1978 Avanti II Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- Hello everyone! Welcome back to the channel for another car review which is all about this 1978 Avanti II. The Avanti is an awesomely unique car with a very storied history. I'll take a detailed look at the exterior and interior of the Avanti, take it for a drive, and give my thoughts on the vehicle. A big thanks goes out to my Dad for helping me make the video, but a bigger thanks goes out to Paul Schlatter for letting me borrow his gorgeous Avanti. I hope you'll enjoy the video!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro/History
4:49 Exterior
13:25 Interior
27:05 Drive
36:57 Outro/Bloopers
Music Credits:
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For a long time, I slept on the avanti. Last year I finally saw one in person, and honestly I was stunned. These are such great cars and often photos or video don't do them justice. Your review here is the exception- this was an excellent overview! The sort of video the Avanti deserved to really showcase itself.
I'm so glad I found your channel have been able to enjoy your reviews. They keep getting better and you have the best video subjects.
I really appreciate that, I'm glad my video was able to do the car justice! Thank you for watching the videos, it's great you've enjoyed them 😁
Finally , someone does the Avanti justice ! These cars were way ahead of their time. Imo , Studebaker was eliminated by the big three because they were afraid of what was coming out of South Bend. I have loved them for 65 years.
The loose feeling steering may be worn parts but remember that the tires are smaller and narrower than many more modern wheels and tires. The car was designed in the very early ‘60s.
I’m age 69 in a few months, so I was age 9 when I first saw one. My big brother was a chevy guy so naturally I loved the corvette. Great car and very enjoyable car!I am thinking of buying an Avanti II so your video is appreciated.
A good friend of mine owned one of these. A rare vehicle back then. That trunk release placement always stumped me. Great drone shots 👍
Very cool! Yes, definitely not a very common car. And certainly quirky! It took me a while to figure out how to get into the trunk haha. Thank you so much, Lon!
Hey James, who would have thunk you would be reviewing a car like this but I think its great. To me this car almost looks hand built. Studebaker has always been in a class all by itself. Great review!
I certainly have a wide range of cars I review haha. And that's a good point! Much of the Avanti was indeed hand built which is neat. Thank you so much, Andy!!
Great video on a remarkable automobile!
Thank you, Dale! It certainly is a great car 😎
Great review, you're getting better and better at this, it's a joy to see. And I really like the long-form format, it really suits you. Also, great music, great editing.
The Avanti is fascinating, because it was an instant classic already from the start. Like the original Ford Thunderbird, people instantly recognized the car as a classic from brand new, and that's why it was put in continued production through different hands even though its parent company became defunct.
Also, I would call this car the only true American GT car. GT as in Grand Touring/Gran Turismo. At Sixteen thousand dollars in the seventies, this car didn't compete with the Mustangs or Camaros or even the coupes from BMW and Mercedes. No, this was a GT car like the luxurious 2+2's from Italy and England, from makers like Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Jaguar. It may not have had the credence of a Maserati, but it certainly aspired to it. Perhaps it's more like the Jensen Interceptor, a plush British GT with an American engine from Chrysler and a Torqueflite gearbox?
But in the sense of being an American Gran Turismo, there really is no other American car like it, and never has been? I think that's one of the reasons it became an instant classic. On looks alone, it has always had that look of being a show car, and you just can't believe it was made for production.
Thank you! I am happy with the progress I've made. A slow improvement but an improvement nonetheless 😁 That's so interesting that people knew at the time what it would become. So cool! And that's a great point, this car truly does stand alone in comparison to other American cars. The Avanti does seem European/Italian in many ways! Thank you so much for the comment and for watching the video!
I frigging love those console controls, so cool!
The Avanti killed Studebaker. I read an article from a man who worked at Studebaker about 5 years ago and he said that Studebaker had a company make the fiberglass bodies for the Avanti. When they arrived at the Studebaker factory in South Bend, Studebaker found that they didn't fit. Each body had to be fixed, by hand, and Studebaker could not afford to continue because of it. Another thing. The wood on the dashboard of the original Avanti was real.
