Story
1963 Studebaker Avanti
The 1963 Avanti was Studebaker's four-seat fiberglass personal-performance coupe: one model, offered with two production engine paths. The naturally aspirated R1 used the company's 289-cubic-inch V8 at 240 gross horsepower. The optional R2 kept the same displacement, reduced compression to 9.0:1, added a Paxton centrifugal supercharger, and reached 289 gross horsepower. Both belong on this page because they were configurations of the same 63R-Q Avanti, not separate models.
One shape, two personalities
Raymond Loewy's small design team gave the Avanti its grille-less nose, low air intake, pinched waist, broad rear glass, and integrated padded roll bar. Studebaker mounted the molded-fiberglass body on a reinforced 109-inch Lark convertible frame. Round headlamp surrounds identify the 1963 presentation, while a Supercharged fender plaque is supporting R2 context rather than proof by itself.
R1 buyers received a three-speed manual as the baseline and could choose the four-speed or Power Shift automatic. R2 paired the supercharged engine with the four-speed as standard, with Power Shift optional. A Dana 44 rear axle, optional Twin-Traction, front coil springs, rear leaf springs with radius rods, and standard power-assisted Bendix/Dunlop front discs made the Avanti more than a styling exercise.
Production and identity
The reviewed registry records 3,834 cars for the 1963 model year: 2,282 R1 and 1,552 R2. A reproduced production sheet contains an internally inconsistent 3,864 model-total line, so this page uses the reconciled 3,834 total and leaves the conflict visible in the evidence gaps.
An individual car still needs its Studebaker production order. That record should agree with the serial and body tags, R- or RS-series engine number, transmission, axle, paint, interior, and options. Badges, a supercharger, round headlamps, or a plausible restoration cannot establish an original R2 on their own. The later 304.5-cubic-inch R3 and R4 programs are outside this 1963 production page; the documented factory R3 Avantis remain on the separate 1964 R3 page.