Nathan Altman and Leo Newman were Studebaker dealers in South Bend, Indiana. Altman decided that the Avanti was what was needed to grace his showroom floor. Capitalizing on his own business acumen Altman was able to secure the old Avanti assembly plant, all Avanti tooling, body production from Molded Fiberglass and necessary credit. Former
Studebaker engineer
Gene Hardig began by switching to Chevy power (first a 327, then a 400, now a 305) and modifying the body by eliminating the rake and raising the front fender line. The chassis has been modernized by using readily available Chevy components.
Nathan Altman Altman and Loewy Altman Ads Avanti II
