07/09/2026
1963 Studebaker Avanti R2
Studebaker's desperate gamble to save itself produced one of the 1960s' most innovative performance cars, though the Avanti remains curiously underappreciated despite costing more than a Corvette when new.
Company president Sherwood Egbert, recognizing Studebaker's precarious financial position upon his February 1961 arrival, commissioned Raymond Loewy to design a flagship model. Loewy's team retreated to a Palm Springs rental house and completed the design in just 40 days, creating polarizing mid-century modern styling featuring a full fiberglass body.
The optional R2 specification added a Paxton supercharger to the 289 cubic inch V8, producing a factory-rated 290 horsepower and exceeding one horsepower per cubic inch.
Andy Granatelli demonstrated the Avanti’s potential by helping the factory program break 29 speed records at Bonneville, but the headline runs around 170 mph and 200 mph were achieved with more highly tuned R3-powered cars rather than standard R2s.
Front disc brakes appeared as standard equipment, making the Avanti the first American production model to offer them, with conventional drums retained at the rear. Power reached the Twin-Traction limited-slip rear end through either automatic or the rare Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission.
Production ended abruptly when Studebaker closed its South Bend factory in late 1963, though some Avantis were completed into 1964 using remaining stock.
Total original Studebaker Avanti production reached just 4,643 examples across both model years, with only 1,883 receiving R2 supercharging and fewer than 500 combining the R2 package with the four-speed manual transmission. See less
