked the AVX modernization of design that was picked up and used in the Pontiac and Mustang based cars, but I think those platforms sacrificed interior room from earlier editions.

The comment about the Jenson Interceptor rear end being pure Avanti was accurate. Last week I was watching the British car featuring Edd the mechanic redoing a Jenson and immediately thought the back end was all Avanti. The program also had Mike going back to the factory and going through the car's original records. Too bad the various Avanti ownerships weren't that thorough.

[Gunslinger]

You're not kidding about interior spaced compromised in the newer cars. The original Avanti cabin is almost cavernous compared to my '02. When you adapt the Avanti design to a 101" wheelbase (107" in the Mustang based) that the GM "F" body used instead of the original 109" wheelbase, something is being lost. The back seat in my car is only good for maybe two bags of groceries and that's it. The original Avanti design has a far more usable trunk in comparison as well.

On the plus side...my '02 is far faster, better handling and more economical on gas and overall a far superior automobile. Then again...one should expect that with over forty years of improvements and advancement in automotive technology and engineering.

I would like to believe that if Studebaker had survived as an automaker, their current Avanti would be far superior to what they did design and build in the early 1960's. The downside to that is their current Avanti might look far different...the Avanti has a specific look but it could have been changed. The Corvette has visually changed much through its generations...a modern Studebaker may have changed the Avanti design several times as well.

[plwindish]

The three clowns on the History Channel that have the car show most recently were featuring land barges with the winner driving the new Vette Stingray. To me, the Vette has evolved into a fantastic performing machine, but it has also lost the Vette identity. Other than being a fiberglass bodied 2 seater, there is no other lineage going back to the C1's, C2's, C3's, & C4's. Again it looks like a fantastic driving machine with a great motor, but no "dna" of the earlier models. To me, it shares more of an identity with the newer Camaro than anything else.

I think Newman and Altman along with economics charted the course for the continuation of Avanti. The economics played a big factor because how cheaply they were able to get the parts and tooling and at that time in 1965, and still build a very futuristic car. Using the supply of parts for 20 years kept the style virtually unchanged. Cars changed a lot since 1964 when Studebaker closed the coffin for the first time on Avanti. Had Studebaker still been in business during the 80's and 90's, does anyone seriously think they still would be using the 53 styled frames and suspensions? The continuing owners of Avanti knew the old frame supply had been exhausted or were not safe to use, going with Chevy frames was the most economical option for them, getting newer frame and suspension technology without spending a ton for engineering and government mandated crash testing. I applaud Bunning for bring the new design forward in the AVX and getting the "new" generation of Avanti started. Some of newer supercharged Pontiac based Avantis are absolute monsters in the power and handling departments. If I were 4 inches shorter and 100 lbs lighter, I would love one.

Edited September 27, 2013 by plwindish