The GT Hawk (or Gran Turismo) was the last iteration of the Hawk series of Studebakers (and Packard for one year) that began in 1956. For 1962, the goal was to compete against personal luxury cars like the Ford Thunderbird, so a major restyle gave it a formal roof and Mercedes-like grille. This ’62 edition has only had three owners and was the current owner’s first automobile. Though not perfect, some carburetor work should get it back on the road. From West Palm Beach, Florida, this Stude is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $8,000. Someone will get to take this beauty home.

Designer Brooks Stevens could do wonders with little to no budget. The 1962 GT Hawk still looks like a Hawk, but the fins were gone along with any kind of pillared doors and roof. The new car was elegant compared to its predecessors and Studebaker built 9,335 of them that year, including the seller’s “survivor”. The car remained in production until late in calendar 1963 when the company closed down U.S. production and shifted all operations to Canada. Besides the GT Hawk, the Avanti got left behind, too.

The seller refers to this car as an easy project since the carburetor is preventing it from running. We know the car originated in California and was purchased without power steering or power brakes, but a 4-speed manual transmission and air conditioning were on the list. Two owners later and the car found itself in Florida around 2017 and has been treated to a Turner disc brake kit and several other new items. Besides the troublesome carb already mentioned, we’re told everything else works as it should.

In the past five years, a new aqua-colored interior was fitted, the rear brakes rebuilt, and a new distributor installed. Add to this a new generator, fuel pump and lines, and the car has received a full tune-up. I’m not sure if this dark green color is original or if the paint is a repaint, but it looks okay with some exceptions. The inner trunk lid lip has some rust, some of the chrome is flaking off the rear bumper, and there’s a dent in the driver’s side door. Gives the car character?

This automobile is something of a celebrity in that it’s appeared in several newspapers and magazines in recent years, including The Wall Street Journal, Classic and Sports Car, Turning Wheels (a publication of the Studebaker Driver’s Club), and Hagerty’s own “Rides from the Readers.” It has also appeared in some YouTube videos and at the 2020 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance.

The next owner will receive a car cover that’s specifically fitted to the GT body along with some documentation on the history of this Studebaker whose name apparently is Daisy Mae. These are beautiful cars that would soon become orphans when Studebaker went out of business. But next to the Avanti, they may be the most sought-after today from that storied brand.