Studebaker Avanti R2
A supercharger gave this space-age fiberglass coupe one horsepower for every cubic inch of its V8—while front disc brakes helped rein it in.
1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 coupe · sv1ambo · CC BY 2.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert wanted an attention-grabbing new car quickly. Raymond Loewy led a small design team, and the Avanti reached its public debut in April 1962 after only about fourteen months. Its smooth nose had no traditional grille, its body was fiberglass and its cabin seated four. The R2 added a Paxton centrifugal supercharger to Studebaker's 289-cubic-inch V8, creating the most widely available high-performance Avanti specification.
Look a little closer.
Its Italian name means ‘forward’ or ‘onward’—a fitting word for a car created on an unusually short schedule.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Fourteen months from idea to debut
The Studebaker National Museum says a new car normally required three to five years, while Studebaker gave the Avanti team fourteen months and a tiny budget. The car debuted April 25, 1962, showing how a focused design team and fiberglass body tooling could compress the timetable.
Source: Studebaker National Museum · Studebaker's Last Dance: The Avanti ↗R2 means a specific factory powertrain
The R2 is not just any Avanti with a blower. Studebaker's technical sheets identify the 289-cubic-inch Jet Thrust V8 and its factory supercharged specification. This profile does not borrow the 240 hp R1 figure or the larger, scarce R3's Bonneville-record numbers.
Source: Studebaker · 1963 Avanti R1 and R2 AMA specifications ↗Where these facts come from
- Studebaker National Museum · Studebaker's Last Dance: The Avanti
- Studebaker · 1963 Avanti sales brochure
- Studebaker · 1963 Avanti R1 and R2 AMA specifications
- Avanti technical archive · factory-document-derived specifications
- Automobile-Catalog · 1963 Avanti dimensions
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.