The first ever supercharged muscle car is a rare bargain and American triumph

Love for a supercharged muscle car is baked into the very DNA of every car-loving American.

But this car isn’t quite what you think.

Whether it’s flexing the finest vintage collections like an oiled-up bodybuilding pageant or finding powerhouses primed for racing, there are fewer finer things in life than a supreme muscle car.

The first-ever supercharged muscle car is quite a phenomenon and is often hailed as a genuine American triumph.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

How the Studebaker Avanti is the OG supercharged muscle car

You could be forgiven for immediately associating the early muscle car market with models like Dodge Charger, Plymouth Superbird, Ford Mustang, or Chevy Camaro.

These types of muscle cars might very well joust to be crowned as the ‘best’, but they all owe their lives to an unsung hero.

It’s easy to gloss over the true OG: The 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2.

But Studebaker – a now-defunct company – really did create the first-ever supercharged muscle car in America way back in 1961.

The Avanti started out in 1962 as the chassis of a Lark Convertible, where its coupe body was considered quite funky due to its European curves. But it boasted a 289-cubic-inch Studebaker V8 under its hood, pumping out 240HP.

That was until 1963 when the manufacturers decided to place a Paxton blower next to its engine to supercharge it up to 280HP.

The car predated the likes of the Pontiac GTO and Shelby GT350, but was seldom given much notice given how very few were made (roughly 2,800 supercharged Avanti R2s were produced).

Unfortunately for Studebaker, the Avanti didn’t sell particularly well and production was expensive.

Ultimately, that was indicative of its post-WWII strategy, and the company was shut down in 1964.

However, the landmark was there, and just like the chicken that crossed the road first and was the baseline for chicken pie, this failed supercharged muscle car was the trendsetter that every staple brand followed.

A modern-day bargain

Despite such a limited production though, the supercharged muscle cars come in at relatively cheap prices.

According to Hotcars, the 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 is usually valued at roughly $36,500. The R1 versions can knock off ten grand in a heartbeat too, although there you’re losing the charge.

While many vintage muscle cars now lie in ruins, abandoned throughout the US, the limited-number Avanti cars that continue to circulate are a real American triumph.