Supercharged! 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk

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The Golden Hawk is a 2-door personal luxury hardtop coupe built by Studebaker Corp. between 1956-58. It was one of several iterations of the Hawk series that were around from 1953 and the end of Studebaker production in South Bend, Indiana during the 1964 model year. The 1957 Golden Hawks were noted for their supercharged 289 cubic inch V8 engines, rated at 275 hp. This one has 4-speed, modern air conditioning, and low mileage. Available here on eBay as part of an estate sale, this Hawk is in Salem, Oregon and the bidding has reached $19,499. The reserve has not yet been met.

Famed designer Raymond Loewy created the Golden Hawk by taking the basic shape of the 1953–55 Starliner hardtop coupe and adding a large, almost vertical egg-crate grille and raised hood line in place of a swooping, pointed nose. On the other end, a raised, squared-off trunk lid replaced an earlier sloped lid. Vertical fiberglass tailfins were also added. In the car’s first year (1956), the Golden Hawk used a Packard engine that displaced 352 cubic inches. But the Packard plant was sold off due to financial problems, so the 1957-58 models used the Studebaker 289 with a McCulloch supercharger. It produced the same horsepower as the 352 but in a lighter package, so the cars would be capable of a top speed of 125 mph.

This Golden Hawk has spent its 64 years on the West Coast and was purchased by a collector in Reno, Nevada around the turn of the century. It’s been shown at many auto events and has won several awards including Division Best in Show at Hot August Nights in Reno five years ago. The owner has since passed away and the family is selling the car through a dealer, who will pass along documentation that has been kept on the classic. It’s in excellent mechanical condition and the supercharged V8 has been rebuilt.

Some of the upgrades or improvements on the car include:

  • Borg-Warner T-10 4-speed manual transmission with factory Hurst shifter (from a ’62 GT Hawk)
  • All leather interior and front bucket seats (also from the GT)
  • Avanti front and rear sway bars for better handling
  • Auburn Posi-Traction rear-end with 3.31:1 gear ratio and Mosier flanged axles
  • Front disc brakes (original drum brakes are included with the sale)
  • Frenched hood louvers for added engine ventilation

As the photos show, the car presents well and everything has held up, although you’re likely to find a few small chips in the front from use. Total Studebaker production for 1957 with 63,101 cars and the Golden Hawk was 4.356 of them. The seller is serious about portraying this car appropriately, so a video tour is provided to show the Golden Hawk in real-time.

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Comments

  1. Will Fox

    A beautiful restoration, and nice to see in a color other than Gold. Probably the nicest one I’ve seen!

    Like 8
  2. Kenny

    I love it with the added 4-speed. Perfect for the car’s personality.

    Like 5
  3. Vince H

    IMHO the interior ruins this car. There was no factory Hurst shifter. I think the red louvers spoil the look of the hood. They are non functional and are held on by clips. The wheel covers were last used in 56. Only the 56 had fiberglass fins. Even with what I call short comings it is still a very nice car.

    Like 3
    • Poppy

      The later buckets and console done in the original seat pattern don’t do much for me either. For someone else who prefers function over originality, this would make a nice car.

      Like 2
  4. chrlsful

    “…and the end of Studebaker production…”
    I seem to remember a ‘de-finned’ 4dor near the end that
    had it all over the others for styling. “Grand Turisimo Hawk”?
    or something. The 304 in there would B just right for supercharging
    or other intake mods (one of the strongest bent8 motors ever made, baring a diesel). It WAS built like a diesel (extra head blts, forged crank & CRs, beefy bearing
    areas, adj rockers, solid lifter, hi octane’n 13:1 C. R.) 8^ 0

    Like 2
  5. Skorzeny

    Lose the whitewalls and we might have something…

    Like 0
    • Ed P

      At the time, a car of this caliber demanded white walls and full wheel covers. It would not look right without them.

      Like 8
  6. jwaltb

    Front end is almost as ugly as the Packard Hawk the other day. Earlier Hawks were much better looking.

    Like 0
    • Poppy

      ’56-’61 hawks all had the same grille with minor trim differences. Are you perhaps referring to the earlier “Loewy” coupes that predate the Hawk name?

      Like 3

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