THE FIRST HAWK I SAW WAS A 56 POWER HAWK IN SOUTH AFRICA IN 1956--THAT GRILLE WAS THE ICING ON THE TOP OF MY PREVIOUS FAVOURITES --THE LOEWY-BOURKE STARLIGHT COUPE AND STARLINER HARDTOP//
My grandpa worked for Studebaker. There's a 50-50 chance he installed the heater in this car. Every week Studebaker held a lottery and the winners could drive one of the latest models for the weekend. South Bend has one of the finest museums in the country...Studebakers, of course. There are other vehicles in the museum too
Purchased a 1956 GH in 1963 for $75.00 when I was in High School. It sat in a barn on my dads property for 53 years, now going through a frame of restoration.
@@craigpennington1251 Other priorities, and a number of other cars going through a frame of restoration. I was purchasing parts for the car while it was in storage. The car now is equipped with 1956 factory air from a 56 President, duel quad intake manifold from a 56 Patrician, the correct duel quad Rochester carbs, bat wing air cleaner and power windows, power seat, power steering, power breaks. Transmission is a three speed stick on the collum with overdrive. Over the years I found NOS front fenders, doors, and rear fenders and a trunk. The car should be finished this fall.
I'm not sure but I thought the hoods on the 57 -58 hawks were longer than the 56. I preferred the shorter hood from a drivers standpoint. However they were all beautiful.
I have a friend that drove a 1962 or 63 Hawk GT with the 289 2bbl three speed overdrive and got around 23 mpg on long trips. Nice looking car and very pleasant for freeway driving.
I graduated from high school in 1963. I remember driving home from my first full time job, and listening to the radio. The news at 4:00 stated that Studebaker, had officially closed the plant in South Bend Indiana, putting thousands out of work there. It really was a blue Monday for all those workers that December 9th, I still remember to this day, like it was only yesterday, so sad. I live only 45 minutes from South Bend. Last fall on a trip to the Studebaker Museum, nothing is left standing anymore of all the assembly and production plants, what a shame.
I was bidding on a '57 Silver Hawk at an auction, maybe 10 yrs ago, and got over-bid by deeper pockets than I had at the time. Sad, cause it was in great condition and had the SC'd V8 that I so dearly wanted since childhood, when all of the grown men were talking about that and the new-ish Avanti w/ the same engine. Oh well.
The "Silver Hawk" never had the SC option, only 289ci with 2 bbl carb and dual exhaust or 289 with the "power pak" option (4bbl) carb. The 2 bbl was rated at 215HP, the 4bbl at 225HP. The only "Hawk" that had a "blower" was the "Golden Hawk".
Oh man,,, the '57 Golden Hawk!!! Me and some friends in '75 had tix to see Leslie West and Elvin Bishop at Winterland. The guy 'elected' to drive had one in all black. He was afraid to leave it on the street so paid to park it on site. After Leslie slayed us, Bishop was sorta boring so we left early. A VW Bug was blocking our way out so we just bounced it to the side and left. Hawk was a nice car. I think i've seen less than 5 ever since.
Your documentation is accurate up to the '63-64 models! Those came standard with the 289 CID engine with 2 or 4 bbl carburetors as you mentioned! What you failed to mention those last 2 model years were available with Avanti engine options! Those Hawks came with upgraded suspensions, front disc brakes, and other ementites! The Avanti engines were also performance upgraded with different camshafts, higher compression, and double valve springs to prevent valve "float" at high RPMs. The R-1 was the upgraded 289 with 4 bbl! The R-2 was the same 289 with supercharger. The R-3, a very rare edition which I had was a 304 CID with supercharger. There was a R-4, which as I recall, had either two 4 bbl, or four 2 bbl carburetors! Never saw that installation! The entire Hawk line were superb road cruisers, very stable with no "float" or lightness at high speeds. The long 120.5 inch wheelbase, low center of gravity and the engine not sitting directly between the front wheels, but just behind them added to that stability! 80 MPH was "snooze cruise" for my R-3, and would average 22 MPG at that speed. It was capable of pegging the 160 MPH speedometer with ease. I owned it for 30 years, put 240,000 miles on it and sold it still running in '93! One of my greatest regrets.
