I meant to write up this baby blue [sc:ebay itemid=”261163181245″ linktext=”Bricklin for sale” ] for only $3500, but the auction ended too soon. Clicking through on “related items” plunges one into a see of absurdity…
There’s a [sc:ebay itemid=”390535704436″ linktext=”1976 All-Cars Charley” ] 3 wheeler for $9,500 (from my favorite dealer, no less…) A [sc:ebay itemid=”111009890401″ linktext=”Vtec-swapped Riley Elf” ]? Maybe an [sc:ebay itemid=”350695618990″ linktext=”electric 4-door pickup” ] based on the SsangYong Actyon Sports? No? How about an [sc:ebay itemid=”170985907093″ linktext=”Oldsmobile” ] so malaise-y that its family banished it to Other Makes?
And now we arrive at our main dish for this Fastback Friday…an [sc:ebay itemid=”330868724434″ linktext=”Avanti 20 years past its expiration date” ].
The poor Avanti. Its original run as a Studebaker lasted through ’62-63, a period of awkward automotive styling across the board. Rather than be allowed to die with the rest of Studbaker, the original Avanti engineering and most of its styling remained undead well into the 80s courtesy of a series of entrepreneurial brand owners. This example gives a glimpse of a more late-70s take on the original.
From the side profile in the main picture it almost looks like the offspring of a late-70s Trans-Am and a Jensen Interceptor. Looping around the front, we see it’s worse than we feared. That grille is from a Lincoln, somehow melting into the standard 7″ round headlights. More curious than the claimed “built in rollbar”, Corvette side flares or BMW fender vents is the history on this one: a theft recovery. Someone wanted this thing badly enough to steal it, then someone wanted it back badly enough to buy it back from the insurer. Why?
Auction ends Sunday! Guess the final sale price and win a prize absolutely nothing.
[sc:ebay itemid=”330868724434″ linktext=”eBay Motors – 1981 Avanti For Sale” ]
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