That's very interesting! I'm not surprised a mistake like that killed the company, it's too bad it happened. But, the good thing is that Avanti was able to live on through new owners which is really neat 😁 Thanks for watching the video, Wayne!
The Avanti didn't kill Studebaker, it was just the icing on the cake .Studebaker had been dead man walking for a decade beforehand, the slow evolution of the Lark shows exactly how little money they had for making new models, being forced to re-design the car in incremental steps up until they folded. The problem had always been negative cash flow, they never earned enough money to make a completely new car, they could only fix and mend. Also, the company never got bankrupt, they just folded the loss making car business to concentrate on the money making businesses in their portfolio, they still exist today as a viable company.
The "wood" on the dashboard of the Studebaker Avanti and early Avanti II is real vinyl with walnut woodgrain print. Somewhere in the 1970s, real tree parts and other finishes were made available. The wood on this one appears to be real tree parts. Studebaker as an automobile manufacturer had been a losing battle financially since 1954, and merging with Packard didn't help any. Aside from a minor profit from the introduction of the Lark in 1959, the automobile division never made money again. The final nail in the coffin was supposedly the breaking on the trunk lid stamping die in 1965. They couldn't make any more cars without it, so the expense of fixing it was an excuse to quit altogether when they ran out of trunk lids.
@@KevinJames-yg9eu The trunk lid issue is subject to debate. What’s known for sure is Studebaker management wanted out of the auto biz. Shuttering South Bend and shifting limited production to Hamilton hastened the demise of their US dealer network. Fewer dealers meant fewer chances for lawsuits when the time came to throw in the towel. Dealers were offered a large factory rebate for quickly selling vehicles on their lots. The closing of Hamilton was the culmination of plans to exit the car business. The trunk lid story had little to do with it.
It all seemed promising up until the fiberglass company they subcontracted with to make the body rushed to make the moulds, which ended up being too small ..
Glad to see you back!! Great video!
Thank you, Samuel!! I really appreciate the compliment 😁
Good to see you're back!!! Great video!!
I'm very glad to be back for another video 😁 Thank you so much!!
I have a a rare R2 63 Avanti 4 speed. I bought in july . It was a body off restoration in 73 and never finished. Sat in a garage 30 years then someone bought it and spent 10 years getting it 96% complete. I have it now 5 weeks and almost done. I was surprised by your video how similar the Avanti II is to the one. Mine has the Studebaker 289 with the supercharger and produces 290 HP and appox 300 lb torque. My 63 uses a 1952 Lark convertible "X" frame with many upgrade like huge sway bars that were not on the 52 Lark. My 62 was originally $4,845.00 Only 643 were ever built with the R2 (supercharger) with a 4 speed on the floor.
Things you should know, the original fiberglass body was made by Molded Fiberglass Body co In Ashtabula OH . The same company that made Corvette bodies. After Studebaker has close to 20,000 deposits they could not get the bodies. GM went to MFBC and said, you need to decide who you are going to make bodies for. GM or Studebaker? They chose GM and doing so put a damper on bodies to Studebaker. By the time the set up there own factory to make bodies most of the people wanted their deposits back.
In the end they only produced 4647 in all 3 years only 764 of those in 64 had the square headlights. They only built about 9 R3 cars and no r4's were ever sold. The 62 Avanti was the 1st fiberglass coupe ever made. (Corvettes split window was a year last in 63) it was also the 1st American car to have front disc brakes!
You were correct about all the Avanti II's info and once the 3 dealers took over moved the operation to Canada and the cars drive train did change over time while the bodies did basically stay the same. There was even a 4 door model. You did a great job in your review and being young means you have young viewers who got a great automotive education seeing older cars. Thank you and continued good luck with your channel.
What an interesting car. So cool!
The "cup holders" are a throw back to the drive in movie and restaurant Era. It was intended to be use while parked.
The length of a CB antenna is "tuned" to match the radio. The way it is turned is by adjusting the length. If you were to attempt to use the radio before the antenna is fully extended would make the antenna out of tune and potentially damage the radio.
