Famed stylist Raymond Loewy did a refresh of the Starliner coupe and came up with the Hawk series beginning in 1956. For the next eight years, some variants of a Studebaker automobile would carry the Hawk name. Production of the ’61 Hawk didn’t crack the 4,000 mark and yet the seller has a pair of them. One runs, but is buried in a garage, while the other is outside and could be a parts car. Located in Detroit, Michigan, you get the pair as a package deal for $8,000 OBO here on craigslist. Once again, barn finder T.J. comes through in the tips department.
If you visited a Studebaker dealership in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, you’d find one or more editions of the Hawk. Silver Hawk, Golden Hawk, Flight Hawk, Packard Hawk, GT Hawk, and the plain old Hawk, like this 1961 duo. They came as 2-door sedans or hardtops, with the ’61 only available with pillars. The lion’s share of the Hawks sold in 1961 had a V8 engine, displacing either 259 or 289 cubic inches. We assume this pair falls into that category.
The seller’s autos have different stories. The white one is said to run, has a rust-free body with no dents, and is garage kept (or trapped, given the photos provided). The odometer has turned over at 103,000 miles. It’s offset by a red/white interior that seems to be in decent condition given the limited pics. It has an automatic transmission.
Living outdoors is the red Hawk, which has no engine and perhaps an okay body. But its exposure to harsh Michigan winters may make it better suited as a donor car for anything the other one might need. Its engine has long since flown the coop and the status of its transmission is unknown. The Hawk is a car seldom seen after 60+ years, so if you’ve been itching for one, here’s where you can do a twofer.
As a Buckeye fan, I can attest to those harsh Michigan winners. But, well, they were bound to win after a decade.
I only see one car ! Where’s the other one ? 😂😂😂
I would restore the body, and put another factory drive train in the red one. Parts are out there.
This could be a good deal if everything is solid underneath on the white one they are neat looking cars.A lot of people say no rust then you go look at its a bondo bucket.Have to really look at it first.I’d get the white one to safe driving condition with the $ from parting out the red one or selling it whole after using anything off it for the white one.Not too much info given.Why even take pic’s like this? Looks like it’s ready for a test drive .smh.
Got a ’62 GT Hawk in the garage waiting for Spring (about there). Looks like a good deal here, the red one looks a lot better than most that have sat outside, I’d look carefully before parting it. If you are concerned about lack of parts, don’t be. There isn’t another orphan car on the planet with better parts availability. The driver’s club was formed in ’62, and forward thinking folks bought up the parts inventories when the company went out of business, both from the factory and various dealers.
Hey Fred, am working on the first Studebaker i ever have done in my shop right now, a 62 GT Hawk! Thru the process i’ve found what you say to be true, that thanks to Studebaker International and others parts availability is very good. That is, unless it’s a functional TEMP Gauge or correct Parklite Lenses for that car! Can’t seem to find those things anywhere. But all else has been fairly easy..
Is there a car under all that trash in the first photo? Why in the heck didn’t they clear all that junk off before taking a picture??
Both cars could be as late as 1960’s but are not 1961’s as the ‘61’s had a 4” contrasting stripe on the rear fenders.
These are [assuming no modifications over the years] either 1959 or 1960 hawk coupes. The 1958 & earlier have turn signal/park lights on top of the fenders. In 1959 they were changed to the outer edges of the side grills, below the headlights. And of course as pointed out, the additional chrome strip was added to the fin base, with the white accent panel.
IF the white car has no appreciable rust, this is a very good deal for both cars, and if the red car is also a fairly rust-free example, it’s a really good deal. I’ve owned and restored many Studebakers over the last 50 years, and most parts are available, either NOS or reproduction.
Since the red car is missing the engine, if the body is indeed nice, than I would suggest obtaining a nice Studebaker 289 4-barrel engine [not hard to find], and assuming it’s got the B-W automatic, change everything over to stickshift, as it’s the same parts as used in all Studebakers starting in 1953. I would also install a Borg-Warner T-10 gearbox, as 1961 was the first year that a 4-speed was available in the Hawk.
A Hawk with the 4-barrel 289 and 4-speed is a pretty sprightly & surprisingly fast car, and when equipped with the Twin-Traction [Dana posi] diff, it can be a lot of fun without spending a fortune.
FWIW; the hood on the red car appears to be damage free at the rear sides, and a damage free example with straight edges is worth over $1,500, what the seller is asking just for the red car. Hawk hoods are known for poorly adjusted hood latches that allow a hood to open up at high speed, basically folding the hood in half.
Why bother chasing this if the Owner can’t show the vehicle properly. If it was a rare vehicle I would understand. Now someone on this forum will tell me they are rare. Not!
Probably 1960 Hawks not 61,,easy to tell by the fin trim
I’m not s fan of these finned Studebakers. I love the Commanders, early 50s though.
It’s probably a friend or neighbor trying to sell the cars from an estate, the price is cheap enough that who cares about the crummy pictures