Avanti Introduction
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2009
- The 1963 Avanti was the last ditch effort of Sherwood Egbert (his real name) to rescue the faltering Studebaker. Once again, the company turned to its ace in the hole, stylist Raymond Loewy, to conceive a car that would miraculously turn things around. He rented a house in Palm Springs and there with three young designers and with missionary zeal embarked on creating something new and revolutionary. The result -- the Avanti, got attention but didn't save the company. Studebaker was gone three years later.
To license footage, please contact:
www.globalimageworks.com/contact
S143 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
![[TH] Esports World Cup : Knockout Stage Day 2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sP-b00j1C58/mqdefault.jpg)
![[TH] VCT Pacific Stage 2 - Playoffs Day 1 // GEN vs RRQ | TLN vs TS](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JhkzKOhvOps/mqdefault.jpg)
so true. Raymond Loewy epitomized civilized design and living. And his cars were an expression of his worldview.
Owned a Avanti II in Switzerland back in the nineties,
a spiffy machine in mint condition,
seapine green metallic, white leather interior,
on a Corvette chassis and a huge Olds V8 engine,
always a bunch iof guys around it whenever I parked it in downtown Zurich hehe
The yearly meetings of the Swiss Avanti Owners were fun,
each time about a dozen candy colored Avantis in a row,
what a sight!
The Avanti was a very wanted car - they could have sold many more but the
contractor who made the bodies could only make so many - they lost a lot of
sales as they could not meet demand. My friends Father who was a Dealer
said he kept ordering Avanti but there were only a few for each Dealer. They
set a bunch of records at Bonneville in 63- only real competition was Corvette.
Studebaker had gotten a bail out from Eisenhower in 1956 in the form of some military contracts which helped them absorb the purchase of Packard and the introduction of Mercedes in the US. It wasn't enough to let them grow to compete against the big three. Like today, it was an era of consolidation.
Nostalgic and beautiful video, the Avanti is one of the great automotive icons of the history, with the Citroen DS, the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air and other great cars, the Studebaker Avanti was a gorgeous car, terrific performance, excellent handling and an advanced design, several negative situations inside of the production lines, conspire right in the production line, sad but true.
Thank you very much, great contribution.
still looks good to this day.
As you all probably know,the Avanti body was fibreglas, and seemingly easy to have done-up as a sedan, convertible, and maybe even a station wagon, all being Avanti's. Well, maybe it will return one day. The final edition (2002,I believe) was based on the Pontiac Firebird T/A, although you couldn't tell it except for the dashboard, and was very luxuriously appointed and beautiful. But like almost everything, the original is still the best! Thank you for this lovely and rare vid!!
A lot of people did/don't like the looks of the car. I believe Studebaker managed to get two model years into production. They changed the headlight enclosure to a rectangle, which IMO improved the look. 1st US production car with disc brakes, fastest stock production car (many records at Bonneville), basic lines (short rear end, long front end) are fairly standard these days, spare under trunk floor, recessed door handles, overhead switches/controls....+ other little things that were firsts.
Was by far a much better car than the Corvette that year.....
Thanks for the movie location connection. One of my favorite movies.
Timeless design. It's really a shame that Studebaker folded 3 years later. They were on to something good around this time with this, the Hawk and the Lark.
What a historic video. Shot in and around Palm Springs, where, of course Lowey and his team designed the car. Love the shots on the Palms to Pines Highway, which some might remember as the road in the opening of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." Too bad it didn't pull Studebaker out of its nosedive but the car did live on for another 35 years or so.
Way ahead of its time.
Somebody, please bring Raymond Loewe back to life.
someone said below that Packard bought Studebaker, that is wrong, they merged, and no one measured the Studebaker assembly line, and after they closed down Packard's Detroit Plant, they discovered that the Studebaker line was too narrow to build the Packard, so suddenly in 57 they had to make Packard a customized Studebaker, that only lasted 2 years.
