Much has been written and said about Studebaker’s fabulous GT Hawk, particularly the supercharged “Jet Thrust” versions, and for your review today, that’s exactly what I have. This discovery is a 1962 edition, and all in all, it’s in pretty fair shape. There’s one characteristic of this car that concerns me, but I’ll explain that in a bit. Located in San Diego, California, this stylish Studie is available here on craigslist for $11,995.
By 1962, Studebaker was closing in on the end of the line for its auto manufacturing business, but it wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Its sporty Hawk model, a staple since 1956, was redesigned for the ’62 model year and designated as the Gran Turismo (GT) Hawk. It was popular at first (9,300 units in ’62), but sales fell off rapidly in ’63 and were further compromised by the cessation of U.S. Studebaker production in December 1963. This example looks pretty sound; the finish is noticeably faded, but the body shows as solid (typical California car?), and there’s no indication of crash damage. Unfortunately, there are no images of the Hawk’s front end included.
The matter that I raised earlier concerns the supercharged engine. Studebaker’s promotional material and other research sources don’t list the “Jet Thrust” engine as available until the ’63 model year, with only the more staid version (210 or 225 gross HP) available in ’62. This hot “blown” version squeezes one HP per cubic inch out of its 289 CI displacement. So, is this an add-on supercharger, or are my research sources incorrect? I can’t say. Equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, the seller states, “Vehicle starts right up, no overheating, shifts and drives like a dream.”
The interior is not well photographed, but from what can be seen, the two-tone black and white upholstery looks great! This is a bucket seat/center console-equipped interior, and I believe it excels in its understatement. Unfortunately, the lower door panels, from what can be spied, are looking shaky.
The instrument panel is far and in the way, one of my favorites – it’s all business and easy to read. The gauges are clear, and the Walnut trim looks straight and not warped, cracked, or faded. The dash pad, however, is starting to split.
I’d like to know more about the supercharged originality of this car, but I consider that to be a minor issue. It seems that a repaint is all this car really needs, and even that’s not essential at this point. Of course, the mileage is listed as 100K, which I interpret to mean the odometer has been once around, and knowing that, some things like the suspension, etc., may be tired. So tell me, with an ask of $11,995, is this GT Hawk priced right or not quite?
The supercharger appears to be an “owner add-on” – I think there’s a couple emblems which should be on the car if it came from the factory with the Paxton unit, one of which I posted.
Sorry, wrong photo, and I was thinking of the 1963 GT Hawk which had the R2 version available with the supercharger and had a distinctive grille and trunk lid emblem.
Yep Todd…..no factory Supercharged cars in 1962. The motors should be stamped JTS 1111 on SouthBend cars and JTCS 1111 on Canadian built cars on the engine pad in the front above or behind the water pump. The S is for Supercharged – the stock R1 motors would just have JT – for Jet Thrush.
Must be a blast to drive J.O 🏁
Ticks all the Hawk boxes for me. Try shining up the paint a little and then drive it like I stole it. Too far away for me. Think this one’s gonna go pretty fast, figuratively and literally.