The Studebaker Hawk was on its last go around of tailfins in 1961 with the aging body morphing into the Gran Turismo the following year. There was only one body style offered, a 2-door pillared sedan/coupe. The seller’s car is a prototype that was developed to test the concept of a rumble seat in the rear, an idea that never went into production. Though two were built, just one survives and this is it. Located in San Lake, Michigan, this interesting oddity is available here on Facebook Marketplace. But we’re unsure of the price: both $35,000 and $50,000 are mentioned in the listing. Thanks for the way cool tip, David Moore!
Studebaker built 3,929 Hawks in 1961. Somewhere between marketing and engineering, the idea to test market a rumble seat came about. Two were built but the idea was abandoned when the automobile went in a different direction as a personal luxury car in 1962. Most prototypes in the U.S. auto industry found their way into the crusher in those days. But given Studebaker’s weak finances, we’re told both prototypes were sold, but sadly the other one was wrecked.
No mention is made of a restoration, but at 63,000 miles this beauty has likely had some work done in the past 63 years to stay this nice. The coral paint job and bright work look perfect, while the interior isn’t quite as nice but tidy, nonetheless. It’s only seen an average of 1,000 miles a year of road time since it was built. The seller can no longer drive, so that’s the reason this beauty is up for sale.
I can’t imagine that the rumble seat would have made a comeback 30 years after the fact. The four passengers inside the car would be warm and dry while the people in the rumble would be exposed to the elements. There appears to be a step on the right rear quarter panel to help people get in and out. The seller mentions that the 289 cubic inch V8 produces 259 hp, but that may be a mistake. 210 is more likely and there was also a 259 cubic inch V8 available, as well. If you’re looking for an interesting oddity, could this Stude be it?
Very interesting. You would think that a car this rare would be marketed somewhere other than that most-annoying Facebook Marketplace.
“Hi, is this still available?”
Yes
Yes search Facebook marketplace Sand lake michigan
Search :1961 studebaker rumble seat
Aunt Edna would be very comfortable back there
Yes it’s available.
Room for the spare tire somewhere?
It’s under the rumble seat.
You would think that this would be in a museum somewhere. Not a facebook market ad. I had no idea this existed and it looks in the photos at least that its been kept up pretty good. It was a nice idea but unfortunately from a bygone era. I like Studebakers, and aure hope this gets preserved.
This needs to be in the Studebaker National Museum as an example of how Studebaker was always trying something different (ie: the Wagonaire station wagon and Avanti)
The Wagonnaire had that nifty rear-sliding panel turning the station wagon into a near pickup truck. VERY clever. An after market rumble seat was offered by something called “The Crow’s Nest” for the 1957 Thunderbird. Not sure if these cars ever show-up? Is it possible this Studebaker used this option, and was not a test car?
I like the museum. They have a Lark there that has a VW engine, in the rear, something they actually considered at some point. My wife and I went there, the Studebaker museum, a few years ago and she was very patient, tolerating my all day visit.
@BrianT, that was actually a Porsche engine in that Lark rear-engine prototype.
https://flatsixes.com/cars/porsche-prototypes/heres-the-porsche-powered-studebaker-you-never-knew-existed/
Studebaker and Porsche had a deal going in the early 1950s and Porsche delivered some prototypes, but Studebaker was flat broke by 1954 and the project went nowhere after the merger with Packard.
https://www.goclassic.eu/en/blog/cars/porsches-first-four-door-sedan-isnt-the-panamera-98
Not a prototype. Made by an after market co. Several of them survive.
Show me some pictures of the other survivors.
I’m surprised that the idea would resurface this late. Seems like the safety types would have lost their minds even sixty years ago.
This car was from before auto safety was invented. Excluding the Tucker and the Airflow…
Didn’t it get offered in a Mustang by somebody ?
Now no one here would turn down a ride in that rumble seat & probably everyone who could afford it wants it so that’s all I got to say!
Not a factory prototype. Posts on the Studebaker Drivers Club forum show that this was a custom conversion done for Studebaker dealer Frank Hilker of Chicago Heights, IL to generate showroom traffic. Two Hawks and two Larks were built with the conversion by the Cooley Brothers in Bradley IL. There is zero evidence Stude execs ever seriously considered a rumble seat option for production. In fact reportedly only one Stude sales exec ever saw the conversion and he thought it “destroyed” the car.
And what would be the point of a rumble seat in a car with a back seat anyway? Rumble seats were used to add seating to cars without a back seat.
This car has been for sale since at least mid-2022. It was restored at one point.
I don’t know. If you had my son when he was younger, perhaps you would see the value in this as I do. ;-)
This is why it’s on Fakebook and not a reputable vehicle selling platform. Caveat Emptor!
Just goes to show ,ya cant pull wool over the eyes of this crowd ! But even as a “custom build ” it deserves a good preserving home to display ingenuity of the time
Very similar to the Birdnest rumble seat offered for the 1957 Thunderbird. Ford built a couple of prototypes but went with the 1958 4 seat bird. It was then sold as an aftermarket accessory out of southern california. I had one in my 57 Bird back in the 1980’s.
