Falling right in the middle of the three-year production for the Golden Hawk, this 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk is a very desirable car. Given the condition of the body on this one, I think that I can safely say that it’s very restorable. It can be found here on Hemmings in Vancouver, Washington and the seller is asking $7,500 or best offer.
The Golden Hawk was made for 1956, 1957, and 1958 model years and it can be identified by the upright egg-crate grille and squared-off rear deck. It was also a hardtop as opposed to a pillared design. It also had a taller hood which could house a Packard V8 which didn’t fit under the standard hood. This one is equipped with a supercharged Studebaker 289 V8 (hence the raised fiberglass panel on top of the hood for the required clearance) rather than the Packard engine.
The seller says that this was an all-black Golden Hawk, so no side spear contrasting color. I would have to believe that an all-black car would be popular today given what we see on the road today. This one has a very solid frame and body with a little body rust here and there but nothing too scary, hopefully. The re-chroming bill will be big enough without having a lot of rust repair to deal with.
The interior is pretty far gone, at least as far as the upholstery and other soft components go, but parts of it look like they can be saved. The floors will need some serious attention, it’ll test your fabrication and welding skills but it’s doable for a person restoring this car in their garage. One of the big deals with this car is that it comes with a manual transmission. Unfortunately, it isn’t a 4-speed on the floor but rather an overdrive column-shifted manual. Hagerty is at $45,100 for a #2 excellent condition car so this isn’t one that a flipper would drop off at a shop, but someone working in their garage could restore it and keep it well under that value if they do most of the work on it.
The other big deal here would be the McColloch supercharger. Beginning in 1957, the Packard V8 was no longer an option so this is Studebaker’s 289 cubic-inch V8 which with the supercharger would have had 275 hp. There is no word on if this one runs or even turns over but I’d guess that it’ll need some work as some parts and pieces aren’t currently installed as you can see in the photos. Have any of you owned a Golden Hawk or a supercharged Studebaker of any kind?
Prefer the older body style but this one is still desirable IMO.
Man, as I was scrolling through the listings, the lead photo made me think this was a Volvo 1800, fins and all. Hmmmm……
Did Brooks Stevens design this car?
I’ve never owned one, but my Dad had a ’56 President. I had a friend in high school with one similar to this, however it had the floor shift, as well as machined aluminum coves in the fins. Perfect condition in 1965. I have always drooled after that car. Raymond Lowey was king!.
The AACA Museum in Hershey PA is featuring Stude’s at the moment. My wife and I spent an enjoyable 2 hours walking around looking at a collection of an amazing car company that, in many ways, was ahead of its time. It runs through October, so if you have a chance, go see it.
They also have the largest collection of Tuckers and related material in the world.
Price too high for a non runner
I have owned several Hawks and a supercharged Lark and Avanti, but not a supercharged Hawk. I have owned a 56 Golden Hawk with the 352 cid Packard V-8. The 56 does not have the extra addition on the hood as the Packard fit. The supercharger stood up too high so only the 57′ s and 58′ s had them. One thing to look for is the hinge corners of the hood, if they are bent are very difficult to straighten out. The later Paxton supercharger seem to be a little more reliable than the McCullough. This car doesn’t have the supercharger mounted on the engine.I hope that it is at least there as finding one then having to rebuild it could get expensive. The Hawks are very nice road cars and are very comfortable.
I had owned a 57 Golden Hawk and a 63 Avanti R2. The supercharger makes a big difference. The cost to replace the supercharger is high as is the rebuild cost. The transmission in these is bigger than the standard 3 speed/od.
You will want to read this: I found a 57 in a barn and it was very similar. Paid one mechanic to restore it ONLY mechanically…got it home a year later and it wasn’t quite right…waited another 10 months while in the hands of another mechanic…now it runs nice.
I get A LOT of thumbs up when mine goes down the road…happy to send photos to anyone. First owner took out bench seat and replaced it with buckets…also the column shift auto is gone and in it is a 4 speed on the floor from a 64 Hawk GT…this car is super cool!