I said this (out loud) upon opening the link to this 1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk: “Oh no.” The GT Hawk is one of the four old cars I’ll allow myself to buy at this juncture (the others being a ’66 Toronado, a ’40/’41 Continental, and a ’55 Coupe DeVille). Luckily for my bank account, this one has a couple things working against it: 1. It’s clear across the country from me in Casa Grande, Arizona, and shipping is a lot, and 2. It’s Ermine White, my least favorite color on a Hawk. On the plus side, it’s a rust-free barn find that was shut off and stored in 1981 and hasn’t run since. Therefore, if you said “Oh no” when you opened this link, and you live in the beautiful desert southwest, you can find this Hawk here on eBay with a current high bid of $2,550. (The seller asks potential bidders to check with their wives first; the last winner backed out.)
Sales of the deftly restyled GT Hawk were never brisk, with output dropping from 9,335 cars in 1962 to just 4,634 in 1963. Most of those cars had one of Studebaker’s basic 289s (although a few had R-Series engines, too), which produced 210 horsepower with two-barrel carburetion and 225 horsepower with the four-barrel. The seller doesn’t mention which induction system this car has, but either way, it’s mated to a Borg-Warner automatic. The seller says that the car was running when the car was put away in 1981 and hasn’t run since, but it could “be brought back to life with just a little effort,” and of course we hope they’re right. At the very least, you’ll need a new battery, and I’d imagine a fuel pump, carb rebuild kit, and water pump would be good ideas considering how many problems with those specific parts I’ve had with long-dormant cars. The oil and transmission fluid are “not contaminated and there is no water present.” Considering the dry Arizona climate (I assume), the engine shouldn’t be locked up, but buyer beware.
The blue interior is “pristine,” with “supple” and tear-free upholstery and headliner. The car was equipped with air conditioning once upon a time, but the underhood shots show a missing compressor, so you’ll need to add that to the list if you live in an area where that’s important. Given the fact that the unit is under the dash, it might not be as complex as other cars to get the system working again; at least you won’t have to tear the dashboard apart to reach the evaporator.
The fact that the seller points out a small dent in the upper fender bodes well for the condition of the rest of the car. The odometer reads 86,000 miles, which is probably original given how long the car has sat.
The dry climate has probably kept the brake lines and fluid relatively dry, which might minimize the car’s needs in that department. Even though the car looks cosmetically solid, you know that a mechanical refurbishment won’t be cheap or quick, so this will be a light project for somebody this summer. Looking at the GT Hawk’s beautiful body lines has me wishing it were me all over again, but I have to keep repeating my mantra: “It’s Ermine White. It’s in Arizona.” Keep saying that, Aaron. Don’t click on “Bid.”
Help me out, Barn Finds readers. Bid on this thing so I don’t.
Aaron….. It’s Ermine white…… It’s in Arizona…… Now go bid on it and see how you make out!! Honestly white is my least favorite color probably because most of the work trucks I’ve driven are white and I just need a little color in my life. That being said, my Grandpas favorite color was white with a blue interior. He’d be all over this if it were a Chevy. I think that these are very handsome Studebakers and quite frankly, I’d love to have one too. But preferably with a stick. This just looks so solid and its begging to get revived. Quick, someone get Derrick from Vice Grip Garage, this would be right up his alley.
Nice one Aaron. And I like your list!!!
Selling “mostly” white commercial trucks for close to twenty years. It is one of my favorite colors. White trucks made many, many mortgage payments and vacations possible. Green us my other favorite color. I would love to have one of these with a manual transmission. Very cool car!
Wayne, you make a very valid point there. And just like those white trucks put food on your table, they did for my family as well.
If you can get this at the right price, could be a real catch!
This is a very handsome design. Or re-design I should say. Didn’t Brooks Stevens re-design the Hawk? Or at least tweak it?
Yep, he took off the fins and added the T-Bird roof (and a couple other things). It might be the most effective change given the cost ever.