You’re right! I incorrectly called it a “crows nest” in my posting. The actress, Miyoshi Umeki, Oscar-winner, Sayonara, (also Mrs. Livingston on tv’s The Courtship Of Eddie’s Father) had a rumble seat conversion on her ’57 Thunderbird.
Definitely a “death trap” today.
With so many distracted
Gen Z’s on their phones doing 90 mph in a 450hp missle that dad bought them. You’d be cut in half and you’re upper body sent though the back window. But it is pretty cool and would want to ride in the rumble seat. 😁
Any car can be a “death trap” if one is not careful how one drives. Sadly, I agree. With so many people either texting, or talking on their phones while they walk or while they drive, more people are indeed getting killed. Like most people these days, I have a mobile phone that I take most places, but always leave it in the car when I go somewhere.
Back when I commuted to work, I would see other drivers doing all sorts of crazy stuff: women doing their hair and make up, men shaving, people eating while driving… it got so bad, I had to put my book down! ;-)
I believe the color is called “Flamingo”
Flamingo red
I know that a dealer in Chicago had 2 rumble seat conversions done, one was a Hawk and one was a Lark. If this is one of those cars, I know that the Lark has been restored and its owned by a guy in Illinois. I meet him once and I think the car was featured in Turning Wheels, the Studebaker Drivers Club magazine.
They did 2 Hawks and 2 Lark convertibles.
I like the Rumble. A Merc Breezeway donor would work .. . https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-8qmkJOYlE8/maxresdefault.jpg
I’m a Big fan of Studbreakers and this is another unusual piece. Looks like a great parade car, although those are also kind of a by–gone era thing..
Had to laugh at BrianT’s comment about his wife tolerating a visit to a car museum. Been there, experienced that. Good thing we went with another couple. Girls got to talk while the Guys drooled over the cars. Actually roles would’ve been reversed if we had gone to a ladies wear museum. Come to think of it, unless they had a bar, I don’t think the Guys would go. 🤔
My wife has supported my interest in old cars since 1976 and we have visited many museums and shows, including Henry Ford and Hershey Fall Meet, but the piece de resistance was the French Motor Museum Schlumph in Mulhouse, France, where we spent 3 days. Absolutely incredible. By the time I was finished my dear wife had had more than enough. Where else can you see about 100 Bugatti’s, 40-50 Ferrari’s and two Bugatti Royale Type 41’s in far better condition than the one in the Ford museum? It’s by far the largest museum I think I have ever visited. If you haven’t visited Schlumph then you don’t know what you have missed.
This story is a complete fabrication. Studebaker never produced this car. The rumble seat was installed by Frank Hilker Motors, A dealership in Chicago Heights, IL. They added the rumble seat to several cars in the 1950’s and 60’s. The Studebaker Driver’s Club has printed the real story several times over the years in their monthly magazine.
I noticed the seller’s ad didn’t have any story, the article writer came up with it, maybe got from internet which can’t be trusted, a lot of bs memes write to make pennies is written on net, have to see who’s writing their blog & go by a good source.
Trunk Monkey?
Prototype Sport SUV?
lmao!!!
Open Carry trunk Monkey…
Trunk Monkey indeed.
Test car or pro conversion I love it.I have always llved these, and love this cololur and unique setup. I live in So oma half the year and this would be a winner in the parade around the Plaza..The rest of the time it would be a carI’d seriously enjoy.Good luck..
Fun piece. I much prefer the Gran Turismo version, 1962-1964. All of these Studebakers rusted badly around the cowl (fender?) vent. I’m lame enough with age, that I would dread climbing down into one of these, or a Corvette or MG, for that matter! My 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis is chsllenging enough in that regard! But my 1946 Ford wasn’t: it was easy for folks of all sizes and ages to get into snd out of.
challenging (sorry for the typo!)
I’m just trying to picture how a person would get out of that rumble seat. Getting in wouldn’t be too difficult, in spite of the tiny step you have to use, but getting out would require straddling the right fender while trying to put your big old foot on that tiny step. I can see a lot of guys with sore groins when their foot slips off the tiny step!!
Well if the things went well in the rumble seat you’d pretty much float out of it.
Car ain’t very big, so stepping out shouldn’t be all that difficult…and Mr. Gravity will help!
I too have nothing to do with facebook…but for those interested, the car is in Sand Lake, Michigan.
It looks like the flap is up… might not get up to freeway speed
Hello, boxy! I assure you that I wouldn’t try it!
I’m constantly amazed at the posts on this website. The authors do a commendable job of researching all the different cars that show up here, but the fund of knowledge exhibited by the folks that READ those articles is astonishing! I’ve got (among others) a Packard, a GT Hawk, a Mustang, a Corvette and others, all bought because I thought they looked cool, or I had one as a kid, or my wife liked the color. They were always pretty cheap But the stuff I learn from Bill McCosky, Tiger 66 etal just boggles the mind. Thanks guys!
this model is iconic (love it) & the color likewise (along w/that turquoise/white used in the former & early of this decade on so many).
