The seller describes this 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk as “gorgeous.” That term seems appropriate because little about this classic is worth criticizing. From its flawless paint to its spotless interior and healthy drivetrain, this Golden Hawk ticks the right boxes for an enthusiast seeking a classic produced by a company that has long passed into automotive history. Its most pressing need is a new owner, with the seller listing it here on Facebook Marketplace in San Francisco, California. It could be yours for $29,000, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting this fantastic classic.
Studebaker produced the Golden Hawk as its entry into the Personal Luxury Car segment between 1956 and 1958. Legendary designer Raymond Loewy had a hand in its styling, and his work would not be seen on a new Studebaker until the release of the ill-fated Avanti. Reader feedback from previous articles suggests the appearance polarizes opinion. Some find it striking and distinctive, while others believe it was dated before the first cars rolled off the line. The original owner ordered this gem in 1957, electing to clad its panels in a two-tone combination of Midnight Black and Arctic White. Its presentation is virtually flawless, with the seller stripping the rust-free body to bare metal before performing a high-end repaint. No imperfections or marks are visible in the supplied photos, and the panels are laser-straight. The sparkling chrome contrasts the predominantly dark exterior, with the steel wheels wearing their correct hubcaps and whitewall tires. The glass looks perfect, and the supplied images confirm this car has no cosmetic or structural shortcomings.
The positive vibes continue inside this Golden Hawk. The front seat appears to have a slight dirty mark on the outer top edge on the driver’s side, but that is the only visible fault. The remaining cloth and vinyl are spotless and wear-free. The dash features a machine-turned fascia that hasn’t become dinged or dented. The pad is perfect, the carpet is immaculate, and there are no aftermarket additions. Interior equipment for a luxury car might seem sparse by modern standards, but the factory AM radio will relieve boredom on long journeys.
Studebaker released the Golden Hawk in 1956 powered by the Packard 352ci V8. While it produced resectable power figures, it was considered quite heavy. The company transitioned to the supercharged version of its 289ci V8 in 1957. While both engines featured identical power outputs of 275hp, the 333 ft/lbs of torque delivered by the smaller motor represented a 13% drop. However, with 90 lbs less to shift, the blown Golden Hawk was measurably faster than its predecessor. This Studebaker’s original owner backed the V8 with a three-speed automatic transmission, adding power assistance for the steering and brakes. The seller recently treated the McCulloch supercharger to a rebuild and also fitted new Coker tires. This numbers-matching gem runs and drives perfectly and is a turnkey proposition for its new owner.
Studebaker was struggling financially by 1957 and had its sights set on stealing sales from the Ford Thunderbird with its Golden Hawk. It sold 4,356 examples of the Golden Hawk that year, but the T-Bird total of 21,380 provides insight into the challenges faced by the company. It would soldier on gamely into the 1960s, but even the stunning and radical Avanti couldn’t prevent extinction. This isn’t the first time this Golden Hawk has hit the market; it failed to sell at auction around six weeks ago, with the bidding at $22,000. Will the seller taste success this time? What do you think?
WOW–absolutely gorgeous! Why can’t they design cars like this anymore, both outside as well as the beautiful interior?
We still had a coal furnace in the early 1950’s, neighbor asked my father why we did not get an oil burner, my father replied, “We already have one, its called a Studebaker.” It was a 1950 Champion with the 6, and, no oil filter, so engine was toast at 40,000 miles.
But this one would be great to have, stock market just went way up, maybe someone can afford it today!
Much more attractive than a Model S Tesla with better range and no need to find a nearby charging station. But darn I sure will miss those over the air software updates :-)
And with the total recall today of every Tesla sold in the US, it’ll be interesting to see what they offer owners as a “loaner” while they figure out the fix for the Autopilot feature..
I heard that they are going to fix it with a software upgrade without ever having the leave your house.
I still remember riding my bike, to our local Studebaker dealer, to see this beautiful, future Classic, in person. The sales team, was ever so pleasant,
and showed me the new Golden Hawk, letting me sit in it, explaining all the features… They were upbeat, very positive, about the future of their
automobiles, that Studebaker would be around for many years to come.
I was already a GM kid, but I vowed to own one of these Sporty coupes when I got older, an unkept promise. What a beautiful example, It belongs in the museum in Reno, Nevada, for everyone to see.
So if there were no bids @ $22 why would the Seller raise the price to $29?
There’s a sucker born every minute and a wise buyer might want to jump at the $29 before it climbs any higher. ;)
I suspect the premier paint job and other restorations mentioned are the reason for the increase in price. Perhaps it looked a little tired when it didn’t sell at $22? It certainly looks sharp now!
Nice looking car for sure, but is that the best that could be done with wiring across the upper radiator support? It looks really out of place. Would love to see the pictures of the underside and the repaint prep.
I had one, vaper-lock king. due to the gas line drilled into the housing around rhe carb it would boil the gas in texas heat. if I had the sense to put in a re-circ gas system it might have solved the problem. but it would RUN
For certain, you could not buy a project and get it to this condition for anywhere near the 29K asking price. They were a beauty in my opinion- I saw one with my dad when he was shopping for a new car- he eventually settled on a Mercury Montclair. In the era of fins, Studebaker got it right with the lines flowing much better than the boxy 57 Chevy or the Chrysler offerings.
One of the most visually striking cars ever produced, inside and out (I know the dash is a bit plain Jane, but it balances well some of the wilder visual elements).
The front of these cars always seemed to me to be a bit of “throw everything at the wall” designing. The grille seems out of place with the rest of the lines. But all car designs of the 50s were shooting for excess.
I’d buy it but it would cause marital problems due to the cost:-)
As a college kid back in the early 1960’s I had one of these – a 1957 Golden Hawk equipped just like this one, only the colors were reversed with a white body and black hood scoop with golden louvers and black insets on the rear fins. It was pretty darned fast, but I just couldn’t afford the maintenance and repair bills. Sure wish I had that car today!
Nice car! I prefer the more stately and finless 1962-1964 Hawks, which somewhat harkened-back to 1953 in the rear. I was NOT a fan of FINS, generally. The ’57 Chevy did it right — squaring them off and having “fins” that were more conservative, and looked lovely. But I did like the ’57 Ford Fairlane treatment (the stubby ’57 Custom looked awful). Then Ford, in 1958, discovered how to make their 1957 into something laden and ugly! Unlike most other makes in 1959, the Ford was beautiful. The ’59 Edsel, trying to shoe-horn those unique 1958 features onto an entirely changed body shell, proved almost offensive. The 1960 Edsel, shedding those 1958-ish items was pretty, especially in front — but the rear was too thinly-disguised as a poorly-customised 1960 Ford, its sheet metal even showing the sculpted lines designed around the Ford tail-lamps. It was too late for Edsel, anyway. Edsel was every bit of a fine car, reliable and long-lasting: it just could not find its market, and Robert McNamara did everything he could to kill it before it had a chance. The Edsel has never deserved its cultural status as an automotive joke.
What a beauty! And my birth year! Bonus!
BTW, how many miles (and I assume they’re original) ?
super. I wish I had the discretionary money.
I remember going with my dad to the Studebaker / Mercedes dealer in 57. Yes, indeed my dad bought a brand new 57 Silver Hawk with a 289 V8, a carburetor and a manual 3 speed on the column with overdrive. It was a beautiful medium green with a complementing very pale light green roof and insert panels on the back fins. Oh, how I loved that car and wanted it as my first car very badly. However, my dad used it as a commuter car to drive to work daily in NYC from Hartsdale. About 80 miles round trip. He said it was not reliable and did not want me to drive it.