Studebaker Avanti Overdrive?

[mfg]

Recently read an interesting for sale ad in an old issue of the 'Studebaker Bulletin'.....FOR SALE; '63 Avanti R2, 63R1319, PS, PW, 3spd O/D. The ad goes on describing a very nice Avanti with 43K, and an asking price of four thousand dollars. What got my attention was the "THREE SPEED WITH OVERDRIVE" For one thing the 3 spd was only available with an R1, and I never thought that overdrive was a legitimate Studebaker Avanti option.......Probably owner installed, but nonetheless this Avanti sounded like an interesting car!

[garyc]

Production records show 67 3 speed R1 Avanti's were made as '63's and 11 for '64. The Hill Holder/ No Creep was a option for both 4 speed and 3 speed cars. 18 of the 67 '63's had the Hill Holder option and none of the 11 '64's. An R2 with a 3 speed would not have been a regular production car.

[mfg]

Interesting that the Hill Holder, a really nice thing to have in a stickshift car, wasn't installed on any of the eleven three speed '64's.

[plwindish]

I saw a 63 Avanti 3 speed w OD at the Upper Mississippi Zone Meet held in Menomonie WI last September. The owner had a board made up for the car citing the equipment and said the OD was dealer, not factory installed. Anyone know if the 3 speed w OD was a factory option?

[mfg]

My guess is overdrive was not a Studebaker Avanti factory option......In a way, I've always thought it interesting Studebaker offered even the 'straight' three speed transmission as standard equipment....It really didn't go with the character of the car....and being the light duty Borg Warner T-86, it could easily be overstressed by the power of the R1 engine.

[PackardV8]

Since the T86 overdrive was available in the convertible and the wagon using the same frame, obviously it could fit in an Avanti.

But no, it was never an OEM option.

jack vines

Edited February 1, 2015 by PackardV8

[mfg]

Yes, since overdrive was an 'economy' feature, Studebaker probably felt Avanti buyers would not be interested in that option.

I always wondered Studebaker didn't make the much stronger Borg Warner T-85 transmission standard equipment in the Avanti as opposed to the T-86?

[Gunslinger]

I would think Studebaker was trying to keep the base price down on the car and using the less robust transmission would help accomplish that. They may have thought, as you touched on, that few would be interested in a base car. I believe most dealers who have base cars in inventory, only do so to satisfy advertising hype but the profitability is in the options...both factory equipped and dealer added...than what's built in to the base car without options.

If Studebaker really wanted to save money on the base car, they could have specified a Dana 27 in place of the 44 for 3-speed cars. Maybe that might have been proposed? Maybe sales and engineering told them that was wasted money? Just spit-balling on my part.

[mfg]

Assuming the base Avanti engine would still be the R1 in the base car,....I don't think a Dana 27 would be up to it!