Natural winds (the scoop of the roof ) would bring everything into the eyes/nose/mouth of those who sat back there. I’d keep it down unless trusting some1 else to drive it. @ that point I’d B the 1st to try it back there aahahahaa.
I’d keep it closed otherwise even tho neighbors call me Wagonman (for 40, 50 yrs of wagon ownership) as it = 6 to 9 passenger now 8^ )
Ah, the “Mother in law” seat..
Do any of you recall little children riding on the hinged-down tailgate of a station wagon, wagging their lower legs in the exhaust fumes? — ONE FALSE MOVE, and instant death! Never mind rumble-seats: it’s a wonder that any children in the early 1950s survived into adulthood! Parents would be ARRESTED these days, for what was routine 70 years ago (jeepers — was it really THAT long ago?!?). You WAIT to see how it feels, when all of your CHILDREN are retired! — the rite-of-passage from “old” to “ancient”!
I remember riding in the back of the pickup with the tailgate down, my legs dangling in the breeze…going home for “dinner” from chopping cotton all morning. Since I was oldest I had to sharpen the hoes going home and returning to the field. Refilled the water keg and made sure there was dipper in it. Thank goodness those days are gone!
When I was a child my dad had a ’67 Willys Jeep. We were a family of eight, six kids, mom and dad. We six rode everywhere crammed together in the boxy back of that jeep, four on the metal benches, two sitting on the floor, above the exhaust pipes. It was HOT sitting on the floor, and we were vulnerable to every catastrophe you can imagine. No seat belts, just the tailgate separating us from whatever. We are lucky to have survived.
thank you for the info on the chicago dealer, that is good info, ive been appraising cars for over 30 years, this is a first, nice promotion & color, no seat belts, kinda scary….tom collins tampa fla.
thank you for the info on the chicago dealer, that is good info, ive been appraising cars for over 30 years, this is a first, nice promotion & color, no seat belts, kinda scary….tom collins tampa fla.
Some of you Southerners might remember Rompin Ronnie Hawkins from Arkansas. A couple of his famous songs were Mary Lou and Forty Days. He had a band called the Hawks and a car collection that included a 1950 Mercury coupe like James Dean, a ’71 Dodge Charger, a ’72 Roadrunner and restored black 1970 Chevelle, SS454, LS6.
He became a Canadian in 1964 and had a night club in Toronto called the ‘Hawk’s Nest’. I’ll bet he would probably have bought this Stude if the builder had called him and told him it had a Hawk’s Nest rumble seat!!
Ronnie was a favorite of mine. I miss him. RIP Ronnie.
George and Vincent H, I had no idea that Ronnie Hawkins had left us! The two hits you mention — both from 1959 — feel like “yesterday” to me: I was an adult when they came out. Back before they updated their format to 1960s, ’70s, and 80s, I used to be able to listen to C.F.Zed.M.-740 from Toronto. And, in order to fulfil their government-mandated 25% Canadian content, they played a lot of Jack Scott and Ronnie Hawkins records: although he came from the U.S., the Canadians clearly adopted, embraced, and owned R.H. (which is okay — we don’t mind). Canadian or American, he was good at what he did. Too bad that C.F.Zed.M. now aim their considerable signal at people born after 1950. Those of us BETWEEN The Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers now have noplace to go on the radio for our popular music! I still have my 78s, and I listen to them regularly. And happily…
I’m gonna give you forty days to get back home:
I done called-up a gypsy woman on the telephone…
I’m gonna tell you a story ’bout-a Mary-Lou
(I mean, the kind of a woman make a fool o’ you)
Anyone remember how to do the Stroll or the Hand-Jive or the Mambo? Every time I hear the beginning of a certain Consumer Cellular commercial, I think they are starting to play Guy Mitchell’s “Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania”: anyone ELSE notice that? The aforesaid Guy Mitchell song was a big hit in 1952 (for any who might not know). I bought it, New, that year, on a Columbia 78: the other side is, “The Doll With The Sawdust Heart”. Where does time GO???
More reminiscences from Harrison Reed please.
RB
Looks very cool. Even better to actually drive them. Have driven the 57 and 58 versions and a 63 Gran T.
Growing up we had a 63 Wagoneer we took to the Grand Canyon and west coast. The surfers loved the retractable roof.
Reg Bruce: what would you like me to reminisce about?? Caution: bring Autistic, I am both highly verbose and totally ignorant of many things others would have observed and remembered.
IN THIS
WORLD OF
TOIL AND
SIN,
YOUR HEAD
GROWS BALD
BUT NOT
YOUR CHIN.
— Burma Shave
I do hope that he wants more storys. It’s folks like you that make for an interesting read. Hearing of people’s experiences in far better than the drivel about how horrible so many of these vehicles were. Thank you for helping us understand the vehicle from a hands on perspective.
Those cars are so cool looking
Very interesting, very similar to my 1963 Studebaker GT Hawk.
I know nothing about them except their cool looking, should be in a museum