1963 STUDEBAKER AVANTI -- R1 I take my Avanti out from under its cover in the carport every couple of months and drive it around the block. I don't think that's fair to do to such a beautiful car: it needs to be driven more often than that and is certainly capable of being a daily driver. So I've reluctantly decided to sell it. I bought the car in 1997. I think I'm the third owner. I got everything working that wasn't working: the horn, turn signals, wipers, headlights, taillights, replaced freeze plugs, radiator, rear wheel cylinders, fixed a leak in the gas tank, replaced all of the hoses, motor mounts, overhauled the carburator, valve seals, belts, bushings, had all of the leaks fixed, and had the brakes done. I put in a new stereo/cassette player, a new ignition switch, a new rear-view mirror (the original Avanti rear-view mirror is practically useless), I put in seatbelts on the front seats, repaired the speedometer/odometer, fixed the roll up windows. The Avanti's front fenders are in two sections with a seal at the wheel well. There is a barely noticable crease: I had this reinforced with fiberglass. There is a scratch on the right front fender just below the bumper where I scraped a tall curb. The back windows swing out and the latches do not latch, the car cannot be locked. For some odd reason, the "lower lip" beneath the front bumper isn't there. I didn't question it when I bought the car nd never had a new one put on; it never bothered me. The back-up lights don't work. Otherwise the body is in beautiful condition, with few imperfections. About a year ago I had new front shocks installed. Last month I had a new battery installed and had the brakes done: replaced the two front calipers, pads, had the master cylinder rebuilt and the power booster unit rebuilt. This is a stunning car that gets a lot of attention. The history of the Avanti has been written about extensively and is fascinating. One of these days someone is going to use an Avanti in a movie or television show and it's going to skyrocket in value.