Avanti versus Riviera

[smithbrother]

Lots of Riviera's would have hit 168 or MORE had they been running a blower.

Come on now, compare an APPLE to an APPLE.

That car Andy was testing, WASN'T your everyday Avanti. Andy has never owned a STOCK car in his life. He was a PITCH guy for Avanti.

Dale Smith in Indy

[NTX5467]

The Hemmings "Classic Car" magazine article notes the Avanti engine had 4.5 lbs of boost.

Top speed is a function of both power and engine rpm . . . plus the rear axle ratio. I suspect the Dana 44 rear axle in the had more 2-series ratio choices than the Riv axle might have. Not to forget aerodynamics. EVEN if the supercharged 289 or 303.5 (as I recall the CID was for the overbored 289s which led to the R-3 and R-4 variations) might have had similar power as a 2x4bbl 425 Buick Nailhead, how to best get that Buick power to the ground in the desired rpm range for an ultimate 168mph run at Bonneville, via the needed axle ratio/tire size combination, would have been "the trick", I suspect.

In some respects, as great as the two cars were in their "times", they were both really playing to different markets. Avanti was taking up pretty much were the old T-bird vs. Corvette situation was in '57, it seems to be, rather than really taking on the Riviera head-to-head. In respect to chassis configuration and such, remember that the earlier 'Birds and Corvettes used chassis configurations more in line with what Studebaker used with the Avanti, except that Studebaker used components from other suppliers rather than having in-house sources (as Ford and Chevy did). Not unlike how AMC did things back then and in their later years.

Enjoy!

NTX5467