The 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti was a fast, stylish coupe with a radical design, but everyone thought it was dead when troubled Studebaker discontinued American operations in December 1963, in South Bend, Ind.

Nobody figured the Avanti would rise from the ashes as the hand-built "Avanti II'' after South Bend Studebaker-Packard dealer partners Nate Altman and Leo Newman felt the car was too fabulous to die.

Newman and Altman bought the name, production rights and tooling to the Avanti and part of the 100-year-old South Bend plant where the Avanti had been built -- and began producing it as a hand-built car from their newly formed Avanti Motor Corp. in 1965. It looked virtually the same as the Studebaker Avanti.

The Studebaker Avanti's styling was stunning, with a purely American design that didn't owe anything to any automaker. Its unique grille-less front end had an engine air scoop under the bumper, "Coke bottle'' fender contours, asymmetrically placed hood bulge, distinctive window shaping and large glass area, besides a short, rounded tail with big dual exhaust outlets.

The Avanti was the first mass-produced fiberglass-body four-passenger domestic car and went faster than any previous U.S. stock car, breaking 29 stock car speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The Avanti R1 had a 240-horsepower version of Studebaker's proven 289-cubic-inch V -8 and the R2 model had a supercharged 290-horsepower version of that engine. The R1 was plenty fast, and an R2 hit 168 mph during a speed run.

The roomy interior had aircraft-style instrumentation and controls (some mounted overhead) because Studebaker's ambitious young new president, Sherwood Egbert, was a flying buff. Road & Track magazine said the Avanti's slim-shell bucket seats were among the best it had ever encountered.

There was more to the Avanti than style and speed: It was the first U.S. car to use caliper-style disc brakes and -- when few U.S. automakers cared about safety -- had a built-in roll bar, padded interior, door latches that became structural body members when closed and a rugged, shortened Studebaker Lark convertible chassis. Incredibly strong, the Avanti allowed its occupants to walk away after severe collisions.

The fully equipped, upscale Avanti cost $4,445, or about the price of the less practical two-seat fiberglass-body Chevrolet Corvette. Studebaker held costs down by using items from its parts bin.

The Avanti got rave reviews, and orders poured in. Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, bought a black one and shipped it to foreign countries he visited outside his native England. American teen idol singer Ricky Nelson also had one.

Studebaker built 3,834 Avantis in 1963, and the 809 made in 1963 were classified as 1964 models. The 1963 model had round headlight surrounds, while most 1964 models had square headlight surrounds.

The Avanti was styled under the direction of flamboyant, world-famous designer Raymond Loewy. Development was rushed because it was meant to help save Studebaker. Fiberglass was chosen for the body to minimize time and tooling costs. But production was delayed six months by subpar bodies from Molded Fiber Glass Co., which also built Corvette bodies. That caused Studebaker to set up its own fiberglass production.

Studebaker watched helplessly as people who tired of waiting for the Avanti canceled orders for it when the automaker needed every sale. It didn't help when word got out that Studebaker was in bad financial shape. It built economy cars in Canada for two years after leaving South Bend, but that was it.

Enter Newman and Altman, who also bought a huge Avanti parts inventory housed in a warehouse in Studebaker's old South Bend manufacturing complex. Their goal was to build 300 hand-built Avantis annually. They never hit that figure, but production was always adequate and consistent.

It would have been impossible to resurrect the Avanti as the Avanti II if it had a steel body. But, using a small assembly line and now-excellent fiberglass bodies from Molded Fiber Glass, the new Avanti could be made at a reasonable cost. The initial price was $6,550 when a mass-produced, common 1965 Corvette coupe was $4,321.

Many out-of-work former top Studebaker employees were available to build the Avanti II. And Altman recruited former chief Studebaker engineer Gene Hardig to make strategic changes to the car. Altman, a short, balding man who was a natural-born salesman, was the force behind the Avanti II. Newman wisely let him run Avanti Motor.

Hardig had retired, but Altman said, "Look, here's your chance to work on a custom, hand-built car without the pressures of working on a mass-produced auto for a cash-starved, cost-cutting outfit like Studebaker had been."

In fact, Avanti Motor compiled a long option list and each Avanti II was tailored to a customer's wishes. There was almost no limit when it came to colors, and nearly any fabric that could be sewn into seats could be ordered. Various brands of deep-pile carpeting covered the car's floors.

The few options included air conditioning, leather upholstery, power windows, limited-slip differential and handsome Magnum 500 chromed wheels.

While writing an Avanti II article for Esquire magazine, I spent a week in tireless Altman's office at Avanti Motor, listening to him patiently converse for hours with an Avanti II customer about the selection of even just upholstery. Altman set up a telephone line in his home bedroom so overseas customers could call any time at night during their daylight hours if interested in an Avanti II. Most deliveries were made at the Avanti II South Bend factory, which Altman loved to show off.

No Studebaker V-8s were left, so Altman picked the popular Chevrolet Corvette 327-cubic-inch V-8 with 300-horsepower for the Avanti II. It was far more modern than the Studebaker V-8 and also was lighter, which allowed the Avanti II to have better balance and sharper handling. Powerful front disc brakes provided short stops, and the ride was firm but comfortable. Car buff magazines gave the fast Avanti II high marks. Road & Track magazine publisher John Bond wrote in 1966, "It's a better car than it was three years ago."

You could get a three-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift feature, but the Avanti II was so sporty that many buyers ordered a slick four-speed manual transmission with a Hurst shifter.

Altman disliked the original Avanti body's slight front "rake" -- or forward body slant -- so he had Hardig eliminate it. The car also got a slightly higher hood line to accommodate the Corvette V-8, reduced-radius wheel openings and "Avanti II'' script. The dashboard was left virtually untouched.

Only an Avanti buff could tell the Studebaker version from the Avanti II, although the Avanti II interior was more luxuriously trimmed. The Studebaker Avanti was mainly a high-performance four-seater, whereas the Avanti II was mostly a fast, custom luxury cruiser. Many architects, physicians and wealthy entrepreneurs bought one. I bought three 1960s Avanti IIs in the early 1970s, all in excellent shape. The car was so well built it never seemed to wear out.

The best Avanti IIs are 1965-75 models, which cost $15,400-$18,200 if in very good condition, says the Old Cars Price Guide.

Altman died unexpectedly of pneumonia after a long-overdue European vacation in 1976, but the Avanti II continued to be built for years by others who bought the automaker. For decades, it seemed as if the car would live forever.