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Buffing Up an Old Classic–Avanti
Drives Again
Newsweek: April 3, 1989—There it
was, revolving on the stage of the popular game show "Wheel
of Fortune": a luxury convertible
that captured almost as much attention as Vanna White herself.
The vehicle was one of the show's most sought-after prizes.
But if the word Avanti hadn't been emblazoned on the windshield,
few members of the viewing audience would have been able to
name the fiberglass sports car.
Call it the best-kept automotive secret outside Detroit. The
Avanti (Italian for "forward") is the only handcrafted automobile
made in America. With only a few thousand models on the road,
Avanti has hardly become a household word. But the new owner
of the Youngstown, Ohio-based company hopes to change all
that. J. J. Cafaro, a shopping-mall
developer who bought Avanti Automotive Corp. last August,
is positioning the $38,000-to-$48,000 car as an American alternative
to luxury models like Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW.
Cafaro's Avanti is nearly identical to
the first one designed for Studebaker
Corp. in 1962. Created by the late Raymond
Loewy, the car was conceived to help inject a touch of
glamour into Studebaker's lackluster
line. When Studebaker folded
its U.S. auto business shortly after that, an enterprising
dealer named Nathan D. Altman purchased
the rights to the Avanti and was soon back in business in
South Bend, Indiana. The company has changed hands several
times since. Cafaro,
formerly a passive investor in the business, moved all its
operations to Youngstown, his childhood home. Located in a
former steel plant, the Avanti production line is a throwback
to the early days of the auto industry.
Except for the engine,
chassis and drive train, which are produced by General Motors,
the Avanti is built by hand. Workers hand-sew the seats from
hides and wire instrument boards themselves. Fiberglass
panels used for the body are fashioned on the premises, then
painted, sanded and buffed. Quality control is stringent.
Finished models are inspected in a brightly lit work area
adorned with an American flag. Unlike most companies, Avanti
has distinguished itself by lack of innovation. "No one has
touched the design," says Cafaro.
"Even today, it's very similar to the original."
In the company's
27-year history there have been only two departures from the
design's prototype. In 1987 the company introduced both a
convertible model and a longer
version of the coupe. Now a third variation on Loewy's theme
is planned. At the Greater New York International Automobile
Show last week, Avanti unveiled a four-door
sedan. Will the Avanti ever go bumper to bumper with the upscale
imports? Even Cafaro admits the prospect
is unlikely. "The key is the quality, not the number of cars
we build," he says. "You have to keep the car unique and in
demand." Christopher Cedegren, an auto analyst for
J. D. Power and Associates, believes that Cafaro's strategy
can pay off, provided he maintains a strong distribution system
and builds cars that are on a par with Europe's best. "The
styling is timeless," he says, "and [the Avanti] looks as
good today as it did 25 years ago." If only Raymond
Loewy could see it now.
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