I remember when the Avanti came out, didn't see many, but a local Dr. bought one and they were quite different than the competition in the mid 60's
The Avanti is one of my favorite cars of all time. I would so love to have that car. I saw an original 1963 Avanti recently. It was black and had the R-1 289 supercharged V-8 in it. That was a seriouosly awesome car.
A car ahead of its time.
It will always look like the future.
This is a great promotional video for the Avanti and for a look at Palm Springs in 1962. Thank you for sharing it!!
I really want this car. Kudos for Studebaker. I almost fainted when I saw it came with an optional Paxton Supercharger. Very Nice!
I never found the Avanti appealing but I've got to say that they were a very good car. I've ridden in one with a friend (1963 R1) and it's performance, fit, finish and handling is remarkably good for an early 60's auto.
He was a real hero in the auto world, his grand daughter should be proud
I'd buy one of these today if they still made them. I will deffinatley own one someday.
I like the car. An interesting story that I heard was that the front seats were copied from a Studebaker employee's Alfa Romeo when the stylists were doing the interior. I did have a 1962 Hawk and a 1963 Lark R1; both with the 4 Speed T-10 transmission back when I was in High School.
We have some more Studebaker footage not sure if we have Pikes Peak. I'm in the process of uploading all we have. So if it's there it will be online in the future. Let me know if you have a particular interest and I can do a search.
It's always amazed me how Studebaker was ahead of the times.
I saw some guy's metallic tan '63 Avanti at the fun fair, and I took good pictures of it. I felt so proud of myself for seeing something very rare and special: the Avanti! It was my first time I've seen one of these classic cars. =)
Very nice for the time :)
now how fabulous is that!
Them headlights... something else.
@cremeofthereich Well, Studebaker sent some Avantis and Larks to Bonneville and set something around 28 land speed records. An R3 Avanti went 168mph, a record that stood til the 90's. Since the 60's Studebaker powered Avantis have gone 220+ mph... Very very good for an engine designed before the SBC and only running 302cubes max. Standard R1 and R2 engines were 289cid. I know the production class records weren't beaten until the 90's, and I think Avanti still have some unlimited records.
I love the 63 Avanti . My dad could only afford a studebaker late 1950's station wagon with manual transmission . It took us(7 of us crammed in) round trip to the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, total of around 1400 miles , no mechanical problems . We stayed with my non blood line uncle's(married my mom's sister) Mother's flat in Brooklyn for about a week . Damn it was hot ! water shutoffs during the day . 4 of us kids in the bathtub all at once after adopted "grandma" , her son and my parents bathed in the same water.(all separate of course for the older folk) . We just added more soap . Just down the street a big slice of pizza for 10 cents !!! ice water free . Who would of thought the Avanti coming from Studebaker . It was a unique, rare and revolutionary automobile . More people love the vette's but i'll take the Avanti over a stingray anyday .
Thanks for sharing your memories. I really like the Studebaker station wagons. Especially, the ones with the sliding roof. That 10 cent pizza slice sounds good too.
@ King Rose Archives . You are most welcome . No we didn't have sliding roof . lol, the only thing of beauty of our old Studebaker sw was it's powder blue color . But really beauty is in the eyes of the beholder . "to each his own" . In 1980 I bought a 73 Datsun 510 4 door for $300 dollars from a kind retired dairy farmer outside of buffalo . A friend was driving me around the country roads outside of the city . And there it was with the 350 buck for sale on it at the end of the long dirt private road to farm house ...... Horrible bumby body work and hand painted in Ford motor blue(cheapest auto paint you can buy i think) . But I love those little boxy fiat-style cars of that era . Man was that thing roomy for a compact ! Of course the doors were only about several inches thick . It was roomier in width than my brothers new SUV-automobile type . like something in between an suv and a car, whatever . Drove the Datsun for a year, no problems . then the The floor and unibody frame was rusting, had no money for somebody to do basic body work underneath(i am all thumbs and not really an auto expert at all) . So i sell it to my mailman for 50 bucks, sitting in my driveway with no new inspection . I lived in the Buffalo Ny area at the time . Well his son drove it all the way from Buffalo Ny to Miami Fla with no problems . His son did nothing to make it mechanical or inspection ready . His son just took a chance and drove it into Pennsylvania to avoid a ticket and again all the way south to Miami Fla . that says a lot about its mechanical worth i think
I'd like to sum up this film by saying.. Do do do DA do do do doo do DA do
I have wanted an Avanti since I was a kid in '63. Maybe now that I'm ready to retire, I can get one.
