Avanti II | |
---|---|
Body and chassis | |
Body style |
|
Layout | FR layout |
Related | Studebaker Avanti |
The Avanti (including the Avanti II) is an American performance sports coupe based on the Studebaker Avanti and marketed through a succession of five different ownership arrangements between 1965 and 2006.
After Studebaker's December 20, 1963, closure of its South Bend factory and effective discontinuation of the auto with the 1964 model year, cars carrying the Avanti nameplate were initially produced from leftover Studebaker components, and later by the Avanti Motor Company from General Motors and Ford chassis and engines. A small and often interrupted stream of increasingly modified cars was made before all production ceased in 2006.
After Studebaker ended production at South Bend on December 20, 1963, the "Avanti" model name, tooling, Studebaker truck production rights, as well as parts and plant space were bought by local Studebaker dealers, Nate and Arnold Altman and Leo Newman, who incorporated as Avanti Motor Corporation and hand-built a small number of cars. [1] Leo Newman ran the Studebaker truck parts division, which enabled the company to be profitable at its outset. According to Stu Chapman, Studebaker Director of Advertising & Public Relations 1964–1966, in his book "My Father The Car: Memoirs Of My Life With Studebaker", there was talk with Studebaker about reintroducing the Avanti to Studebaker showrooms in 1965/66, along with ambitious plans for rebadging an Isuzu Bellett as an entry-level Studebaker, and combining with Canadian Motor Industries.
The Altman brothers introduced a slightly modified version of the car in 1965 under the brand name "Avanti II". [2] which initially had a 327 cu in (5.4 L) Chevrolet Corvette engine. This evolved to the 400, then the small-block 350, and then the 305 for 1981. [3] The 305 cu in (5.0 L) V8 had electronic engine controls, 155 hp (116 kW), and GM's Turbo 350 automatic transmission with lock-up. Building one of the 1980s Avanti IIs required 10 to 12 weeks, depending on special color or upholstery orders. [3] The last Avanti II made came off the line with a V6 engine from Roush, and only one was made. After Nate Altman's death, Arnold Altman ran the company until it was sold in 1982. [4] From 1963 through 1985, Avanti IIs were built on the Studebaker-designed chassis, then the Chevrolet Monte Carlo chassis was used; Chevy discontinued the Monte Carlo in 1987, and Avanti switched to the Chevrolet Caprice chassis.
Year | Engine | Power | Wheelbase | Length | Width | Chassis | Transmission | Instrumentation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1965 | 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8 | 300 hp (224 kW) | 109 in (2,769 mm) [5] | 192.5 in (4,890 mm) | 70.4 in (1,788 mm) | Full perimeter with X | 4-speed manual or automatic [5] | Speedometer, tachometer, [5] fuel gauge, ammeter, temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, vacuum pressure gauge [6] |
On October 1, 1982, real-estate developer Stephen H. Blake bought the rights to the Avanti II. [7] The state of Indiana guaranteed $1.9 million in loans to Avanti as part of the financial package offered Blake when he bought the company. [7]
Modifications were introduced to the car, which had remained unchanged since the production of the Avanti II model began in the mid-1960s. A new convertible body style along with an all-new and lighter backbone chassis that was designed by Herb Adams, a former Pontiac engineer, using a torque tube with a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette aluminum rear end and independent suspension. [8] These plans were shelved in favor of the G-body Monte Carlo chassis as it could accept Chevrolet V8s. [7] The newly approved rectangular headlights with matching openings were introduced along with plastic body-colored bumpers. [7] Each car took eight to ten weeks to hand-build. [9]
Shortly after introducing the Mark II Avanti, the company declared bankruptcy, and Blake resigned in February 1986. [7]
The Avanti Motor Company was purchased by Michael Eugene Kelly, whose ownership was very brief because the company's ownership changed in 1987. [10]
The "II" was dropped from the car's name and all subsequent cars were called the "Avanti".[ citation needed ] The company then had second-generation Avanti styling originated by Tom Kellogg, the youngest member of the original Studebaker Avanti design team. [11]
The company was acquired and run from 1987 until 1991 by John J. Cafaro. [12] [13] With the financial assistance of the State of Ohio, he moved all Avanti production from South Bend – its birthplace – to Youngstown, Ohio. In 1988 and 1989, Avanti made two-door coupes and a convertible. The 1988 Avanti was called the "Silver Year" models, marking 25 years since the Avanti's introduction.[ citation needed ]
In 1989, Cafaro lost faith in the original coupe and introduced a four-door version, of which 90 were built. Only 405 Avantis were made in four years at the Youngstown plant, which closed in 1991. [14]
Kelly repurchased the company in 1999.[ citation needed ] He moved its operations from Ohio to Georgia and produced redesigned Avanti automobiles in Villa Rica from 2000 to 2005.[ citation needed ] From 2004, Ford Mustang chassis and engines were used. In October 2005, an Internet report said, "Avanti Motors [had] recently announced a new relationship with Ford Motor Company and was planning a big comeback". [15]
In early 2006, Kelly moved Avanti production to a new plant in Cancun, Mexico. Still, the company foundered after Kelly's arrest on fraud charges in December 2006 over a large Ponzi scheme he was running. [16] [17] The last Avanti rolled off the line in Cancun, Mexico in March 2006. All the Mustang-based Avantis used V8 engines, with the option of a Ford V6. Only one 2006 Avanti was built with a Ford V6 engine. The factory and showroom were emptied in 2011 and have been sold. Many extremely rare Studebaker and Avanti concepts and racing vehicles on the second floor of the building in Cancun have been moved elsewhere and/or sold. [18]
Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the firm was originally a coachbuilder, manufacturing wagons, buggies, carriages and harnesses.
