RE: Avanti joins
RE: Avanti joins
Max, I will attempt to reply to you.
The Avanti II of 1966 thru 1991 was built on a variety of different Chevrolet chassis, utilizing their V-8s and trannys and other key elements. Among which were Caprices, El Caminos, Corvettes and Camaros, depending upon the year(s) involved. At that time, the finished Avantis also cost 2 to 2.5 times the price of the doner car.
It's not a case of actually getting $75,000 worth of product. You are really not, as you suspected. What you are paying for is the fact that you are paying for the gigantic cost, R&D and the like of the manufacturer in the fact that so few will be built that the buyer is paying for unbelieveably high amortazation costs. Even a fairly low production Mark VIII sold around 20,000 a year, and shared much with the Thunderbird of the same era, not to mention the Cougar XR-7. However, the Avanti does not enjoy this. AMC (Avanti Motor Corportaion) actually purchased the finished Trans Ams from Pontiac, and removes all exterior body panels, as well as the steering wheel, seats, door panels and fancys them up. BUT the big cost(s) involved were the design, and manufacture of the body panels, and fanning that out over 50-60 cars a year!
What does the buyer get? In one word: EXCLUSIVE ENTRY into a very rare car, with a storied past, that evokes memories of the original, of which there are thousands of fans, who want modern day performance, safety and convenience, wrapped in a modern day design of what Avanti might have been today. There are lots & lots of people out there with the ability to pay the fiddler to dance with this car. (and) AMC doesn't need all that many to turn a profit, at those sales prices.
They do pour over the car and make it perfect, and pay HUGE attention to detail. I understand that the leather in them costs more per car, that the leather in Jaguars. The carpeting is mouton wool and the "wood" is real from Behr of Germany. So, it does have "the goods" ~ With next-to-no dollars for advertising & promotion, and a mere 6 dealers in the USA (two in Chicago - I have no clue as to why) it's a safe bet that sales are not going to increase. If they do, I think the price would come down. They are running out of Trans Ams and the next one will be on both a Mustang GT and a SVT Cobra platform, breaking tradition with GM.
It is well known in Avanti circles that the very best Avanti II (s) were the 1989s. They hovered around $48,000. They sold 200 of them, 150 convertibles & 50 2-door coupes.
When I worked at the Dodge dealer (Dodge/Avanti) we sold like 4 a year, or about one every 90 days. The buyers all fit the same mold. they were 50-ish, wealthy, and wanted that which was expensive, **BUT** that other people did not have. A Cadillac, Imperial, Lincoln, or Jaguar was in every driveway of their neighborhood...it was "nothing special" ~ ~ they wanted what the neighbors DIDN'T have. (This was 1971 and BMW, Mercedes and Porsche had not come "of age" yet). One of the Avantis I sold went to a famous SOAP manufacturer, and he flew to Paris to obtain a certain type of velvet for the upholstery that he wanted. He had to purchase an entire "BOLT" of the material (enought to do 100 cars! Powder Blue brushed velvet it was in a Rolls Royce Silver Blue called "Caspian Wind" (I'll never forget). I waited 7 months for that commission!
Sorry to go on so long, but you deserved the best answer I could give, and I know Avantis !!!!
1989: (With Optional Baronni Wire Wheels) Porsche Guards Red - Fountainbleu Creme Leather
http://www.ploung.com/Avanti 05.jpg
2004: Corvette's Bright Yellow
http://www.avantimotors.com/images/convert_gallery_r1_c2_f3.jpg
