The Avanti is a strange and fascinating saga in automotive history. It started with the 1962 Studebaker Avanti, the Indiana-based automaker’s halo car, a two-door, four-seater performance car that predated the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. Studebaker went under, but the rights to the Avanti got passed around to different owners for decades, and some of the models bearing the Avanti name have a surprising kinship with the Chevy Caprice.
Up for auction on Cars & Bids is a rare 1990 Avanti Touring Sedan offered by a dealership in Corpus Christi, Texas. Only 1,300 miles are shown on the odometer, and it’s in as clean of condition as one could ask for one of these oddities.
Believe it or not, this isn’t an engine swap. The 5.0L V8 Small-Block under the hood, mated to a 4-speed GM Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission, is the original powertrain for this car. It’s rated at 170 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque.
By the 1990s, the Avanti Motor Company, spun off of the Studebaker model from the 1960s, was producing Avanti sedans for the 1990 and 1991 model years in Youngstown, Ohio. They shared the B-body chassis and Small-Block powertrain with the Chevy Caprice at the time. Also, they had the recognizable wheels of a C4 Corvette. Sources say only 90 Avanti sedans were ever built before the Youngstown plant closed. It was the only time in Avanti’s checkered past that a sedan version was ever built.
Pitched as a premium high-performance sedan, a few features of the Avanti Touring Sedan include a limited-slip differential, a sunroof, a leather interior with wood trim, and luxurious back seats with tray tables and a six-inch television. Interestingly, a History Channel documentary about the Avanti brand is included in this auction.
Offered with no reserve, the high bid for this Avanti based on a B-body Chevy Caprice is $5,555, but there’s plenty of time left. The auction wraps up on Tuesday, March 11th, so get your bids in now for your chance to own this rarity.
Comments
Interesting car but those aren’t C4 Corvette wheels.
The side markers front/rear, also front turn signals/parking lights are Early C 4 Corvette,
The wheels appear Corvette but have a center hub cap to cover the lug nuts making them appear different than Corvette. (’84-86)
They are indeed Corvette wheels, ’84-’87 style, aka the Turbine wheel.. The rear wheels are even mounted incorrectly, just like 70% of Corvette owners. As previously stated the side markers and front turn signals/parking lights are also early Corvette C4.
They may be in the style of a C4 wheel but clearly they are a 15″, probably only 7″ wide. C4 wheels were 16×8.5 or 16×9.5 and had exposed lug nuts.
What kind of mileage does this get? Gas prices near me are getting out of control.
Who does an engine swap with an asthmatic 305? I placed mine into the scrap iron pile, and transplantation of a built 327 back in the day.
If i were to do a swap again, it would be a built 383.
Who cares about the motor. This car is a piece of history. Best left in its original configuration and you will double your money in a few years.
Awesome, but would prefer a coupe.
How do I submit a bid’