Those "Hawks" with the 289ci engines were NIGHTMARES in the snow, even with TT. I know, had a '58 "Silver Hawk" (289), you had to carry sandbags in the trunk! The ass end was SO light, got stuck in 3inch snowfalls!
@@TheOzthewiz I have no idea what you are talking about! I lived in WY most all the 30 years I owned my Hawk! Never had that sort of problem! I recall one New Years night I drove across the Big Horn Mountains on US 16 when that road was supposed to be closed! Mine were the only tracks! Snow was fresh and at least 8 inches! Some would flow up between the fenders and the hood if I went a little too fast! Never slipped a wheel! I also often drove the 165 miles from the Casper airport home in blizzard conditions, at times from one reflector post to the next! Usual time was just over two hours! I remember one night in particular it took me over 5 hours. I suspect your problem was more knowing how to drive in snow than that car! I recall one time some bird in a 4 WD Toyota spinning all 4 wheels on a snowy street in SLC. I wasn't having any problem with my 2 WD pickup.
I always thought the Hawks were cool little coupes, both the pillwred an the hardop models.... But my dream car when I was a kid, was the Avanti, with styling by industrial design master Raymond Lowey... I know that the powerful R4 model set speed records, and Studebaker's like the Hawk always kinda looked European, like some know of Ghia design.. But the Avanti was the most European looking of all.... I thought it was great when the freshly blb laid off employees were able to buy out the bankrupt South Bend Studebaker plant, and continue to manufacture Avantis, under that name, without the Studebaker badge...............
After the takeover of Packard by Studebaker, the later tailfin models were decked out with (even more) chrome and nameplates saying "Packard Hawk". About 1960, one Packard Hawk model had a blown V8 - Rootes type unit - sold right off the showroom floor. My granddad had one.
My first Hawk was a 56 GH hardtop it was black with a gold roof, the second was a 57 SH hardtop was white. My brother had a 57 GH Super Charged Hardtop Gold with white fins, with a gold leather interior. These were 30 years ago. My friend Tom has a 58 Blue and white Super Charged GH that can be seen for sale in Hemmings for sale.
This comparison is the first time I noticed the paint scheme for the 1958 Packard Hawk was the same as the 1957 GH. The 1958 GH had the roof color matched to the fin insert. I own a 1957 Azure Blue/ White supercharged stick shift OD Golden Hawk.
Something not mentioned about the GT Hawks. They were available in R2 Supercharged form. Granatelli Brothers hand built some of the late engines R4, I believe 304 CU.In. Supercharged with Paxton centrifugal superchargers that reportedly made near 400 hp. It is such a shame American's could not support a specialty high quality manufacturer modeled on Mercedes of Germany.
Studebaker was not "modeled" on Mercedes-Benz, some of Studebaker dealers sold M-B cars just as Chrysler did. True, Studebaker did build reliable, quality automobiles!
In the books, James Bond's CIA buddy, Felix Leiter drove a Studellac - a Studebaker with a supercharged Cadillac engine. I don't think Ian Fleming ever said which model, but I always thought it was a Hawk.
I was around when these 1st came out. I've only seen (1) on the streets since. Haven't seen them for sale either. Did folks buy them up & hide them? Seems like it. You don't even see them at shows. It's too bizarre. A very cool car.
@4:00 what's a Golen Hawk - is that from Lord of the Rings? But seriously, a beautiful design - maybe one day soon, car makers will base their designs on this. I'd buy one.
No mention of the "Super Hawks" of model years '63-'64? Studebaker offered the normally aspirated R-1 and the supercharged R-2 Avanti engines in '63-'64Hawks, Cruisers, and Larks, and the supercharged R-3 and dual carb super-high-compression R-4 Avanti engines in '64 Hawks, Cruisers, Challengers, Commanders, and Daytonas (including the Wagonaire). Only a few R-3 and R-4 Hawks were built, those for promotional purposes such as magazine road tests and Bonneville record runs. A suite of high-performance and dress-up goodies including (but not limited to)Twin Traction axle, PowerShift automatic, four-speed transmission, upgraded suspension, disc brakes, bucket seats, et cetera were offered, and if you ordered the full package on your steel-body Studebaker, your car was designated as a Super Lark or Hawk. Many of these were standard on the Hawk, and package prices were lower on the Hawks than on the Lark.
