Avanti (car)

                                                                               Avanti Motor Company 

The Avanti is an American performance sports coupe based on the Studebaker Avanti and marketed through a succession of five different ownership arrangements subsequent to Studebaker's discontinuation of the model. After the closure of Studebaker's South Bend factory on December 20, 1963, cars carrying the Avanti nameplate were initially produced from left-over Studebaker components and later, by the Avanti Motor Company from General Motors and Ford chassis and engines.

 The Avanti Motor Company was purchased by Michael Eugene Kelly. The company then had second-generation Avanti styling originated by Tom Kellogg, the youngest member of the original Studebaker Avanti design team. Kellogg was fatally injured in a car accident in California on August 14, 2003.

                      The company was acquired and run from 1987 – 1991 by John J. Cafaro.With the help of the State of Ohio, he moved all Avanti production from South Bend - its birthplace - to the Rust Belt area of Youngstown, Ohio. In 1988 and 1989 Avanti made two-door coupes and a convertible. The 1988 Avanti were called the "Silver Year" models, marking 25 years since the Avanti's introduction.

In 1989, Cafaro lost faith in the original coupe and introduced a four-door version, of which 90 were built. In four years, only 405 Avantis were made at the Youngstown plant, which closed in 1991.       

       

 Kelly repurchased the company in 1999. He moved its operations from Ohio to Georgia and produced redesigned Avanti automobiles in Villa Rica from 2000 to 2005. From 2004, Ford chassis and engines were used. In October 2005 an internet report said "Avanti Motors [had] recently announced a new relationship with Ford Motor Company and was planning a big comeback".In early 2006, Kelly moved Avanti production to a new plant in Cancun, Mexico, but the company foundered after Kelly's arrest on fraud counts in December 2006, over a very large Ponzi scheme he was running.The last Avanti rolled off the line in Cancun, Mexico in March 2006. All the Mustang-based Avantis used V-8 engines, with the option of a Ford V-6. Only one 2006 Avanti was built with a Ford V-6 engine. The factory and showroom were emptied in 2011 and have been sold. Many extremely rare Studebaker and Avanti concepts and racing vehicles that were on the second floor of the building in Cancun have been moved elsewhere and/or sold.

 On October 1, 1982, real-estate developer Stephen H. Blake bought the rights to the Avanti II.The state of Indiana guaranteed $1.9 million in loans to Avanti, as part of the financial package offered Blake when he bought the company. He made modifications to the car, which had remained unchanged since the production of the Avanti II model began in the mid-1960s. Rectangular headlights and modern plastic body-colored bumpers were introduced. He also dropped the "II" in the car's name. All subsequent cars were called the "Avanti".Blake's company declared bankruptcy and he resigned in February 1986.

 The Altman brothers introduced a slightly modified version of the car in 1965 under the brand name "Avanti II". which initially had a 327 cuin (5.4 L) Chevrolet Corvette engine. This evolved to the 400, then the small-block 350, and then the 305 for 1981. The 305 V8 had electronic engine controls, 155 hp , and GM's Turbo 350 automatic transmission with lockout. Building one of the 1980s Avanti IIs required 10 to 12 weeks, depending on special color or upholstery orders.The last Avanti II made came off the line with a V6 engine from Roush and only one was made. All Avanti IIs and their successors were built on the Studebaker-designed chassis, from 1963 to 1987.After Nate Altman's death, Arnold Altman ran the company until it was sold in 1982.

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