The original Studebaker Avanti was the marque’s flagship model when it came out in 1962, but never became popular. This Ford Avanti is a Mustang-based replica created by Avanti motors in the early 2000s, and it can be yours for $58,998 USD.
The convertible belongs to a batch of just five cars built by Michael Eugene Kelly after he bought the trademark rights for it in 2000. It sports a vintage appearance and has around 4,000 km (2,500 miles) under its belt.
Despite the failure of the original Studebaker Avanti, multiple attempts were made later to bring it back based on more modern tech. Avanti Motors had originally used General Motors chasses to build its replicas upon, but switched to using Mustang chasses in 2004. Two years after that, Kelly faced fraud charges and the company quickly ceased to exist.
The 2004 Avanti you can see here is considered the first Ford Mustang-based replica. Its current seller claims this was the car exhibited at the Chicago Motor Show back at the time of its debut. Compared to the stock Mustang it was based upon, it sports a plethora of plastic exterior trim pieces while maintaining Mustang body proportions. Found inside are new air vents, dashboard, and steering wheel embroidery. The wheel itself, as well as the front panel and the center console, are OEM.
Pop up the hood to reveal a 4.6-liter Mustang V8 rated at 260 PS (256 hp / 191 kW) and 409 Nm (302 lb-ft) of torque in conjunction with a four-speed A/T.