I agree with both of you. Brooks Stevens was very talented, and to do that roof /tailfin removal redesign on a shoestring budget was really something else. The roof is one of my favorite parts of the changes he made.
Here’s another Brooks Stevens design!
I have mentioned this before. I was on my way home from Road America about 40 some years ago, and stopped at Brooks Stevens’ museum. There was only one other person in there besides me and it was Brooks Stevens! He walked the museum with me while we talked about his cars. It was a very enjoyable 3 hours. He was a very gracious host!
You have to give the Studebaker designers credit. They got 11 years out of the same platform through styling tweaks and sheet metal changes, all the while keeping the car attractive. Also, Studebakers from the 50s on had some of the nicest dashes ever put in an automobile. This car is no exception.
Wouldn’t cost me much to tow it up to Phoenix, my snowbird neighbor is gone till November and I have the clicker to his garage, i’ll should ask the better 1/2 first but I already know the answer.
This sounds like it fits the forgiveness/approval paradigm. :)
to my thinking this is one of the most elegant cars america ever produced. pity studebaker couldn’t get their marketing together.
The Studebaker GT Hawk was the most beautifully balanced design of the 1960´s, hands down. I can´t think of anything out of Detroit or Europe to rival its beauty. What a tragedy the demise of the make represents, it´´s simply awful.
Arizona is great when it comes to preserving garage kept vehicles, but even at 63 years old this is in remarkable condition. I love the Ermin White and I wish I was in the market because Casa Grande is only an hour away.
Chevy got almost 20 yrs out of that square body design – 1973-86 on trucks and 1973-1992 on the Suburbans !
last one I saw was when I was 8 or 10 was y/o.
Surprised how small 1 on the road yesterday was
now that I’m all growed up (5 ft 10 inches now, 4 ft 2 then).
Humm….
I know what you mean. Cars are so large these days that the old ones all seem small to me. I saw a nice ’57 Chevy a couple days ago and I was amazed at how small it looked, but back in the late 60s when I wanted one it seemed like it was big.
My 65 New Yorker even looked “compact” next to a modern Chrysler 300 in a parking lot the other day.
I bought my 1963 Hawk white with red interior, A/T, P/S, R&H in May of ’63. The sticker price was $3728.57. Always regretted not getting A/C. I added a pair of Lucas auxiliary driving lights (SLR576 long range & SFT 576 flat beam fog) mounted on the bumper guards alongside the radiator shell styled grill. Removed the ashtray from the center console and replaced it with toggle switches to control the Lucas lights. IMO, the Lucas lights complimented Brook Stevens’ Euro redo of a ten year old design. The only faults were a penchant for eating mufflers and tailpipes that delaminated. When the factory warranty expired, I found a muffler shop with a lifetime replacement policy. I was a frequent visitor. The car served two generations of family drivers for 9 years. If the seller’s car wasn’t so far away, I would be tempted.
Aaron, my mother had an expression for impractical temptations, “Get thee behind me, Satan… and PUSH ME IN! It is unlawful to encourage the delinquency of minors — but you are a major! The 1964 Turismo Hawk was the prettiest Studebaker ever. They should have done it THIS way in 1956, and not had those stupid FINS! As for me, I am not all that nuts about a white car, myself. And I like a standard shift only on a car built before the automatic transmission era. I don’t want a “stick-shift” on any 1963 car, thank you! The interior here is unbelievable on a car which has sat in hibernation for 45 years! Hope it gets back to cruising the highways and the byways (to quote the Hollies).”Look Through Any Window” was one 1960s record that I actually liked (I’m far more of a 1940s-1950s music person, myself).
Studebaker used Naugahyde brand vinyl in ’63 and it generally holds up well. My ’63 just recently finally split at one of the heat welded seams on the drivers seat. Fortunately I have a complete set of NOS seat inserts I may use to repair. This looks like a good car for the money. As with others, it’s too far away from me to consider a mate to my black over red GT.
And how many Naugas gave up their lives to upholster this car? (lol)