Loewy, who was a friend of my Father, also designed the Coca Cola bottle...
Ce n'est qu'une attribution inexacte selon l'ouvrage "RAYMOND LOEWY" de Laura Cordin .
OMG! Can you miss something you never had, or a time you did not live in? I have these feelings constantly.
The original design is so timeless, that it still stands out today. Studebaker was ahead of its time... it brought in traffic to the dealers... but the aging Lark and Hawk couldn't compete with the likes of GM, Ford, Chrysler and AMC. Studebaker left South Bend after 1964 and built cars for two more years in its Hamilton, Ontario factory. It finally quit the car business after the 1966 models.
My Grandma gave me $11 for my 11th birthday. I had to walk by the Studebaker dealer to get to the toy store. I would have given that whole $11 just to sit in the Avanti but they didn't like to see kids alone in there.
But I'd still give that much for a ride....
Studebaker needs to comeback!!!!!
he was a really neat guy, im dating his granddaughter and i have gotten to learn a lot about him. he died of cancer two years after stude did. you have to really admire that he was given the reigns and only two years later he rolled out a car that was revolutionary from a design standpoint and really quite intriguing
@mrpitv Thanks. I couldn't find any either. Your post is very, very good.
@weekenddriver I've never seen the Loewy house in Palm Springs but one of these days I'll have to make the trek. Thanks for your comment.
A beautiful car. Rather pricey for the time and production unable to meet demand. They could have sold a whole lot more had they been able to produce them.
I remember, at the time, the questions about whether the car was as remarkable as it looked or whether it was just a Lark in a gilded cage.
It is a shame that it did not spark more interest and persuade Studebaker's board to invest in refreshed model offerings elsewhere in the line. The board opted to leave the auto business and concentrate on its other capital investments which produced profits. Sherwood Egbert's failing health did not help at that time either.
I loved these cars as a kid, all the pilots on the air base seemed to buy these if they didn't have a family. There cars still look great and are keeping their resale value. The later ones used GM engines and transmissions (5.7liter Chevrolet and THM350). The downfall of the Avanti II was a paint problem. Little bits came either out of the paint or burned into the paint, who knows for sure. There was even a planned four door version of the Avanti. Raymond Loewy knew lasting design Avanti forever
@Sarcasticscum Interesting idea. They needed to sell a lot more cars. It was nearly impossible to compete with General Motors, Ford and Chrysler by that time. American Motors hung on for a few years (the merge of Nash and Hudson) but Studebaker was left out of that tie up and made a disastrous deal to acquire Packard. They never recovered but the Mercedes deal did eventually succeed. A bail out from Eisenhower kept them going for a few years but the Avanti was their Hail Mary pass.
Uh, no. You have that backward. Packard should have run away from the mess at Studebaker and become part of AMC as George Mason intended. Packard still had a few bucks in 1954 as id Nash. The 54 market was tough on the independents as you note and as George Mason had been attempting to get others to see since the end of WW2. Despite the slowed market that year, and in spite of its own slowed sales, Nash increased its market penetration slightly. The only independent to do so. Nash had a couple of bucks too. The rest of them were broke.
