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80 Avanti On Ebay


silverstude

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I really don't get the big deal about claims of the car being a "Survivor". That might make sense to Corvette and Mopar fanatics but it means little when it comes to Avantis...Avanti II's in particular. Having a true survivor might make some sense in a historical sense, as in how the factory was building them at the time, but that's merely a snapshot as Avanti Motors made so many changes and custom additions there's really no standard to compare a car to. Even the SDC judging manual doesn't really care if an Avanti or other car has its original engine as long as it's a correct engine.

I guess tagging any car as a "survivor" is a way of trying to add value to its selling price.

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I somewhat disagree with Gunslinger....whether we like it or not....a 'MATCHING NUMBERS' Avanti seems to usually have a higher FINANCIAL value than an Avanti that has a correct engine, but not the engine it was 'BORN' with (IMHO)

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To me a car should be all original, including paint, to be considered a survivor. Our cars are at the wrong end of the "collector value" market to get too hung up on originality. Record setting models like the #9 car in the Studebaker Museum, Egbert's car, Duo Cento and the Avanti GT and celebrity owned are probably the only Avantis that will see values north of 50 K.

My 76 has the original motor, but has been overhauled and warmed up along with an AOD installed, Everything else has been re-done making it a frame on restoration. I would not call it a survivor, I would call it modernized to a high quality driver.

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Ignoring the "survivor" thing, all I had to read was, "1980 Studebaker Avanti II" to know I shouldn't take any of the verbage too seriously ;) Looks like a nice car, hope somebody buys and enjoys it. Other than that, not much to say other than whatever it sells for will be of interest since it's always fun to see what one goes for. As time goes on and other cars are more more sought after than Avantis, I can't say it's a huge deal (to me) to have the original engine in anything but a '63-'64 car, but I don't know if that's a majority mindset. Forgive me perhaps for asking, but does it really matter what GM engine is in an Avanti?

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Ignoring the "survivor" thing, all I had to read was, "1980 Studebaker Avanti II" to know I shouldn't take any of the verbage too seriously

Forgive me perhaps for asking, but does it really matter what GM engine is in an Avanti?

Part of the problem is that eBay eliminated the "Avanti" category from its collector car section. Unless you select "Other Makes" where few look, adding it to the Studebaker section gets more views and greater exposure.

As far as which GM engine, unless you like to tinker and experiment, having a small block Chevy engine makes things so simple...it's a drop-in installation on an Avanti II...very few changes depending on exactly what year and model SBC, if any. I've heard of those that have installed big block Chevy, GM LS-series, Cadillac and Buick V6 engines in Avantis. More power to them if they enjoy doing the modifications, etc., but...while I really would have loved an LS-series engine in my '70, I chose a 350HO crate engine for price, ease of installation and overall and cost-effectiveness.

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Part of the problem is that eBay eliminated the "Avanti" category from its collector car section. Unless you select "Other Makes" where few look, adding it to the Studebaker section gets more views and greater exposure.

As far as which GM engine, unless you like to tinker and experiment, having a small block Chevy engine makes things so simple...it's a drop-in installation on an Avanti II...very few changes depending on exactly what year and model SBC, if any. I've heard of those that have installed big block Chevy, GM LS-series, Cadillac and Buick V6 engines in Avantis. More power to them if they enjoy doing the modifications, etc., but...while I really would have loved an LS-series engine in my '70, I chose a 350HO crate engine for price, ease of installation and overall and cost-effectiveness.

Good point on the ebay listing situation, I did not know that. I wonder how many people looking for an Avanti don't care what year/maker/build they get? For sure the Avanti II is an interesting situation considering how many Studebaker parts (and people & build location) the first post-Studebaker Avantis had. For sure, you can't deny the legacy and hopes for the future the first II's had, compared to what we now know what the nameplate morphed into. I agree completely with your SBC explanation and probably should have worded my, "but does it really matter what GM engine is in an Avanti?" comment better, as I meant that relative to a authenticity/prospective buyer standpoint. Considering the car's overall weight, suspension design and age, etc. I can't imagine needing more power than is available from a good small block build, especially compared to my R1.

Edited by GlennW
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Ignoring the "survivor" thing, all I had to read was, "1980 Studebaker Avanti II" to know I shouldn't take any of the verbage too seriously ;) Looks like a nice car, hope somebody buys and enjoys it. Other than that, not much to say other than whatever it sells for will be of interest since it's always fun to see what one goes for. As time goes on and other cars are more more sought after than Avantis, I can't say it's a huge deal (to me) to have the original engine in anything but a '63-'64 car, but I don't know if that's a majority mindset. Forgive me perhaps for asking, but does it really matter what GM engine is in an Avanti?

Probably not......... I was actually thinking Studebaker Avanti in my 'matching numbers' comment above......although I didn't say that!

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Evidently, my computer is still using the old Ebay browser as Avanti (as well as Hudson and some lesser known makes) still shows up on on the collector car page of Ebay Motors.

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