Holy smokes: a real Studebaker Avanti for $4,600!

Buy a genuine Studebaker Avanti for less than it cost new!
 Craftsmanshipmuseum.com 
This Studebaker Avanti -- yes, the Avanti shown in this picture -- can be yours for just $4,600. The patina is free. 

The Studebaker Avanti was a stunning car doomed by its association with the dying independent automaker -- its rakish fiberglass body, called into existence by Raymond Loewy and company during a frantic 40-day design retreat, sat on a modified Lark chassis, after all. While its lines lived on in a series of awkward replicas, there's no mistaking the effortlessly elegant, round headlight-equipped originals.

According to Bob's Studebaker Resource Website, just 4,647 genuine Studebaker Avantis were built between June 1962 and December 1963, when Studebaker shuttered its South Bend, Ind., factory. And this one -- that's right, the 1963 coupe shown right up top in gleaming white -- is offered for the low, low price of just $4,600. That's practically free!

Naturally, there's a catch. The above photo shows the car when new in 1963. These days, it's in a sorry state of disrepair and is looking more like this:

 Craftsmanshipmuseum.com
The Avanti was repainted in 1966. Assume it would need to be fully stripped during a restoration.

Call it neglect, call it decay -- we call it "patina," and it's white-hot right now.

Though its fiberglass body means no panel rust, and there's more evidence of a spider infestation than tinworm on the car's underside, it suffered through a black respray early in its life. That'll have to go, even if you don't return the car to its original white. And old, brittle fiberglass loves to suck down expensive resin ...

But what the heck do you want? It's a $4,600 Avanti! That's less than the car's original sticker price of $5,518.88, which included an optional $35 Positraction diff! And the price is apparently negotiable!

Are you excited about this? We sure are! Even after taking a gander at the turquoise interior, which looks like this:

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There's enough of the interior left to make patterns for new parts, but don't assume you're getting a show-ready car for $4,600.

Be advised that you're not going to be doing a frame-off restoration on this car and then flipping it for big bucks.Hagerty pegs the average value of a '63 Avanti at just under $19,000, with pristine examples selling for closer to $35,000 and climbing. Long story short, hiring someone to scrape it down to its bones and put it back together will not result in a short-term financial gain.

You have other options, though. Since it shares components with more common Studes and only seems to be missing the headlight bezels and covers and a few badges, this could be a rewarding labor of love for an amateur restorer. We'd turn it into a real-life version of the green headlamp-equipped electro-Avanti in the retro-future sci-fi flick "Gattaca," but it'd be a shame to dissect a complete (if non-running) example of an increasingly valuable car.

Also, we don't have the money, but that hasn't stopped us from embarking on foolhardy projects before.

We're not alone in having a soft spot for Avantis, and it won't be long before someone with the pittance needed to take this one home -- plus the time, space and cash to bring it back to roadworthy condition -- shows up to claim it.

Get more info on this particular car and its background here, and then check out the Hemmings ad while there's still time.

 Craftsmanshipmuseum.com
Despite the dust and grime and flaking paint, we're very tempted by this particular project.