Designed by Raymond Loewy's team on a 40-day crash program, the Avanti featured a radical fiberglass body design mounted on a modified Studebaker Lark Daytona 109-inch convertible chassis with a modified 289 Hawk engine.
The front had no conventional grille - just an air scoop below a thin bumper. The hood had an asymmetrical hump, and the interior featured aircraft-style instrumentation and controls, some placed above the windshield. Occupants sat in four slim-section bucket seats as in Alfa Romeo or other Italian sport car.
The original Studebaker Avanti has been described as "one of the more significant milestones of the postwar industry". Nevertheless, this model did not save Studebaker from the abyss. The factory doors closed in December 1963 thanks to poor production rates.
My Franklin Mint model looks a bit oversized. The model has great detail the actual car: designed sport chrome mirrors typical for sixties, chrome wheel covers, Avanti logo on all sides, interior doors chrome trimmed panels and color of the original Avanti Gold bodywork. Impressive are chrome frames of all windows. Not only chrome-faced, but faithfully quality chrome. Nice interior and detailed chassis. For a Franklin well-fitting doors and bonnet.
It is a model of the iconic car, but does not look too American.
 |
| Franklin Mint 1963 Studebaker Avanti |
| Manufacturer: | Franklin Mint |
| Scale: | 1/43 |
| Year of Production: | 1988 |
| Part Number: | PY77 |
| Material: | DieCast |
| Rating: | 7/10 |