I know a guy who has an original unrestored one in georgia its a factory assembled car with missmatched frame and body numbers he has a spare supercharger and carb setup he managed to trackdown somehow
5610winston Had the Avanti with R4 motors been brought to production earlier the company would have pre-emptied the Mustang and May have stayed in business. Who knows. They were great cars 🚙
Actually, the Avanti did beat Mustang to the market by almost two years. Fewer R4 Avantis were produced than R3s, and only a scant double-handful of Avantis left the factory with the R3 engine. In fact, Studebaker closed the South Bend main plant, the only plant where Avantis were produced, in December of '63, about five months before the Mustang was introduced. The problem was, the Avanti was a low-volume car, very expensive to build due to the fiberglass-reinforced plastic body, and priced comparable to the Thunderbird, the Buick Riviera, and entry-level Cadillacs, while the Mustang was priced similar to the Falcon.
@@5610winston The Avanti wasn't a fiberglass reinforced plastic body, it was a fiberglass body, just like the corvette, and made in the same factory as the corvette. The GT was never supposed to compete with the Mustang as it was a Gran Touring Sport sedan, not a muscle car. The super larks, and daytona's were much more like a muscle car, and in fact have won more of the classic drag muscle car annual races than any other class of muscle car.
Of course the GT was never intended to compete with Mustang. Again, Studebaker discontinued all Hawk production before the Mustang reached the market. One does, however, see some influence from the Starliner/Starlight coupes from 1953 reflected in the '56 Continental coupes, and the '55 Speedster and '56-on Hawks in the four-passenger T-Birds from '58 to the early seventies. The early Avanti bodies built in the same plant as the Corvette bodies were of such poor fit and quality that Studebaker set up its own in-house fiberglass body works.
if you think these are quirky look at a 62 or 64 American car by GM or Ford or Chrysler. Raymond Lowey was no slouch. today the idea of a light 6 cyl Grand Tourismo with 4 speed and radial tires is pretty attractive. have to search Canada and austrailia to find one.
The 64 was one of the classiest and most distinguished cars ever produced. Slightly Mercedes looking, but far more beautiful than anything they were making. Mercedes USA. was a subsidiary if Studebaker Corporation.
@@TheOzthewiz Dumbass! Look up the Studebaker-Packard adverts 1958-1964, it's there in B&W! A little defensive? Yes, Mercedes-Benz Sales of North America. I didn't say otherwise, sensitive.
The telephone rang in the secret briefcase belonging to the one man who could stop all of this senseless destruction, and save America, Studabaker Hawk the cosmic super hero of the current economic slump . 10 points for the 1st cat that knows wtf that's from .
These were terrible cars. Build quality was almost non-existent, and they rode like lumber wagons. They were really holes in the road you dumped money down.
I had three Hawks over the years. All suffered same problems. 259 was not powerful enough. Even 289 was not fully developed. And their door all suffered from DROOP. Constantly resetting hinges. As for body style was kept too long. And Avanti not pushed early enough. Constant pre-occupition with Lark killed the company
Michael, I understand your feeling of owner disappointment about certain Studebaker automobiles. This was such a shame that these awesomely distinct and beautiful automobiles were value deficient in many eyes of the public. You have touched on why, and I agree with you. I believe that we should forget about this and today enjoy our Studebaker's for their designs that are so different and sooo nice, even now. Thank you.
My dad was on the design team under Gordong Buehrig. He mostly designed fabrics, interior panels, handles, controls, and guages of the hawk series, comet, and many more. I'm glad you like the design aspects.
