Introduced in 1962 as an innovative and luxurious sports car, the Studebaker Avanti was supposed to save the company from going under. That didn't happen, and the Avanti was discontinued after only a couple of years, but it went into the history books as a car that was way ahead of its time.
Available with a 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8 in both naturally aspirated and supercharged form, the Avanti became the world's fastest production car upon its release. When fitted with the supercharged R2 option, the fiberglass two-door was capable of exceeding 178 mph (286 kph). On top of that, it broke no fewer than 29 speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Come 2022, and the Avanti is a rare car, especially in supercharged R2 trim. So it's quite a big deal to see one at the drag strip. This 1963 Avanti R2 showed up at the 27th Annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in 2021. And thanks to YouTube's "Cars And Zebras," we can see it drag race a 1970 Buick Skylark.
The Studebaker is going against a really stiff competition here. While its supercharged V8 cranks out 289 horsepower and 303 pound-feet (411 Nm) of torque, this Skylark comes with a 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) mill under the hood.
The engine is factory rated at 315 horsepower and 410 pound-feet (556 Nm) of torque, but this Skylark got an overbore and increased compression ratio. There's no info on how powerful it is now, but it should crank out significantly more than stock. On paper, the Buick should win this duel.
And the first race puts the Skylark in front after an easy win. The Buick covers the quarter-mile in 13.79 seconds, while the Avanti needs 15.81 clicks to cross the finish line. But that's because it struggled to take off the line.
The second race sees the Avanti run a much quicker sprint, stopping the clock at 14.09 clicks. It's only 0.04 seconds quicker than the Skylark, but it takes the win. With the results tied, the muscle cars line up at the Christmas Tree for the decider.
And not surprisingly, the Buick is off to a better start and crosses the finish line first after 14.10 seconds. However, the driver hit the gas pedal 0.006 seconds too early and got a red light. Even though it managed a slower, 14.81-second run, the Avanti was awarded the win.
An incredibly lucky win for the Studebaker, but still an amazing race to watch. Watch the drama unfold in the video below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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