1964 Avanti R3

edited by David Barth, 30 January 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Information is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Photos were taken in January 2009.

Studebaker was one of the oldest names in the American transportation industry, having made wagons for the Union Army during the Civil War and automobiles since 1902. By the late 1950s, sales were dropping and the company was in trouble.

To increase sales, Studebaker's young, new president, Sherwood Egbert, pushed for the design of a new performance car. Since little money was available, Studebaker cut corners by building the car on a modified Stuedbaker Lark convertible chassis and a fiberglass body fabricated by the Molded Fiberglass products Company in Ashtabula, Ohio.

In April 1962, the new car, name Avanti (Italian for "forward"), rolled off the assembly line. Its radical styling caused some observers to love it and others to hate it. Egbert wanted the car to be a hot car, so Studebaker engaged the services of Andy and Joe Granatelli to increase performance. Andy and Joe modified the Avanti's engine extensively in only 40 days, shocking and delighting Studebaker engineers.

The Avanti engine was available in four versions named the R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4. They were based upon a 232-cubic-inch V8 Studebaker engine that produced 120 hp (89 kW) when introduced in 1951. This basic engine was modified for the Avanti in several versions developed in 1963:

• R-1 289, produced 240 hp (179 kW).
• R-2 version (optional) with its Paxton supercharger produced a rated 289 hp (216 kW), or one horsepower per each cubic inch of engine displacement.
• R-3 was the supercharged 289 cu in (4.74 L) engine bored initially to 299 cubic inches (4.90 L). Later versions were 304.5 cubic inches (4.990 L). It was rated at 335 horsepower (250 kW), but reportedly produced 411 hp (306 kW) at the flywheel
• R-4 was unsupercharged and rated at 280 horsepower (210 kW).
• R-5 was a one-off experimental custom version of the Studebaker V8 developed by Granatelli. With Bendix aircraft fuel injection as used on the Novi Indy car and a Paxton supercharger mounted to each cylinder bank, it produced 638 horsepower (476 kW) on the Paxton dynamometer. The R-5 was mounted in Granatelli’s special Avanti “Due Cento” (200 in Italian), with which he planned to break 200 miles per hour. Unfortunately, Granatelli could not get enough traction during his Bonneville run, achieving a top speed of 196.62 miles per hour (316.43 km/h). The R5 never officially competed again.

To put the performance of Studebaker's supercharged 289 V8 in perspective, the Ford 289 V8, as used in the 1964-1/2 through 1967 Mustangs had these characteristics:

• 210 hp (157 kW) with a two-barrel carburetor
• 220 hp (164 kW) with a four-barrel carburetor
• 271 hp (202 kW) in Ford's high-compression, solid-lifter, four-barrel "K-code" engine

Thus, Studebaker's "Jet Thrust" 289 V8s were significantly more powerful than any naturally aspirated 289 production engine offered by Ford through 1967 (in 1968, Ford began relying on the new 302-cubic-inch engine).

Studebaker had first used Paxton superchargers on the 1957 and '58 Studebaker and Packard Hawks. Subsequently, they bought the Paxton company. With the assistance of car racing legend Andy Granatelli, Studebaker developed the R-3 and R-4 engines for the Avanti. The first R-3 was a 289 cu in (4.74 L) was bored initially to 299 cubic inches (4.90 L). Later versions were 304.5 cubic inches (4.990 L) (just under the class-C five-liter limit).

The R-3 engine had the following characteristics:

• Special cylinder heads with much larger intake ports
• Larger valves
• Aluminum intake manifold
• Larger ports
• Long-branch lower restriction exhaust manifolds
• Longer-duration camshaft
• Paxton supercharger blower
• Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor mounted in a pressurized aluminum box
• Horsepower Rating: 335 (250 kW), but reportedly produced 411 hp (306 kW) at the flywheel

The R-4 engine was essentially the same as the R-3 engine except for the following differences:

• domed pistons for a higher compression ratio
• dual four-barrel manifold
• Two Carter AFB carburetors (unsupercharged)
• Horsepower Rating: 280 (210 kW)

During the fall of 1962, on August 14th, the prototype R-3 (299 cid) driven by Andy Granatelli set several land speed records with the top speed of 168.15 mph (270.61 km/h) for the Flying Mile. This Avanti was later modified into the Due Cento for the 1963 Bonneville runs. In October 1963, Granatelli took several Studebakers to the Bonneville Salt Flats, including an R-3 Avanti (#9) in which he reached a record speed of 170.78 mph (274.84 km/h). By the time he was done, Granatelli had set or broken 34 U.S. land speed records in the Avanti, allowing Studebaker to proudly proclaim it the "World's Fastest Production Car". In addition to being fast, the Avanti led the domestic auto industry in the use of front caliper disc brakes (Dunlop discs produced under license by the Bendix Corporation).

The Granatelli-modified Avanti was tested in the Nevada desert and was officially clocked at 171.10 miles per hour. Further development was called for and the Granatelli engine became the R3 engine. The Avanti's chassis and body was also modified, and the car became the Avanti R3.

Publicity about the R3, dubbed the "fastest production car in America," filled automotive journals, and Studebaker dealers awaited the rush of buyers. The flood never came. The Avanti's radical styling had alienated traditional Studebaker owners, and other buyers were not confident that Studebaker was a healthy company.

Only nine Avanti R3s were ordered, built, and delivered. This car is one of them. On December 9, 1963, Studebaker ended all production in South Bend, Indiana, but the company continued making Lark sedans in Canada until 1965. This 1964 Avanti has an R3 Jet Thrust engine and a Paxton supercharger. It is certified to have been the last Avanti produced by Studebaker. It is in unrestored condition and has less than 10,000 miles on the odometer.

Model: R3 Avanti
Body Style: 2-door hardtop
Original factory price: $5,476
Brake Horsepower: 400 at 6,000 rpm
Displacement: 304.5 cubic inches
Bore: 3.656 inches
Stroke: 3,625 inches
Cylinders: V8
Wheelbase: 109 inches
Manufacturer: Studebaker Corporation
Location: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Donor: Joe, Elsie, and Connie Erdelac