Nice review. When I was a kid, there was a Studebaker dealership down the street from us. I remember when the original Avanti came out. They had one in the showroom along with a Hawk and I thought those were the two most beautiful cars ever. I used to walk my the showroom everyday just to gaze at those cars. ❤️
That instrument panel brought back a favorite boyhood memory. As a kid I was fortunate enough to have a car guy for a next door neighbor. He had a supercharged Studebaker Avanti with a four speed and, to my everlasting delight, would take me along sometimes when he felt like going for a drive. I loved all the switches and gauges, and the sound of the supercharger. His was the same dark red as this example, but with a cream leather interior. You looked every bit as delighted driving it as I must have riding in it. And your Tom Cruise was spot on!
I have talked on CB radio for years. The reason you are warned is because of something called SWR, (Standing Wave Ratio). With the antenna down,keying the microphone could destroy the transmitter finals. The bandwidth is not that which I used which was almost 2-MHz as I ran well outside the band as a pirate radio operator. The antenna would have just covered the legal 40 channels and AM only. The Avanti was an amazing vehicle when it came out in 1963, up there with the amazing Chrysler Turbine car, the GTO and the Mustang which came out a few years later. I would like to see what this car, which still looks modern in the 21st century, would be like as an electric drive platform. Hint-hint possibly?
Okay, I'm starting with the fact that you made me laugh when you had to throw all the switches before take off. James, yet another awesomely done, well detailed and entertaining video. A note: many of these small car manufacturers will buy parts from other manufacturers. So the Chrysler key, fits into the Chrysler steering column which matches the Chrysler turn signal stalk. Anyway, once again, very good review, cool car and... girlfriend had to make a comment as we watched; somebody's been working out.
Haha, I had a lot of fun filming that part of the video 😂 I'm so glad you like the video! I'm very proud of it. And that's a great point that they used parts from other manufacturers! I wish I would have noticed that those things were from Chrysler, but I've never been in one from that time period. At least not yet! Thank you and your girlfriend for the nice compliments 😁
CB radios themselves are tuned to work with a specific antenna length. Using the CB radio without the antenna all the way up will cause the output transistors in the CB radio to overheat and fail. That is all aftermarket stuff obviously, but I've owned several of those setups over the years that all had the same basic warning. I had a Mirada-brand antenna where the switch to move it up or down would lock the switch in the up position, but you had to hold it to make the antenna go down. It was a basic protection method to ensure you used the CB with the antenna fully extended.
It also makes for better radio reception.
Great review, James, as always. I really enjoyed learning about this car. The drone footage toward the end was pretty cool too.
Thank you, Ross! I'm glad you enjoyed it 😁 And I always enjoy watching the drone footage too!
Thanks for this awesome review James! It's the first one I've ever seen of an Avanti. I remember reading about it in Motor Trend when I was a kiddo and have not heard about for quite a while. I especially loved your review of the interior..and when you burned rubber lol. Please keep up the great vids you make!
Avanti was Studebaker’s last dance as a car manufacturer. It was a Hollywood ingenue, hiding its rather dated underpinnings. Riding on a Lark frame, the wonky steering has a lot to do with a worn gear box, Pittman arm, bell crank and a hydraulic piston providing steering assist. A lot can go wrong, and does. But the number one reason Avanti aficionados are so smitten is the unique and timeless design of the car.
Such a fun review James! I loved it 🥰 oh and riding horses on the road is fun too
Thank you so so much Aunt Sue! 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it! And the horses would be fun too haha
Uncle Scott watched it in St Louis tonight. He really enjoyed it and learned something too! He should be in Wood Co tomorrow 😊
@@NanaSuze77 That’s fantastic! I’m glad uncle Scott had the chance to watch it too ☺️ Woohoo! Congratulations on the house sale!! Hopefully I’ll be able to make it back home soon, just returned back to Hillsdale tonight from Spring break
Loved your Avanti video today. I'm 72 years old I saw my first Avanti in 1964. It was true turquoise in color for Speed on the floor that had the R2 engine at which had the text Paxton Supercharger. If you thought that 350 had some power try one with the R2 engine in it it's a real screamer. Hopefully you'll have a chance to test one with the R2 in it and compare the two.
