2005 Avantis

[drn1965]

Of the three types of late Avantis produced: Firebird platform (2001-2004), Ford SN-95 (Fox) platform (2005), and Ford D2C platform (2006-2007), the majority of cars I have seen are predictably the 2001-2004's and the 2006-2007's. The 2005 seems to be a transitional car between the Firebirds and the later Mustangs. It must have been a financial and logistical struggle to retool from the Firebird platform to the Ford SN-95, then do it all over again a year later for the Ford D2C.

I saw a red 2005 at the Trevose PA dealer in 2005, and a yellow 2005 at the Berlin NJ dealer also in 2005. I recall seeing photos of a 2005 painted a light metallic color, and there was a yellow prototype (black around the headlights, smaller headlight trim, and no rectangular lens over the round taillights) used for promotional photos in 2004. There has been a yellow 2005 and a red 2005 in attendance at SDC or AOAI meets, but I'm not sure if these aren't the same cars I saw at the dealers back in the day.

Have any on this forum seen or know of any other 2005's other than the four I described above?

[Gunslinger]

According to John Hull in his book, there were eight 2005 Avantis built. No idea how they break down to color and other particulars.

[drn1965]

A Torch Red '05 Avanti is for sale in Georgetown, Delaware.

Link to dealer:

https://www.floydamegeemotor.com/used/Studebaker/2005-Studebaker-Avanti-georgetown+de-58268ed10a0e0a6b044dd5b6af4a38d8.htm

The car has Studebaker/Newman-Altman style script emblems with the embroidered headrest matching the emblem script style. 36,972 (37,351 as of 6.13.2019) on the odo. No price noted in the online page.

Sharp looking car.

 

 

Edited June 13, 2019 by drn1965
Update link to dealer site and car mileage

[drn1965]

A pristine low mileage yellow 2005 is for sale at Volo:

https://www.volocars.com/auto-sales/vehicles/16819/2004-ford-avanti

 

I think the position that the car is the prototype shown in Chicago and the promotional photos may be in error....there are differences between this car and the prototype:

side view mirror color, front turn signal size and color, front corner marker light size and color, headlight bezel thickness and color, central brake light position (atop trunk vs in face of trunk). There is a possibility that Avanti Motors  "updated" the prototype to sell it, but that seems unlikely, or not?

Some pics of the car for sale and outdoor and factory pics of the prototype:

 

[Randy Atkin]

Thanks for  the comparison photos drn1965. I never noticed all the differences of the actual prototype. At the SDC Rhode Island meet I talked to the former (and I think original) owner of the red 2005. If I recall correctly, he changed the "Avanti" script to the old style as he preferred it. He told me he had trouble with the upholstery on the door panels in that the Avanti script was deteriorating so he had the door panels remade without script. It seems to me he did some other minor interior changes. Apparently he changed the headrest script also. This car has been for sale for several years now. While it is very nice the price seems too high to me, thus not sold. Personally I like the sloping trunk lid of the 2005 better than the 2006-2007, but I do not like the 2005's flared out wheel openings.

 

 

[drn1965]

It's remarkable that Avanti managed to engineer 3 separate bodies for the 3 platforms on the period 2001-2007.

The sloped trunk of the 2005's appealed to me as well. Of the Kelly Villa Rica/Cancun production, I like the form and proportions of the 2005's from nose to tail the best, though remarkably, all three platforms are quite similar in size. I also like the effort on the 2005's to differentiate the dashboard from the donor car's.

As to the cost...the asking prices today are still a bit rich for my circumstances. When new, the 2005 cars were priced from the mid $50k's to the low $60k's...which equates to the $80K's in todays dollars. I had hoped the prices would have come down a bit more and suspect the red car sitting for years in Delaware at about $50K indicates the market agrees. I'm sure the rarity of the cars has made pricing difficult to set. My thought is the 2005's might want to be priced between a low of $30K and a high of $40K...its all a matter of who wants it, and what they are willing to pay for what is, for all intents and purposes, a custom car.

Thanks Randy for sharing what you know of the red car's emblems. I've collected pics of 2005's from AOAI publications, SDC meets in Turning Wheels, and the internet....such that I think I may have pics of most of the cars built. I possibly have mistakenly thought there were 3 red cars: one with Kelly era emblems, one with no emblems, and one with the Studebaker/Newman-Altman era emblems...it may be these were all the same car. I saw a red car in a show room just north of Philadelphia in 2005...it had Kelly era emblems. I had also seen a yellow 2005 at a "dealer" in Berlin NJ in 2005. I believe there are at least three yellow cars: the car currently for sale, the prototype, and another car with a wide black rocker panel stripe that has attended an SDC drag strip event. I also have this picture of what appears to be black 2005 at the Avanti Cancun facility in 2006...notice the rear quarter window, the Fox Mustang era side view mirrors, and front marker light mounted close to the front of the fender (2002-2004 & 2006-2007 cars place the light midway between the wheel well and the fender front edge)

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by drn1965
add photo

[studegary]

I also believe that the two for sale are priced too high, as proven by the lack of a sale of either one over yeats.  I have made what I thought was a fair and reasonable offer for eack of these cars.  My offers were rejected.  I think that if one was put up for an absolute auction, the true market value would be determined.   It is true that there are a small number of these cars, but there is also a very small number of people that both want one and are willing and able to pay for one.  

[Randy Atkin]

I would only add to drn1965's comments that the 2006-2007 dashes were also heavily modified, actually I would say more than the 2005, to resemble Avanti dashes of the 80's. I have seen the picture of the black Avanti outside the Cancun showroom doors many times and mistook it for a 2006 or 2007.  I now agree it appears to be a 2005.