WW7

I wish I was young enough to not know what you were talking about.......WW

06_LT1

I do love the Corvette, but I'm not sure it's the "ultimate American sports car."

This car, which I remember from my youth, could have been the ultimate American sports car.....

kelmbaker

Absolutely. But the day of the cheap Avanti (as low as 3 to 4 thousand...needing work) is long gone. Everyone who knew of the Avanti knew they were undervalued. Many of us waited around. I don't know why. Now I'm a little miffed when I see Avanti's going for 20K and more. I snoozed, and I lost an opportunity. The Avanti II with the Chevy drivetrain is still a bargain. The earliest with the 300 HP 327 are the best , IMHO. If I find one, I'm going to ****** it. The later ones, no so much. I know where a junker with a decent body lies. Now a wrecked C4 and the Avanti body? Hmmmm

Black'95

I think it is called olztymers disease!

Black'95

Go for it. I fell in love with the Avanti in my youth, as well as the Porsche 914 but couldn't afford either one. I think I was afflicted with "girlitis" at the time. Not sure if I am over it, as I got one of the latter and am still making payments. She still has a good strong differential and the front bumpers are not dragging so I think I got my money's worth.

ghoastrider1

cause if your old and fat, like me, its hard getting in and out of it..but worth every grunt it takes.

Oldballs65

Ain't that a Vector twin turbo V8...early 80's?

Oldballs65

JD Shredds

60 years and 7 generations of being on or near the top suggest it IS the ultimate American sports car. Whether an American sports car was more impressive for a short period of time is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

06_LT1

Yup, the Vector. It was awesome, and a real shame that the company went under.

06_LT1

I can appreciate that you really hold the Corvette in high esteem. The Vector ranks "ultimate" in my book because it's an example of someone risking it all to go crazy and make an insane car. The C7s, like past ZR-1s and the Z06s, are terrific, fast cars, but they're production-line vehicles. Efforts like the Vector ARE relevant - they push the envelopes of design and performance in an effort to make something amazing, and in the process the state of the art is advanced incrementally.

No car will ever dethrone the Corvette as "America's sports car" - but I sure hope people keep trying.

06_LT1

Try an Elise on for size. Your Corvette will feel like an old, comfortable pickup truck once you manage to pry yourself back out of the Lotus.

Dt86

That cars performance is amazing but the looks just don't do it for me. It is quite small.

06_LT1

+1 - I'm 6'2", 250ish, and definitely NOT configured like a Lotus owner. The Elise is a performer due to the light weight, but the lack of power really becomes evident above 100MPH. It just runs out of steam... Neat cars, though. There's something very cool about minimalist sports cars.

1993C4LT1

I rode in Esprit about two weeks ago, damn thing was quick. It was a 4cyl turbo.

Klyde

When you guys are talking about the Avanti's are you talking about one of these?

Black'95

That is the car. It even had a fiberglass body and you could get it with a factory supercharger. When Studebaker quit making them, a couple of dealers bought up the rights and factory and continued making them for a few more years with Chevrolet Corvette engines and called them the Avanti II.

JD Shredds

Fair enough. Innovation is a great thing.