GET TO KNOW: The Studebaker Avanti

The Avanti was designed with advanced safety features, including a built-in roll bar, padded interior and door latches that became structural body members when closed

- Michael Eckerson

Studebaker marketed the Avanti as “America’s only four-passenger high-performance personal car.” Everything about this coupe was meant to scream “modern!”, from the aircraft-inspired dials to the name, which comes from the Italian word meaning forward, a number of innovations in the Avanti are still featured in cars today.

THE BEGINNING:

The Avanti was the brainchild of Sherwood Egbert, president of Studebaker. Designed by prolific industrial designer Raymond Loewy, a Franco–American designer who achieved fame for the multitude of design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by Time magazine and featured on its October 1949 cover.

THE DESIGNER:

Raymond Loewy has been called “The Father of Streamlining” and “The Father of Industrial Design”. Loewy has an impressive portfolio of recognizable works including: logo redesigns for Shell, Exxon, Champion and TWA, the Greyhound Scenicruiser bus, Coca-Cola vending machines, the Lucky Strike package, Coldspot refrigerators, the iconic Air Force One design, and of course, the Studebaker Avanti.