In its August 1957 road test of the Studebaker Golden Hawk, Motor Life magazine said it was a “compromise car,” but that was in no way a slight on the South Bend sportster; instead, it was intended to be complimentary, as “its designers…attempted to blend the good qualities of the foreign sports model and the typical U.S. family sedan.” Yes, the supercharged Golden Hawk was one of the hottest cars of 1957, and Studebaker somehow gave it a vaguely European sensibility; as the good author from Motor Life said, it was a good compromise. This “pretty much original” Golden Hawk is for sale here on eBay in Sabin, Minnesota, but nobody has yet bid on its $22,500 starting price.
The Golden Hawk was in its sophomore season in 1957, with the big Packard V8 of the 1956 model replaced by Studebaker’s own 289 with a McCulloch supercharger mounted high and up front. Studebaker’s engine configuration was displacement limited, so the little independent knew that it would have to rely on forced induction to really stay in the horsepower race, and they managed nicely: The Golden Hawk had 275 horsepower and 333 lb.-ft. of torque. Although a manual transmission with overdrive was standard, this example has the “Flight-O-Matic” three-speed automatic. Shared by Motor Life’s test car, it accelerated from zero to sixty in 9.1 seconds and was capable of 115 miles per hour maximum speed (or more). Motor Life suggested that a three-speed-stick car would be capable of the same acceleration run in 8.5 seconds or better.
Surprisingly, all that supercharged air was crammed through a two-barrel carburetor. No matter, that performance is not embarrassing even today. This Golden Hawk has had a rebuilt supercharger with a “different impeller” for a little extra juice. It also has a “reconditioned generator,” a rebuilt front end, and new tires. It sounds like a really good driver.
Based on the pictures I’ve seen, I’d say that the Hawk was refurbished at some point decades ago. The paint is obviously older and the upholstery doesn’t seem to match any Golden Hawks I can find in my research. Additionally, the trunk emblems are not located in the original location, so somebody has done some mild customizing along the way. Aside from its supercharged 289 and glamorous styling, one of my favorite things about the Golden Hawk is its engine-turned dashboard and full instrumentation. Studebaker instrument panels of the late-’50s and early-’60s always looked like the best race cars America had to offer.
The trunk looks completely solid (is there weatherstripping in there?). The seller says that “the chrome has some pitting” and the “paint has some nicks and blemishes,” but it is a dent-free and rust-free car, and everything works except for the radio.
I’d be willing to drive this Golden Hawk proudly around my home state of Michigan, but I’m a fan (I have a few scale models sitting on my Studebaker shelf…don’t ask). Considering that nobody has yet made a bid, the seller may decide to bring the price down a little bit, and I think that will be a fair deal for buyer and seller. Cars in this kind of condition are my favorites, because you can jump in and drive, and if you accidentally drop your ratchet on the fender, it’s more of an annoyance than something that will ruin your week. What is your starting price on this Hawk?
Where are the wide whitewalls?
That is a nice ride. Trunk looks great. Radio non issue as it needs updated for aux or BT input.
End cap alignment always a fun topic.
I like the two tone treatment too!
Yeah, had been following this on Ebay. This is at least the second try. Asked the seller some questions, but didn’t get enough answers, such as pictures underneath.
Yes, interior redone, but not original panel. Repainted to sometime ago. Dull, but might comeback with a buffing. He said, color is right, tiara gold, not sure if that means that was the original color.
And he thinks it’s the original engine. Needs the data sheet from the Studebaker Museum.
I’d have to sell my beautiful 63 Avanti R2 to make room for this first though.
What is that thing sticking out of the trunk floor?
That would be the spare tire holder downer stud without the wing nut. But where is the trunk mat. Looks like relatively new paint.
I know that there are folks on this forum who love the Hawks with their open maw grill and stuck on tailfins. I’m just not one of them. The Bourke/Loewy 53/54 was iconic, timeless, stunning, innovative. The Hawks were just ‘follow the crowd’ and tart up a design that didn’t need tarting up. Fins are in, so here are ours. Don’t know where they got the idea for that ginormous grill…either Chrysler stole it from them or they stole it from Chrysler, but can you say non-aerodynamic! Ugh.
Never as pretty as the original Loewy Starliner design from 1953, but still a solid, unusual and well-engineered car. The only competition for 1957 would have been the T-Bird, as both are more, “personal luxury” offerings than the Vette. The Studebaker museum in South Bend, IN has a white Golden Hawk 400 and it is stunning. https://www.travelsinthe2ndhalf.com/2019/02/see-classic-cars-at-studebaker-national.html
Sorry, I’m not buying that this is the correct 1957 Studebaker color. There are probably more Tiara Gold ’57 Golden Hawks still around than any other color, and Tiara Gold was a true gold. This is a light brown metallic, not Tiara Gold.
Studebaker purchased the block molds from Cadillac’s 331 for the Golden Hawk engines and there was a company in FL called Studillac performance that put Eldorado Dual Quads and Studebaker Super Chargers on them making power levels extremely higher on these.
William,
The 331 & 289 story is an old myth. I’ve worked on many of the Studebaker and Cadillac engines, and while they do have a passing resemblance to each other, they are not based on the same block, heads, etc. In the 1980s I had both a Studebaker 289 and a Cadillac 331 in my shop for overhaul, and we compared the parts. None were anywhere near the same.
There were several companies around the USA who installed 331 Cadillac engines in 1953 and up Studebakers, in the early 1980s I had one such beast.
Concerning the Studebaker McCulloch superchargers, the “kit” could not be transferred from a Studebaker engine to a Cadillac 331. That said, McCulloch sold specialty supercharger kits for many different engines like the 331, and made factory examples for Ford & Kaiser engines. They even made superchargers for forklifts and trucks for use in high altitude locations like the Andes in South America.