Hi James wow what a sound, it is so nice to see cars like these to be driven and hear the engine. love it and the tyre sound mate. keep up the good work
Great looking car.
I have never even heard of this kind of car until now. Very interesting, and as always, your review of cars are so good! Hope you've been doing well lately ✌
It's definitely not one you see every day, I'm glad I was able to show you something new! And yes, I've been doing very well. On Spring break from college and I'm so happy I had a chance to film a new video 😁 Thank you so much for commenting and watching the video, Jeremiah!
Love the channel it popped up in my auto play u gained a subscriber
You could argue that the original Taurus was grille-less too. The original Avanti gestation story is very interesting: anything with Raymond Lowey and any character named Sherwood Egbert is a good read by definition. There's a world of material out there. Had the privilege of riding in an original 1964, no supercharger, but a stick. The original wouldn't have competed against the Mustang or Camaro even it its early replica form; this was aimed at the Corvette (among domestic alternatives anyway), and properly equipped could give that a run for the money - with rear seats (kinda) and a trunk. At $200 higher, the Avanti was about 5% more expensive. Quality control, per-production delays and the impossible condition of Studebaker at the time doomed it despite many period accolades. By 1978 though, it was approaching anachronism status - though the contemporary Corvette wasn't that much quicker to 60. Finally a plug for the Studebaker museum in South Bend - for those younger and not aware, they played a major role in American automotive history with a surprising numbers of innovations along the way. It is a comprehensive collection well displayed.
That's interesting, I don't recall ever seeing an original Ford Taurus but you're right that it has a similar lower grill! Thank you for that interesting history about the car. And it makes sense that this would have been a Corvette competitor because of the similarities between the two. Heck, this one even has the same engine! I mostly assumed that this would have been going up against other coupes with rear seats, but this Avanti was probably more in line with the Corvette. Thank you so much for the informative comment!
My late uncle had three different avantis... 2 coupes and one 4 door sedan.. Loved those cars... still do to this day.
That's very impressive that you uncle had so many Avanti's! They are certainly special. Thank you for watching the video!
@@JW_Reviews He was a massive car collector and aficionado... he owned everything from Rolls Royce to a bath tub Porsche (I think he called it) but his fav was always the Avanti...
@@MagnoliaEmporium Very impressive! Sounds like he was into a little bit of everything
4 door? I have never heard or seen anything indicating they came as a 4 door. Think that would be an ugly car.
Wow what a unique car, I’ve never heard of it, you were lucky to get hold of one , I love the quirky dashboard and switches
Yes, I was certainly very fortunate to get my hands on one! It was very fun to review😁 and the dashboard levers and switches are my favorite! Thank you for watching the video, Andrew!
One of my favorites!
I'm glad you like the Avanti, I was really surprised with how much I liked it 😎 Thank you so much for watching the video, Mr. Murray! I hope you are doing well
CB radio needs a tuned antenna to match the output devices so if the antenna is down or not fully extended you would blow the transistors and not be able to call for help when needed.
That's really interesting! I had no idea that could happen. Thanks for the info!
Most of the time I just sit and agree, nod with joy, that common ground or experience with some of the cars you feature take me back. For me, watching you get your hands on an Avanti II was a huge surprise! I've never seen any version of the Avanti with my own eyes. The big smile wins! In younger days I always assumed the car was an exotic import from Italy, not aware then, that it came from Studebaker. I would have asked, What is a Studebaker? Sounds like a German airplane...
It is too bad, though, the Avanti is a pretty car from every angle, timeless art, as it were. I don't know what to say about the interior. By comparison, it seems hopelessly incongruent, this and that, here and there. You would definitely never allow kids to sit in the front. Don't touch, don't touch, you might confuse me! Thank you. Well done.
I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised by this Avanti video! I certainly learned a lot and surprised myself while making this video. It's such a unique and interesting car. Thank you so much for the great comment and for watching the video, Mark 😁
These Avanti II cars were nearly all built to customer order and personalized to the buyers' wishes in choices of upholstery, carpeting, exterior paint color, etc... the factory had catalogs of fabric and leather choices, but the customer was free to find materials from outside vendors (a few Avanti II's were built to spec when orders were slow, to keep the employees busy). The loose cube-cushion in the rear seat was probably not original to the car and may even have been meant to be used atop the console beside the driver as an armrest; it appears to me that this car was reupholstered at some point in its life, and the owner had the (extra) cushion made at that time. The trunk access from the rear seat shelf was done partly to provide a way to pop the decklid latch in case the cable between the interior handle and the latch were to break loose (there is a slot in the latch to use to insert a screwdriver to pop the latch).