I always wanted one. So basically swap the engine (was going to swap engine and drivetrain anyway), replace door hinges with modern designed ones and accept that it is a long car? I could live with that. I think the worst would still be parking the car in city areas.
joe daly Yes there were certain aspects of the hawk I found disappointing BUT I hasten to add overall I liked them all. With the 289 they were fast and economical and now command high prices in my country The last one I saw had been fitted with a small block Chevy and disc brakes all round but he wouldn't, sell it. Still a great car
In my opinion, the Studebaker Hawks will never go out of style! I loved them in the 50's & still do.
THE FIRST HAWK I SAW WAS A 56 POWER HAWK IN SOUTH AFRICA IN 1956--THAT GRILLE WAS THE ICING ON THE TOP OF MY PREVIOUS FAVOURITES --THE LOEWY-BOURKE STARLIGHT COUPE AND STARLINER HARDTOP//
My grandpa worked for Studebaker. There's a 50-50 chance he installed the heater in this car. Every week Studebaker held a lottery and the winners could drive one of the latest models for the weekend. South Bend has one of the finest museums in the country...Studebakers, of course. There are other vehicles in the museum too
Purchased a 1956 GH in 1963 for $75.00 when I was in High School. It sat in a barn on my dads property for 53 years, now going through a frame of restoration.
53 years. Were you in prison?
@@craigpennington1251 Other priorities, and a number of other cars going through a frame of restoration. I was purchasing parts for the car while it was in storage. The car now is equipped with 1956 factory air from a 56 President, duel quad intake manifold from a 56 Patrician, the correct duel quad Rochester carbs, bat wing air cleaner and power windows, power seat, power steering, power breaks. Transmission is a three speed stick on the collum with overdrive. Over the years I found NOS front fenders, doors, and rear fenders and a trunk. The car should be finished this fall.
Sad that such an industry has ended ,,, distinctive, beautiful and practical design !!
And doesn't require extensive modification for High H.P. & torque. They're solid. No cheap tinfoil like today's cars.
I always really liked the 1957 Golden Hawk. I liked all Studebakers in general,because their designs were unique,and way ahead of their time.
I'm not sure but I thought the hoods on the 57 -58 hawks were longer than the 56. I preferred the shorter hood from a drivers standpoint. However they were all beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful and stunning design and styling
I have a friend that drove a 1962 or 63 Hawk GT with the 289 2bbl three speed overdrive and got around 23 mpg on long trips. Nice looking car and very pleasant for freeway driving.
I graduated from high school in 1963. I remember driving home from my first full time job, and listening to the radio. The news at 4:00 stated that Studebaker, had officially closed the plant in South Bend Indiana, putting thousands out of work there. It really was a blue Monday for all those workers that December 9th, I still remember to this day, like it was only yesterday, so sad. I live only 45 minutes from South Bend. Last fall on a trip to the Studebaker Museum, nothing is left standing anymore of all the assembly and production plants, what a shame.
Thank You for taking the time to be so comprehensive.
Nicely done. I have 2 '59 Silver Hawks.
I was bidding on a '57 Silver Hawk at an auction, maybe 10 yrs ago, and got over-bid by deeper pockets than I had at the time. Sad, cause it was in great condition and had the SC'd V8 that I so dearly wanted since childhood, when all of the grown men were talking about that and the new-ish Avanti w/ the same engine. Oh well.
The "Silver Hawk" never had the SC option, only 289ci with 2 bbl carb and dual exhaust or 289 with the "power pak" option (4bbl) carb. The 2 bbl was rated at 215HP, the 4bbl at 225HP. The only "Hawk" that had a "blower" was the "Golden Hawk".
Oh man,,, the '57 Golden Hawk!!! Me and some friends in '75 had tix to see Leslie West and Elvin Bishop at Winterland. The guy 'elected' to drive had one in all black. He was afraid to leave it on the street so paid to park it on site. After Leslie slayed us, Bishop was sorta boring so we left early. A VW Bug was blocking our way out so we just bounced it to the side and left. Hawk was a nice car. I think i've seen less than 5 ever since.
Even MORE rare is the "Packard Hawk", only seen ONE in my 76 years!