It is popular to engage misty memories when analyzing what happened in that market from a much later perspective. What is forgotten is that the auto business is a business. Nash was a well run business. Packard still had the slight aroma of greatness. Big, comfortable Hudsons were successful in NASCAR but a tough sell. The Jet was even tougher. Studebaker's break even point was well above any realistic sales performance notwithstanding that their coupes were beautiful, they had an OHV V8, and they sold more than the other independents. That is not a good business model.
AMC and its constituent companies never went broke, never went into bankruptcy , and was still in operation (albeit not robustly) when Chrysler benefited from labor unrest in France to pick up American. there is a story there, too. By the bye, that was 33 years after the "merger" of Nash and Hudson, 29 years after the demise of Packard, and 21 years after Studebaker shuffled off its automotive enterprises. 33 years. More than
a few.
Oh soooo swank! And I love the strong marketing message to women!
The SC model was capable of a top speed of 162mph. It was a very hot looking car.
Not sure who shot the promo film. But it was shot in Palm Springs near the rented house Loewy used as the design "skunk works" for his team. We interviewed Tom Kellogg, about his experience as a young designer on the Avanti project for our History Channel show Automobiles. It was fascinating. Wouldn't happen to today.
I own R-1383. It's an R2 four speed, originally in red. The Avanti is definitely a love it or hate it design study. As for the engineering, that too is controversial. The frame was a modified Lark frame with stiffeners added. The fiberglass is the heaviest configuration I've ever seen. I think the body would be lighter if it were made in steel! Much of the hardware on the car is Stainless Steel, not chrome. A pillars, handles, interior locks, even the air and heat controls are polished stainless. The R2 Paxton blower has a lifespan of about 400-700 hours before the planetary drive gives up. It'll start to make a whine as the inner rotor bearing face disintegrates. Once the whine gets loud enough to hear from 3 blocks away, it's time to fix the inner race. Not easy, because it's not made anymore. The original turbine wheel was given .006" clearance to the scroll housing, which limits boost to about 8-11PSI. When the unit is rebuilt, it's best to limit the clearance or it'll overboost and kill the pistons. All Avantis will overheat, but the R2 are the worst in hot climates. find a 1958 Caddie radiator as it will almost slip right in, and provide 30% greater cooling. Also, bore some round holes up in the sides of the firewall to let heat out. One can also just drive it with the hood unlatched as the hood swings from the front, and in most cases, the air flow will keep it only 1" open, just don't do this in gusty winds, or it could fly right up. They suck a lot of premium, are kind of noisy underway, ride is too soft, but the FPD brakes for 1963 are outstanding. Prices on them are still low enough to be attractive to buy and restore. I hope prices go up soon. Poor Stude, they lost money on every Avanti they sold.
you got that right.
@EnryMusica Our Great Cars episode on the Avanti covers his career but there isn't a documentary about him specifically that I know about.
@ironcarvel I'm right there with ya! I feel exactly the same way!
it was a car that was 10 years ahead of its time in styling.
+SteelCity1981 Still turns heads.
I saw one first time in 6 years a few days ago I jumped
I'd swear it was Jackie herself. Good call, sir.
not sure how well the Avanti did in the desert with all that Glass in back !
Extremely hot as you and I would expect. I have always wanted an original 63,' but the choice of options were limited; have an R2 Supercharged, or an R1 that not only provided impressive performance with the four-speed manual, but could be ordered with air conditioning as well. The air-con can be easily updated to present day environmentally compliant standards. The R2 over time has had many aftermarket kits to add air conditioning if the owner wants it.
for a starter, it will tell you if you have a bad valve as it will fluctuate, same as with a misfire. also if at a certain cruise speed you notice its lower than normal your throttle plate is open more than usual , signifiying a tune up is needed or maybe you just need air in the tires, either way, a way to tell if somethings amiss
The whole experience of this video took me back to a time when I was a child and America was truly great; the music, the black-and-white video -- even the advertising clichés "...aerodynamically new, aerodramatically different..." "...functional efficiency in motion..." -- evoked memories of days gone by.
America used to be a helluva place, didn't it?