That's very impressive! It sounds like these were oftentimes hand-built, another reason for the high prices. And that's a good point about the loose cushion! Definitely doesn't make much sense for it to have come with the car like that. And that's very interesting! Also, something I realized after filming, these Avanti's supposedly came with a trunk key but I never found a key hole for the trunk. Do you know if there is a trunk lockout somewhere?
@@JW_Reviews No, there's no trunk lock or key. Later Avanti II's (probably starting in the very late 1970's) had an electric solenoid (near the trunk latch) to "pop" open the trunk. My 1980 Avanti was so equipped. Simply pushing (or dropping) the trunklid down "locked" the trunk by closing the mechanical latch. The button that activated the solenoid to open the trunk latch was inside the glovebox, mounted on the left vertical side. The button & solenoid replaced the old cable pull. The glovebox could be locked to prevent access to the button, so only the door and ignition keys would be given to valet parking attendants. The trunklid springs had enough tension to pop the trunklid at least partially open when the latch released (actually, IIRC, the latch had a tang that pushed the trunklid's "D" ring catch upward when the spring-loaded rotating latch was unlocked)
It’s a masterpiece. Consider yourself privileged.
excellent
Thank you!
The first thing that caught me when i saw one in person was the integrated roll bar. Then those switches which are really cool and capture the aircraft motif. Not just here though the "cause everybody needed to smoke" got old after the first person doing it. Though most every reviewer feels compelled to mention it. I wonder if in the future people will point out the vape chargers cause everybody used to vape in the... They could also light something to start a camp fire or be used as a 12v outlet + not only ash can be put in the trays.
Love your reviews James. I know you were wondering how you would do with a non-GM car. Take heart, looks like you at least have GM spec wheel covers with Avanti centers.
Stud !!! 🤙🏼
James, I always liked the design of the Avanti. I forgot about the front disc brakes, were they in the first gen?
I saw a lot of other Car manufacturers, cruz control looks like Chrysler from that time period and the steering wheel looks like American Motors, fun to see. I know that was common practice to buy components form other manufactures.
Again, nice posting and well done!
Thanks for this posting.
Hal
That's a great question! I believe they were at least available on the first generation Avanti but I don't know for sure. And that's an interesting thing you noticed! It makes sense that Avanti would borrow parts from other manufacturers to save money. I haven't been in any AMC's or Chryslers from the time, I wish I would have noticed that to put in the video... Oh well, maybe next time 😁 Thanks for watching, Hal!
The production company of the Avanti II probably didn't make any components of their own, they only assembled the cars from off the shelf products. Usually when it comes to small scale manufacturing, they make deals with bigger companies for the delivery of steering racks, ignition systems, the whole HVAC system, and so on. Usually from only one company, but this car may have parts from all over the field. And the entire ignition system is probably sourced from Chrysler, as it says on the key.
Yes, disc front brakes were standard on the original Studebaker Avanti.
@@waynec3866 Thank you for responding and clearing that up. Wasn't that unusual for an U.S. Auto Manufacture? I know that Jaguar and other over the pond Manufactures were using disc going back into the fifties and I'm not sure if sonner.
@@halhenryg In fact, the disk brake cylinders are the same ones that were used in the Jag XKE
Just picked one up at a estate sale for 5k with a 65 mustang both in clean condition the avanti is a 76 it just needs a interior redone but the outside is super clean slicks on the back bbs wheels red paint
manifold vacuum gauge was to monitor supercharger..holdover from stude days. gauge gave a good sense of the engine 'tune nonetheless.
If I remember correctly, if you try to transmit/talk on a CB radio without a proper antenna configuration you could burn out the transmitter circuits.
