The long race home to Canada was too much for the Avanti’s supercharger and it limped home after too many long sections at speed. The car’s green paint was all cracked, and the car was finally sold for $3,200.īainbridge sent his two friends down in his 1969 Ford Torino with a Cobra Jet 428 to bring the car home. He phoned the President of the local Avanti Club, Mac McClure, and asked him to take a look and try to buy the car on his behalf. Once home in Canada, Bainbridge decided he really wanted the car. After looking at the car, his offer of $3,200 was rejected by owner Ray Kush. In 1973, John Bainbridge and his wife were in Los Angeles to pick up the in-laws, and he saw in the LA Times a classified ad for an Avanti R3 for $3,400 in Santa Monica.
Its journey to Canada is a long and complicated tale, as interesting as the car itself.
It is documented to be the fourth Avanti built, and was serial number EX-2947 (63R X9). From the Studebaker “Passenger Car Production Order – Final Assembly Line” form, this car’s final assembly date was April 26 1962.
Built by the Studebaker Engineering department, this car was a 1962 Model R Engineering Prototype. The Avanti R3 in this article is truly an astounding piece of automotive history.
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