The straight-six engine is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balance, resulting in fewer vibrations than other designs of six or fewer cylinders.
Personal luxury car is a North American car classification describing somewhat sporty, sophisticated mass-market coupés that emphasized comfort over performance. The North American manufacturers most often combined engineering, design, and marketing to develop upscale, distinctive "platform sharing" models that became highly profitable.
Marcos Engineering was a British sports car manufacturer. The name derives from the surnames of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.
Compact car is a vehicle size class—predominantly used in North America—that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, before the downsizing of the United States car industry in the 1970s and 1980s, larger vehicles with wheelbases up to 110 in (2.79 m) were considered "compact cars" in the United States.
The Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk was a grand touring coupe sold by Studebaker motors between 1962 and 1964. The top of the Studebaker line, it was the final development of the Hawk series that began with the Golden Hawk in 1956.
The Studebaker Avanti is a personal luxury coupe manufactured and marketed by Studebaker Corporation between June 1962 and December 1963. A halo car for the maker, it was marketed as "America's only four-passenger high-performance personal car."
The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1948 model year. The F-Series is marketed as a range of full-sized pickup trucks positioned above the midsize Ranger but below the larger Super Duty in the Ford truck lineup. Alongside the F-150, the F-Series also includes the Super Duty series, which includes the heavier-duty F-250 through F-450 pickups, F-450/F-550 chassis cabs, and F-600/F-650/F-750 Class 6–8 commercial trucks.
The Chevrolet Express is a series of full-size vans produced by General Motors since 1996. The successor to the Chevrolet G-series van, the Express is produced in passenger and cargo variants. Alongside the standard van body, the line is offered as a cutaway van chassis; the latter vehicle is a chassis cab variant developed for commercial-grade applications, including ambulances, buses, motorhomes, and small trucks.
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1970 model year, the model line was produced across six generations through the 2007 model year, with a hiatus from 1989 until 1994. The Monte Carlo was a variant of the Pontiac Grand Prix throughout its production.
The Studebaker Wagonaire was a station wagon produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1963–1966. It featured a retractable sliding rear roof section that allowed the vehicle to carry items that would otherwise be too tall for a conventional station wagon of the era.
The Studebaker Lark is a compact car that was produced by Studebaker from 1959 to 1966.
Superior Coach was a coachbuilder in the American automotive industry. Founded in 1909 as the Garford Motor Truck Company, Superior is best known for constructing bodies for professional cars (hearses) and school buses. Following major downturns in both segments in the late 1970s, Superior was liquidated by its parent company in 1980. From 1925 to 1980, the company was based in Lima, Ohio.
The Rambler Tarpon was a concept car, a compact-sized sporty youth-oriented 2+2 hardtop coupé developed in 1963 by American Motors Corporation (AMC). The bright red with black roof design study made its public debut at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show. The car served to foretell the fastback design elements of the larger Rambler Marlin that was introduced in 1965.
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
Coke bottle styling is an automotive body design with a narrow center surrounded by flaring fenders. This design element bears a general resemblance to a Coca-Cola classic glass contour bottle design. Industrial designer Raymond Loewy introduced it on the radical 1962 Studebaker Avanti gran turismo.
The AC 3000ME is a mid-engined sports car originally sold by AC Cars. The two-door coupé debuted at the 1973 London Motor Show. Sales did not begin until 1979 and lasted until 1984. Rights to the 3000ME and tooling were transferred to a second company who managed to produce a small number of additional cars before going into receivership themselves in mid-1985. A third company acquired the rights to the car with plans to begin selling a revised version under a different name, but only a single prototype was ever produced.
The 1950s were pivotal for the American automobile industry. The post-World War II era brought a wide range of new technologies to the automobile consumer, and a host of problems for the independent automobile manufacturers. The industry was maturing in an era of rapid technological change; mass production and the benefits from economies of scale led to innovative designs and greater profits, but stiff competition between the automakers. By the end of the decade, the industry had reshaped itself into the Big Three, Studebaker, and AMC. The age of small independent automakers was nearly over, as most of them either consolidated or went out of business.
A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment.
The Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift engine is a straight-six produced from 1962 to 2001 by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The entire series of engines was commonly called Turbo-Thrift, although the name was first used on the 230 cubic inch version that debuted in 1963. The new engine featured seven main bearings in lieu of the four bearing design of its predecessor, the "Stovebolt" engine, and was considerably smaller and approximately 100 lbs lighter.