jaymcminn Posted October 29, 2011 Posted October 29, 2011 I've always rather liked the Studebaker Avanti. It's a cool-looking car and the story behind it (once-great manufacturer, on its way down the tubes, throws one last "hail mary" by building a fiberglass sports car) is fantastic. I picked one up at the show in Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday for a pretty good price, so I figured I'd build one up. I've replaced the "bubble" rear window with a flat trunklid and have added styrene to create a "flying buttress" roofline. I also removed the "B" pillar (which housed an integrated rollbar on the 1:1, so there goes all my rollover protection!) and created a hardtop side window line. The front end will feature the kit's square '64 headlights. I am on the fence right now about whether to remove the roof between the windshield header and the 'C" pillar. The targa look would be cool, but the roofline is really nice the way it sits now. Wheels will probably be Monogram Borranis with narrow whitewalls. Color will probably be pale yellow with Inca Gold and white fades designed to accentuate the curve of the fenders. It's all raw styrene now, so enjoy the first pics. Any comments, suggestions, etc. are always welcome.
jaymcminn Posted October 29, 2011 Author Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) More as soon as I figure out how to post pics from Photobucket. Edited October 29, 2011 by jaymcminn
jaymcminn Posted October 29, 2011 Author Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) Edited October 29, 2011 by jaymcminn
Eshaver Posted October 29, 2011 Posted October 29, 2011 Gee, Alex Tremulus and Chuck Jordan got together to do a re design on the Avanti, what a concept ! Ed Shaver
jaymcminn Posted November 2, 2011 Author Posted November 2, 2011 Progress continues (slowly) on this build... I've attached the doors and blocked and filled the body- on this build I think a straight body trumps opening doors and it would be pretty tough to have both on this model. Door lines and a new trunk line were scribed. I have begun test-fitting the interior, which will need some styrene inserted in front of the separate door panels to close up some gaps. I don't see a lot of custom work going into the interior- the Avanti's interior was already more radical than many customs of the day. Interior color will probably be medium brown with cream piping. I removed the rear bumper brackets and am in the process of filling them- I also think the plate holder will go from an "outie" to an "innie". Still trying to decide if I want to keep the door handles- I think they're probably going to go. The top is definitely staying.
Jantrix Posted November 2, 2011 Posted November 2, 2011 I really like where this is going. The Avanti has always been a favorite for me. Some people grow up in a Ford or Chevy family. For me it was Studebaker. I love everything about this car except the wheel well openings. When I build my kit, I'm going to splice in some Vette openings.
jaymcminn Posted November 2, 2011 Author Posted November 2, 2011 On 11/2/2011 at 10:04 PM, MikeMc said: Jay......are you going to run a blower ? Mike, it's going to have the kit's twin Paxton superchargers, but it will all be under the hood. On 11/2/2011 at 6:58 PM, Jantrix said: I really like where this is going. The Avanti has always been a favorite for me. Some people grow up in a Ford or Chevy family. For me it was Studebaker. I love everything about this car except the wheel well openings. When I build my kit, I'm going to splice in some Vette openings. I dunno, Rob. I kind of like the weird parabolic wheel openings. The 'Vette idea isn't bad, though.
MikeMc Posted November 2, 2011 Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) It Will Be WICKED !!! I love the dual setup....stock but very cool!! I cannot wait to see it!!! I grew up down the street from Brooks Stevens and saw his on a regular basis!! Edited November 2, 2011 by MikeMc
mr moto Posted November 3, 2011 Posted November 3, 2011 On 11/2/2011 at 10:57 PM, jaymcminn said: Mike, it's going to have the kit's twin Paxton superchargers, but it will all be under the hood. BTW, that's not just a made up engine that only exists in the kit. That's the "R-5" engine that Andy Granatelli ran in the "Duo Cento" at Bonneville. The R-1, 2, 3 and 4 engines were all production engines (even though real original 3's and 4's were only made in the single digits). It was rumored that a version of the R-5 would make it into production if Studebaker could have lasted a little longer. Great reference stuff at the link below: http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB3/duecento/230211/dc230211.html
jaymcminn Posted November 3, 2011 Author Posted November 3, 2011 Thanks for the link, Manuel. I definitely needed some photo reference on this motor!
jaymcminn Posted November 7, 2011 Author Posted November 7, 2011 IT'S GREEN! Next up I'll fog some highlights along the fenders and bodyline crease in white and blend them with candy green. I'm also going to do an asymmetrical stripe over the top of the car. The base color is Testors Mystic Emerald lacquer airbrushed. The color is pretty intense. there's a lot of flake in there that really "pops".
jcbigpaw Posted July 26, 2012 Posted July 26, 2012 I've always thought these had cool lines. That green is pretty bright. Wow. Looking forward to more updates
kruleworld Posted July 26, 2012 Posted July 26, 2012 On 11/2/2011 at 6:58 PM, Jantrix said: I really like where this is going. The Avanti has always been a favorite for me. Some people grow up in a Ford or Chevy family. For me it was Studebaker. I love everything about this car except the wheel well openings. When I build my kit, I'm going to splice in some Vette openings. yeah, they are kinda funky, maybe switching left and right rear arches, so they sweep forward, would look better?
Jantrix Posted July 26, 2012 Posted July 26, 2012 On 7/26/2012 at 3:55 AM, kruleworld said: yeah, they are kinda funky, maybe switching left and right rear arches, so they sweep forward, would look better? Hmmmm.
jaymcminn Posted July 27, 2012 Author Posted July 27, 2012 Here's a finished shot, as well as a link to the "under glass" thread of this build... http://www.modelcars...topic=50576&hl=
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