The Hawks were and are very special in my heart
Your documentation is accurate up to the '63-64 models! Those came standard with the 289 CID engine with 2 or 4 bbl carburetors as you mentioned! What you failed to mention those last 2 model years were available with Avanti engine options! Those Hawks came with upgraded suspensions, front disc brakes, and other ementites! The Avanti engines were also performance upgraded with different camshafts, higher compression, and double valve springs to prevent valve "float" at high RPMs. The R-1 was the upgraded 289 with 4 bbl! The R-2 was the same 289 with supercharger. The R-3, a very rare edition which I had was a 304 CID with supercharger. There was a R-4, which as I recall, had either two 4 bbl, or four 2 bbl carburetors! Never saw that installation! The entire Hawk line were superb road cruisers, very stable with no "float" or lightness at high speeds. The long 120.5 inch wheelbase, low center of gravity and the engine not sitting directly between the front wheels, but just behind them added to that stability! 80 MPH was "snooze cruise" for my R-3, and would average 22 MPG at that speed. It was capable of pegging the 160 MPH speedometer with ease. I owned it for 30 years, put 240,000 miles on it and sold it still running in '93! One of my greatest regrets.
R*4 had 2x4's
@@markcrampton5549 Thanks, that's what I Thought.
Those "Hawks" with the 289ci engines were NIGHTMARES in the snow, even with TT. I know, had a '58 "Silver Hawk" (289), you had to carry sandbags in the trunk! The ass end was SO light, got stuck in 3inch snowfalls!
@@TheOzthewiz I have no idea what you are talking about! I lived in WY most all the 30 years I owned my Hawk! Never had that sort of problem! I recall one New Years night I drove across the Big Horn Mountains on US 16 when that road was supposed to be closed! Mine were the only tracks! Snow was fresh and at least 8 inches! Some would flow up between the fenders and the hood if I went a little too fast! Never slipped a wheel! I also often drove the 165 miles from the Casper airport home in blizzard conditions, at times from one reflector post to the next! Usual time was just over two hours! I remember one night in particular it took me over 5 hours. I suspect your problem was more knowing how to drive in snow than that car! I recall one time some bird in a 4 WD Toyota spinning all 4 wheels on a snowy street in SLC. I wasn't having any problem with my 2 WD pickup.
The coolest car in history !
I always thought the Hawks were cool little coupes, both the pillwred an the hardop models.... But my dream car when I was a kid, was the Avanti, with styling by industrial design master Raymond Lowey... I know that the powerful R4 model set speed records, and Studebaker's like the Hawk always kinda looked European, like some know of Ghia design.. But the Avanti was the most European looking of all.... I thought it was great when the freshly blb laid off employees were able to buy out the bankrupt South Bend Studebaker plant, and continue to manufacture Avantis, under that name, without the Studebaker badge...............
After the takeover of Packard by Studebaker, the later tailfin models were decked out with (even more) chrome and nameplates saying "Packard Hawk". About 1960, one Packard Hawk model had a blown V8 - Rootes type unit - sold right off the showroom floor. My granddad had one.
Real style and sporty too!! Bring them back!
My first Hawk was a 56 GH hardtop it was black with a gold roof, the second was a 57 SH hardtop was white.
My brother had a 57 GH Super Charged Hardtop Gold with white fins, with a gold leather interior. These were 30 years ago.
My friend Tom has a 58 Blue and white Super Charged GH that can be seen for sale in Hemmings for sale.
This comparison is the first time I noticed the paint scheme for the 1958 Packard Hawk was the same as the 1957 GH. The 1958 GH had the roof color matched to the fin insert. I own a 1957 Azure Blue/ White supercharged stick shift OD Golden Hawk.
Wells done. Very informative. I use to hace a 57 Silver Hawk.
Something not mentioned about the GT Hawks. They were available in R2 Supercharged form. Granatelli Brothers hand built some of the late engines R4, I believe 304 CU.In. Supercharged with Paxton centrifugal superchargers that reportedly made near 400 hp. It is such a shame American's could not support a specialty high quality manufacturer modeled on Mercedes of Germany.
yep 304.5 cu-in dino checked a lot more HP reported , 664 hp with a r5
Granatelli supposedly would not allow an R3 engine to leave the shop 'til it had posted 411 horsepower on the dyno.