Excellent narrative friend. You really know your Avanti. Ohh... You asked about your CB antenna. I'll give it to you fast in layman's terms. A antenna is literally a "TUNING" component. In a Transmitter (CB) the antenna is the last and biggest tuning component in your CB. Making your antenna longer or shorter actually tunes it. (Takes too long to explain). Trust me! When your antenna is "RETRACTED", it is "OUT OF TUNE". Your "OUTPUT-TRANSISTORS" don't like that! When it is fully extended, it "IS IN TUNE". Your OUTPUT -TRANSISTORS "DO LIKE THAT"! So they won't burn out. You can do All the "RECEIVING" you want with the antenna down or in any position without hurting the CB radio. BUT DON'T "TRANSMIT" with the antenna down 😮😮. That's BAD! If you want a more detailed explanation... just ask... I'll give it to you in (Layman's -Picture -Form). After 50 years in radio, I think I could give you a pretty comprehensive understand. Take care my friend. Jeff
Dig the burnout! Is the 350 L82 spec? Roasting the rubber is always a nice surprise.
As far as I know it is spec, but I don't know too much of the history of this specific Ananti. Maybe the new exhaust gave it a little bit of a power bump? Thank you for watching the video, Douglas!
I have a 1977 Avanti II, same key ,'same exhaust system all original, trunk is a pain, steering is very easy compared to other cars of that age. Get a lot of looks. Not many people have ever seen one.
placement of mirror was :: of Lowey' belief that reduces driver frequency of taking eye of the road.
31:45 🔥🔥🔥🔥🚗💨 LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!😂😂😂
The steering if working properly should not have that play in it. While not as quick as a modern car, it is fairly tight if all is set up correctly
I agree, definitely needs fixed. Not very easy to drive in a straight line haha. Thanks for watching the video, John!
tool holder was a standard feature
Gorgeous car. (I hated that the reviewer seemed to take it as a joke.)
James you look so much different driving a non Cadillac LOL
That's a great point! Definitely something to get used to lol. Thank you for watching the video, John 😁
I am guessing that since the Avanti was a "conglomeration" car, along with the Studebaker body, and Corvette engine, they used a Chrysler ignition switch...
Esse carro é lindo sempre lindo lindo😅
VERY advanced for 1962! My dream car! Can you imagine the all new 1963 Buick Riviera still being built in the 90's? Some of your criticism falls flat. For 1962, this car was decades in advance. That grillless front end didn't come into vogue for many years. Most of this cars features did not originate in 78, but 62. The rear view mirror location was popular in the early 60's especially with MOPAR. Studebaker was the first to attach the mirror to the window, rather than on a stalk. That rumble exhaust was an Avanti feature. You giggle so much, it's vaguely disrespectful for such a historic car.
It is incredible the car that Studebaker made! It's too bad it didn't last too long in their hands... Thank you for all that interesting info, Neil 😁
The Avanti was orderd individually equipped by the buyer, ANY specimen could be built to suit the buyer. If you were tall, you had it fitted to suit you, same for short, fat or thin buyers. They built some hundreds of cars this way, and there were no dealers, you had to go to the factory to describe what car and gadgets that would suit you. The interior was available in anything the customer paid for. This was a bargain as handmade cars go, but could get very expensive.
10-4 GOOD BUDDY !😂😂😂😂😂
Why no reviews of Chrysler products?
Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to get my hands on one to review, these cars are unfortunately difficult to come by. I'd love to review a Chrysler product someday, it would be fun to try something new! Thank you for watching the video
@@JW_Reviews Well, I'll stick around as a subscriber! I like your style.
I really appreciate that, thank you so much!! I'm glad you like the style 😁
6:00 ''No other car'' in America..... ... Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 // 308 GTB // 328 GTB // 364 GT4/BB // 512BB // Fiat X-1/9 // Lancia Stratos // DeTomaso Pantera (which is American // etc...
Exactly and he pulled a few more no's and can not's that aren't true. The hurst shifters are still called that even made for modern cars and there are also pistol grip covers made by other companies for floor shift automatics even.
@@cardinaloflannagancr8929 even the Corvette C4
Why do you giggle while your talking?