1963 Studebaker Avanti "Bonneville Record Breaker" 

The sound was so distinctive that you could tell it was a Stud even though it wasn't in sight!

Thanks,what a treasure…. I was raised in N Indiana (69 years ) ….. Avanti, Hawk GT, super Larks, were big attractions…..Unfortunately I,never got my STUDEBker…….

Yes. All had integral roll bars (I also have). But not like the usual tubular type. Instead, a high tensile steel "C" cross section that is less bulky. The car used here to break the records had a roll cage added.

The supercharged R3 put out more horse power

He found a gem in Cali

Awesome!! I just inherited my grandfather's avanti. He was one owner 59k original miles. Amazing cars

You LUCKY guys......I remember when they came out and have wanted one ever since!!!

when was the last time it saw 80MPH?

I found a 12' vertical Studebaker signage still attached to the front of a former dealership. Someone had spray painted it white when they painted the brick building and try as I might the owner would not sell it even though it held no actual significance for him. I had plans to resurrect it to it's original dark blue porcelain with white lettering and surround border lights and mount it on a flat bed trailer. Hinge it at the bottom so it would lie down flat when in transit and raise it for on site display. Equip it with a small generator to electrify the lighting and take it to the many International Studebaker Auto Meets which are held annually around the nation. Most generally these meets are held at the county or city fair grounds and my thoughts were to post this signage at the entrance way to the Studebaker car shows. For that extra special advertising touch. Time has passed for me to take this idea to fruition, but maybe someone else might find it a worth while project to pursue. As an old Studebaker fan I'd sure like to see it done!

Yes. Zero in the 1964 calendar year. And zero in the calendar years 1992 through 1999 (Avanti Motors had closed before being started up again in 2000). However, in that 92-99 period, Tom Kellogg designed the "AVX" which would foreshadow the later 2000-2007 Avanti styling. But the AVX were all prototypes. Three of them. Two built on a Pontiac Firebird chassis and one on a Camaro chassis.

9 had the R3

um no.. the r3 was supercharged the r4 was not

R-2 was one AFB and one Paxton Blower....BHP 289, R-1 no blower and 240BHP, R-3 304.5 and underrated at 335 BHP, R-4 304.5 and two AFB carbs, 12:1 compression, and under-rated at 280 BHP, R-5..one off with bendix fuel injection and twin Paxtons.......575 BHP, and top speed in excess of 196.

I love all the wanna-be experts talking about things they don't know anything about. R1 - 289 ci - with one 4 barrel carb; R2 - 289 ci with one 4 barrel and Paxton Supercharger; R3 - 304.5 ci with one 4 barrel and Paxton Supercharger; R4 - 304.5 ci with two four barrel carbs; R5 - 304.5 ci with Bendix Fuel Injection and two Paxton Super Chargers.

@@maccowart9100 What I'm wondering about is the 299 ci the announcer mentioned. I expect he misspoke and no one caught it.

I have Andy Granatelli's book and he never mentioned an R-5. He described an expermental R-3 with dual superchargers in a car they refereed to as "Due Centro" which he hoped would do 200 mph. He claimed that by the tach he was seeing 220 mph but the salt condition was bad and the back tires were slipping.

The last 1964 models at South Bend were built December '63, not early 1964. The compact Commander/Daytona/Wagonaire continued in Hamilton, Ontario to March 1966.

To be really specific, the final Studebaker Avanti was made on December 26, 1963.

@@trainliker100 Easily identifiable with their 'round' headlamps/bezels.

@@rodneykirchhoff497 Some of the "1964" models had round headlight bezels. A number of 1964 registered cars are this way. The change was made partway into the 1964 model year, not as part of the model year change. There were more "1964" cars than cars with square headlights. The numbers are a bit blurry, but something like 809 1964 cars with 764 with square bezels. The parts book as the changeover at SN 4892. But I think the first car actually sold with the square ones was actually a few numbers later. Also, there were "transition" cars with even later numbers that had been built with round but registered after they had actually started delivering the square version. Also, you could special order round if you wanted even after square was in production. Anyway, while a square bezel will mean it is not a 1963, a round bezel does not guarantee it is a 1963.

He meant the terrain here at Bonneville, genius.

Don't know, but a friend of mine ran a 11.88 quarter mile with a 64 Vette 327/360hp. I don't think that setup would come anywhere near what the Avanti did on top end.