Studebaker was not "modeled" on Mercedes-Benz, some of Studebaker dealers sold M-B cars just as Chrysler did. True, Studebaker did build reliable, quality automobiles!
Sweet ride!
Hardtop with the 101 hp six, that Flight Hawk must have been a real thrill to drive!
LOL
Thanks, never understood the model development, till now.
Love Studes!
Note that Mercedes went on to use the body styling.
In the books, James Bond's CIA buddy, Felix Leiter drove a Studellac - a Studebaker with a supercharged Cadillac engine. I don't think Ian Fleming ever said which model, but I always thought it was a Hawk.
Good looking cars. Too bad they didn’t survive.
I was around when these 1st came out. I've only seen (1) on the streets since. Haven't seen them for sale either. Did folks buy them up & hide them? Seems like it. You don't even see them at shows. It's too bizarre. A very cool car.
@4:00 what's a Golen Hawk - is that from Lord of the Rings? But seriously, a beautiful design - maybe one day soon, car makers will base their designs on this. I'd buy one.
wasnt mentioned was the R1 and r2 engines some did get the more powerful set up , from 240 hp to 300 ,supercharged
No mention of the "Super Hawks" of model years '63-'64? Studebaker offered the normally aspirated R-1 and the supercharged R-2 Avanti engines in '63-'64Hawks, Cruisers, and Larks, and the supercharged R-3 and dual carb super-high-compression R-4 Avanti engines in '64 Hawks, Cruisers, Challengers, Commanders, and Daytonas (including the Wagonaire). Only a few R-3 and R-4 Hawks were built, those for promotional purposes such as magazine road tests and Bonneville record runs. A suite of high-performance and dress-up goodies including (but not limited to)Twin Traction axle, PowerShift automatic, four-speed transmission, upgraded suspension, disc brakes, bucket seats, et cetera were offered, and if you ordered the full package on your steel-body Studebaker, your car was designated as a Super Lark or Hawk. Many of these were standard on the Hawk, and package prices were lower on the Hawks than on the Lark.
I know a guy who has an original unrestored one in georgia its a factory assembled car with missmatched frame and body numbers he has a spare supercharger and carb setup he managed to trackdown somehow
5610winston Had the Avanti with R4 motors been brought to production earlier the company would have pre-emptied the Mustang and May have stayed in business. Who knows. They were great cars 🚙
Actually, the Avanti did beat Mustang to the market by almost two years. Fewer R4 Avantis were produced than R3s, and only a scant double-handful of Avantis left the factory with the R3 engine. In fact, Studebaker closed the South Bend main plant, the only plant where Avantis were produced, in December of '63, about five months before the Mustang was introduced. The problem was, the Avanti was a low-volume car, very expensive to build due to the fiberglass-reinforced plastic body, and priced comparable to the Thunderbird, the Buick Riviera, and entry-level Cadillacs, while the Mustang was priced similar to the Falcon.
@@5610winston The Avanti wasn't a fiberglass reinforced plastic body, it was a fiberglass body, just like the corvette, and made in the same factory as the corvette. The GT was never supposed to compete with the Mustang as it was a Gran Touring Sport sedan, not a muscle car. The super larks, and daytona's were much more like a muscle car, and in fact have won more of the classic drag muscle car annual races than any other class of muscle car.
Of course the GT was never intended to compete with Mustang. Again, Studebaker discontinued all Hawk production before the Mustang reached the market.
One does, however, see some influence from the Starliner/Starlight coupes from 1953 reflected in the '56 Continental coupes, and the '55 Speedster and '56-on Hawks in the four-passenger T-Birds from '58 to the early seventies.
The early Avanti bodies built in the same plant as the Corvette bodies were of such poor fit and quality that Studebaker set up its own in-house fiberglass body works.