What really would have helped Studebaker would have been for them to offer the Avanti to the upcoming James Bond: Goldfinger film, as Bond's car.. That might have brought them out of the hole, to have such a innovative car in such a popular movie..
Tell your uncle that I might be interested in reassembling his car. Of course, I would have to own it first, but we can arrange that.
Total Mad Men car porn. I want one. Now.
Egbert never had a chance, but he almost saved studebaker,
his efforts were heroic
5 stars
Music is: No Words Blues with Alice Babs
Wasn't the sponsor for almost the entire Mr.Ed Show,"Your friendly local Studebaker Dealer"?
I think it was. From the source of all knowledge -- Wikipedia. The series was sponsored from 1961-63 by @wiki/Studebaker-Packard_Corporation and @wiki/Studebaker.@wiki/Mister_Ed#cite_note-9 @wiki/Studebaker were featured prominently in the show during this period. The Posts are shown owning a 1962 @wiki/Studebaker_Lark
convertible, and the company used publicity shots featuring the Posts
and Mister Ed with their product (various cast members also appeared in
"integrated commercials" for @wiki/Studebaker_Lark
at the end of the program). When another Lark convertible served as the
official pace car at the 1962 Indianapolis 500, Connie Hines attended
the race as part of the promotion.
The Ford Motor Company provided the vehicles starting at the beginning of 1965.
King Rose Archives So my childhood memories have some veracity? Cool.
That's correct. Wilbur always drove a Studebaker Lark on the show.
Hey, I know her ! Tell her Jim Says - Hi ! She'll certainly remember me !
Ian Fleming endorsed the turbo Avanti in an interview with Playboy magazine. Could the Avanti upstaged the Aston Martin DB5? Maybe! I liked it- then and still.
+Raymond Atchley FYI, it was supercharged, not turbocharged. Fleming not only endorsed the Avanti he had one. He also had the Bond CIA character Felix Lighter driving a Studillac. (A Studebaker hardtop with a Cadillac engine).
+Jeff DeWitt thanks for your input. It would be wonderful to still own of these.
Raymond Atchley You're very welcome, and yes it would!
@mrpitv love these stories about r. lowey designing the 1953 stuebaker and the avanti. know any other funny stories about who designed what. some of us that were there are still around
Raymond Loewy had very little to do with designing the Avanti. He got the contract, then set 5 guys to work in a house in Palm Springs on a crash basis. He only stopped in occasionally to see how it was going. By the 1960s, Loewy hadn't designed anything personally for years, maybe decades.
Ian Fleming was one of the earliest Avanti buyers. Studebaker hesitated because the specified black paint showed imperfections in the fiberglass, but they worked it out.
Does that car still exist?
OK, I'm sold! Where's the dealer agency?
I thinkk they also came with Miclelin radials as an option
the firm failed because of repeated management mistakes, including an inefficient sales system
There's some pretty stiff competition for that title. How about the Gremlin or Pacer? Many think the Edsel is vying for that crown. Clearly it was a hail Mary pass they hoped would get attention and forestall the inevitable. Got to give them some credit for daring.
Is that the model that inspired Bruno Sacco to design cars? Is there any documentary on Loewy ? Thanks !
to bearcat: is your Avanti an old studebaker one or the post studebaker ones
11:00 These door latches look suspiciously like Mercedes of the time. Given Studebaker dealerships sold Mercedes in the early days, this is not surprising.
Whats the use for the manifold pressure gauge? can someone explain?
Shows boost pressure from the supercharger.
@ironcarvel I know the feeling. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a MCM house with an Avanti parked in the driveway? Let's take a drive to the CC where everybody has a crew cut, a trophy wife, and a foot-long National Hebrew that keeps a two-hour salute.
The sound sucks on this VID, I got it turned up all the way and still can't hear it!
That mountain road at the start looks like where they shot "It's a Mad (4x) World" - lucky they didn't meet up with a bunch of money-crazed motorists.
