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About Avanti
Avanti is a name given to a semi-customized automobile produced in the United States, that traces its heritage to the Studebaker Avanti of 1963-1964.
Avanti II
Following the closure of the South Bend operation, two South Bend, Indiana Studebaker dealers, Nate Altman and Leo Newman purchased the Avanti name, the body molds, remaining parts, tools, jigs, and a portion of the South Bend factory to continue making the Avanti. Altman and Newman had first approached the Checker Motors Company, maker of the iconic Checker Marathon and taxi cab, about taking over production. However David Markin, Checker's President reportedly stated that his company was not interested in building "an ugly car" like the Avanti.
These Avantis, called the Avanti II, were given a 327 in³ (5.4 L) Chevrolet Corvette engine and were meticulously hand-built to order in very small numbers.
On October 1, 1982, real estate developer Stephen Blake bought the rights to the Avanti II and shortly after that developed a more up-to-date backbone chassis with independent suspension, and a convertible model.