Lovely handsome cars with European styling quirks visible, very nice indeed!
if you think these are quirky look at a 62 or 64 American car by GM or Ford or Chrysler. Raymond Lowey was no slouch. today the idea of a light 6 cyl Grand Tourismo with 4 speed and radial tires is pretty attractive. have to search Canada and austrailia to find one.
I'll never understand why they glued the parking lights on top of the fenders. Wrecked the sweep of the body line. Finally fixed it later.
what about the 1956 Sky Hawk...….not even mentioned in the credits?
The 64 was one of the classiest and most distinguished cars ever produced. Slightly Mercedes looking, but far more beautiful than anything they were making. Mercedes USA. was a subsidiary if Studebaker Corporation.
Was not a "subsidiary" of Studebaker. Studebaker was the sole importer of Mercedes-Benz Automobiles!
@@TheOzthewiz Dumbass! Look up the Studebaker-Packard adverts 1958-1964, it's there in B&W! A little defensive? Yes, Mercedes-Benz Sales of North America. I didn't say otherwise, sensitive.
@@TheOzthewiz and also pimped for STP additive
Couldn't get any sound.
OH! Thank God, I thought I was going deaf from having the SARS COV-2 virus!
Este que virou o Batmovel da Série TV anos 60?
Das war mal mein Auto!!!!
Jawohl! Das ist richtig!
The telephone rang in the secret briefcase belonging to the one man who could stop all of this senseless destruction, and save America, Studabaker Hawk the cosmic super hero of the current economic slump .
10 points for the 1st cat that knows wtf that's from .
Billy The Mountain - a regular picturesque postcardy mountain residing between Rosemont and Gorman
Sorry - between Lovely Rosemont and Gorman
You misspelled "Studebaker", just for the record..
Me
Gustan los clásicos
These were terrible cars. Build quality was almost non-existent, and they rode like lumber wagons. They were really holes in the road you dumped money down.
From this 1962 GT Hawk owner, I can confidently say that you're full of it.
What HAPPENED? Parents had one in early 50's, then ???? Were they NOT a success? Mechanical troubles???
4:00 Golen
TOO MANY ADDS!!!!!!!
O
the Packard Hawk had a much too big engine for such a coupe, a real flukie car
The '58 (only year) Packard Hawk had the SAME 289ci SC engine of the Stude Golden Hawk.
I had three Hawks over the years. All suffered same problems. 259 was not powerful enough. Even 289 was not fully developed. And their door all suffered from DROOP. Constantly resetting hinges. As for body style was kept too long. And Avanti not pushed early enough. Constant pre-occupition with Lark killed the company
Michael, I understand your feeling of owner disappointment about certain Studebaker automobiles. This was such a shame that these awesomely distinct and beautiful automobiles were value deficient in many eyes of the public. You have touched on why, and I agree with you. I believe that we should forget about this and today enjoy our Studebaker's for their designs that are so different and sooo nice, even now. Thank you.
My dad was on the design team under Gordong Buehrig. He mostly designed fabrics, interior panels, handles, controls, and guages of the hawk series, comet, and many more. I'm glad you like the design aspects.
I always wanted one. So basically swap the engine (was going to swap engine and drivetrain anyway), replace door hinges with modern designed ones and accept that it is a long car?
I could live with that. I think the worst would still be parking the car in city areas.
joe daly Yes there were certain aspects of the hawk I found disappointing BUT I hasten to add overall I liked them all. With the 289 they were fast and economical and now command high prices in my country The last one I saw had been fitted with a small block Chevy and disc brakes all round but he wouldn't, sell it. Still a great car
The "289" is considered as probably the MOST ROBUST engine ever designed! Mis-management at the top is what bled the company to death.
I always thought of these cars as something that a serial rapist would own
Bill Clinton's first car.
I almost Pissed my self laughing when I saw your comment. Thanks for making my day Lol Definitely a contender for a Starter Novice at least lol
Why would you say that? Is it because they look somehow sinister or creepy to you, or do you know a lot of serial rapists that owned Studebaker Hawks?
2right4words your a idiot
2right4words Obviously has nothing intelligent to contribute, so trolls around trying to be as ugly as possible. Now who's the serial sicky?