Doesn't the female narrator sound like Jaqueline Kennedy? The elegant and dignified reading MUST be she! Actually, it was "de rigeur" to emulate the first lady's style in 1962. Any thoughts?
So unlike Studebakers...Immediate classic
03:57 - narrator details the rather unorthodox roll cage, then in the same breath adds that the Avanti is "sure-footed"...does this seem confusing to anyone else? ;-)
OMG,did he actually SAY "aerodramatically" @ 2:35??? Ugh,no WONDER this car went NO WHERE!!!
BUEN BUEN DISEÑO, LASTIMA QUE EL PÚBLICO, O VAYA A SABERSE QUE, NO LO ACEPTÓ
I think the styling was too advanced for the public to accept for the times...so sales just didnt skyrocket..wow great video, I always loved the Avanti and the Hawks, I have a 31 Studebaker Coupe I call "FrankenStude Too" check out my channel for the build or the burn out....thanks..
I would sell good in '17. before it's time
this car looks like a ghost
Onde esta a central multimídia?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this her uncle?
Too bad GM got the fiberglass supplier to sabatoge the early production and stopped the on time delivery of the first models, cancelling 90 percent of the first orders. Stalled the introduction long enough for the big three to offer similar arrangements,mustang just got in there to completely steal the show,followed by the chevy II malibu and the plymouth barracuda. Would have put studebaker, one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world,back in the front running where it belonged.
Your wrong,the GM fiberglass and resin supplier supplied studebaker as well as instruction on the mold processes. They gave the wrong process information on purpose to save the ongoing and highly profitable GM business. As the studebaker company was on the brink of financial disaster and the developement of the Avanti program had stretched their financial resources to the limit, it was the perfect time to strike at the heart of the company and kill it . Same sort of thing was done to Tucker
Supercharged Corvette Engine.. is what powered it.
you are dead wrong studebakers own v8 powered it
@HappyJack01 Too bad GM had to suffer the indignity of accepting a bailout from the taxpayers.
It's a shame the color dyes are almost completely washed out in this surviving print.
Amazing, really, was the capacity of the poor stressed copy writer to basically ransack his thesaurus for each and every positive-sounding adjective in the English language... while managing to slip "aerodramatically" under the radar of actual words.
packard bought studebaker not the other way around.
Bite me victor
Avanti was the beginning of the end for Studebaker. Hideous looking vehicle and no resemblance to the real Studebaker
People do love them. I have a few friends who are diehard Raymond Loewey fans and this is a car that sends them into blissful states or reverie.
I hated the styling and still do. They look horribly out of place at the car shows where there are lost of Studebakers on show and people say "WHATS THAT ! ITS UGLY " I have to agree its ugly
Yeah, so ugly that it outlived Studebaker and survived into the 21st century.
What you guys hate is that it is an early 60s car that doesn't look dated.
We see more Studebaker Champions, Presidents, Larks, Golden Hawk, etc here than any other Sudebaker. The Avanit was a terrible vehicle.
+Steinwaygrande Hardly, Studebaker was already on the ropes, and if hadn't been for the success of the Lark in 59 it would have been gone already.
The parts came out of the fiberglass molds and warped as the curing process was not complete and the fiberglass company was sued by studebaker afterwards with little success,everyone blaming everyone else, with GM supplying the fiberglass Co. with extra legal help. That the corporate heads of studebaker fell on their swords afterwards is only an act of sacrifice so they'd be able to secure work elsewhere in the auto industry . You'd better check your facts before you run your mouth.
Too hip!
Right and left channels are out of phase.
@CarCriticAssessor Abysmal design? I guess thats why there is a Studebaker Avanti in the Museum of Modern Art in France. To display automotive design gone awry.
I'm not sure what your beef is against this car but you're 'analysis' of the Avanti is laughable.
Also, its Aston Martin...
👁AVANT!i👁
The best propaganda is the truth .