MEMBER OF THE ORIGINAL AVANTI STYLING TEAM DESIGNS THE 1998 AVX Tom Kellogg's Latest Effort Is Truly An Avanti For the 90s. Lancaster, Pennsylvania If the 1998 AVX Coupe bears an amazing resemblance to the original Studebaker Avanti, it's certainly no coincidence. The reason why is simple: both cars bear the unmistakable imprint of master automotive stylist Tom Kellogg. As a young designer not long out of college, Kellogg joined the Raymond Loewy styling team that created the first Avanti design. Putting together a clay scale model in a matter of weeks, he played a major role in determining the car's body styling. As he recalls it, our task was to create a forward-thinking car that would capture the country's attention and help save Studebaker. While the Avanti failed at the latter objective, it was wildly successful at the former. When it debuted in mid-1962, there was quite literally nothing like it. Nearly devoid of chrome, it featured knife-edge fenders, sensual Coke bottle sculpting along the sides, an asymmetrical 3power bulge2 in the hood, and an under-the-bumper air intake with no grill. So classically beautiful and timeless was the Loewy team1s design that it survived largely unchanged long after Studebaker passed into history. In fact, variations of the original Avanti, most with only minor detail changes,were produced from 1965 until 1991. The spark for the AVX project occurred in 1993, when entrepreneur and advertising executive Jim Bunting met Tom Kellogg at an Avanti 30th Anniversary meet. Kellogg had developed a series of concept drawings for an Avanti of the 90s, using the unmistakable styling cues of the original. Bunting, being an avid Avanti enthusiast, decided a one-off had to be built. After considering a number of alternatives, Kellogg selected the GM F-series platform as the basis for the AVX. The prototype was built over the winter of 1995-96, and became an immediate hit at various Studebaker shows. Its enthusiastic reception convinced Bunting to put the car into limited production.

After Kellogg made some specific styling refinements, the first production AVX was built and shown at the June, 1997 International Studebaker/Avanti Meet in South Bend, Indiana. Once again, the reaction was very enthusiastic, and orders began flowing in. When asked to comment on the AVX, he said, I think of it as sculpture. The eye should continuously move around the car, following one curve or surface as it flows into another. By successfully translating the look of the Studebaker Avanti into a thoroughly modern automobile, Tom Kellogg has proven that the design remains as striking and intriguing today as it was when first unveiled in 1962.