The Gran Turismo (GT) Hawk was the final iteration of the sporty Hawk series that dated to the mid-1950s. It was also the most luxurious variant and competed with the Ford Thunderbird and Pontiac Grand Prix. Unfortunately, when Studebaker quit building cars in the U.S. in late 1963, the GT Hawk’s fate was sealed. Less than 14,000 were built in total, with 4,000 coming in the 1963 model year where the seller’s car was one of them.
This nice ’63 GT Hawk belonged to the seller’s father, and it’s been sitting in his/her garage for 16 years. Perhaps the decision to let it go was a difficult one and it took this long to finally pull the trigger. The GT Hawks were impressive cars and were powered by Studebaker’s 289 cubic inch V8. Wearing black paint and a two-tone interior, this GT Hawk looks like a sweet survivor, though few details are imparted (like is the paint original?).
GT Hawks had a raised center grille that reminded buyers of Mercedes-Benz products of the era, and the formal roofline idea was borrowed from the T-Bird. As was the case with the 1963/64 Avanti, GT Hawk sales were never high enough to warrant shifting production to Hamilton, Ontario when the Lark-based offerings shifted there after South Bend shut down car production.
One cool feature of the seller’s “survivor” is that it has a 4-speed manual transmission, a nod to the performance element these cars strived to exude. This example with 76,000 miles usually stays in the garage in Wilton, Iowa, and is finally available here on Facebook Marketplace for $12.500. It seems like a lot of car for the money, but we wonder if the brakes work since a board is seen behind the rear wheels. Our thanks to T.J. for another grand find!
Sigh, you know, I really can’t blame the kids, they aren’t heartless thugs heck bent on making a profit on dads treasures. For the most part, they are literally stuck with these things, and more than likely need to sell it to pay for dads last years in a home. I know all too well about that scenario. While the 4 speed might detract sales some, folks that really understand what this car was, will probably prefer the 4 speed. Since the Avanti had limited appeal, this was the nicest Studebaker you could buy. I’d have to say, the Hawks were some of the 1st Gentleman Cruisers, that all others followed. Sadly, this car still had 1950s overtones, and the name, Studebaker conjured up anything but a swoopy car. An image it never outlived. These were nice cars.
Agree,here in the retirement community i see cars from the 40’s to 60’s and just know when the owner passes the kids will sell not only the cars ,but also the house.Our auto club has 600 members.
Oh man, this car is on my list! I generally don’t like my vintage cars in black, but it’s the perfect color for a GT Hawk, and a four speed? I need to forget that this ad exists because I have nowhere to put another car.
Nearly all of the GT Hawks I’ve seen were either black or white. The white ones look good too.
Except for the bowed hood this car looks good. Between the solid V8 and the 4 speed transmission this is a car to enjoy on the road.
That pull down rear armrest pulled up a memory of my ’53 as we found an unopened bottle of booze in it when we lifted the lid.
Sharp looking Hawk!
The grille’s resemblance to Mercedes-Benz units was no accident. Studebaker distributed Mercedes-Benz cars starting in the late 1950s.
Yes, I have an ad for the Hawk from a National Geographic that also mentions Mercedes.
Look at the dash on that car, possibly the best looking one of any car that year. It’s all business and attractive. Studebakers often used full instrumentation from the mid-50s on.
This looks like a good car, but I prefer the earlier more streamlined design. GLWTA.
Not surprised they weren’t big sellers ,in an era when car companies were bringing out new styles every three years ( or less) , the Hawk still had a 50s vibe about it , and really the platform had been around for a decade. I think the GT models looked the best , but with a ageing body style and not being a top selling brand with rumors of its demise it didnt have a chance
Appears to be largely original. Some of the deviations: Wheel covers and air cleaner are not OEM. Seat upholstery and carpeting appear to have been replaced at some point. NOS taillight lenses are readily available to replace the blue dots if desired, and lose the cartoonish exhaust tips. Otherwise it’s an early ’63 with full dash and 4-speed. Pity it doesn’t appear to have factory disc brakes or reclining buckets. I have the same year GT Hawk – black with a red interior and the auto trans – but I’d much prefer the 4-speed.
Contrary to some people’s view of the “’50s styling,” I think Brooks Stevens did an amazing job breathing new life into the aging Hawk on such a shoestring budget. I think the updated styling fits well with cars of the early ’60s era except it was saddled with the narrow track width of the early cars it was based on. Compare this to a ’63 Riviera and there’s no comparison. Furthermore, the chassis truly was ’50s (even late ’40s) engineering. All in all these are unique cars that get lots of positive comments when I’m out driving in mine.
Totally agree. Stevens had to make do with very little funding and to me , he made it a much more attractive car ,IMHO. If Studebaker had more money to invest, he surely could have done more. the front, while good looking, suffered with the single lamps when at that time mid size cars and up had quad lights and it made it look older than it was , the same with the old style wrap around rear bumper. I’m sure there were nice redesign proposals that fell by the wayside because of the lack of funds
Your dad really knew how to ride. That’s for sure. Sharp looking car.
I’d LOVE a Studebaker. They were long gone before my time, but their rich history and cool designs hold an allure for me. That said, base-level Lark is more in my range than gorgeous, survivor GT Hawk.