Vehicle Description
1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk� One of 4,071 Golden Hawks made in 1956
Only 1956 Hawk with fins Car was restored in 2015 One of 12 Golden
Hawks painted this color from South Bend, IN; 14 total in 1956
Original 352 CID V-8 engine overhauled in 2013 at approximately
70,800 miles; 1956 was final year for this engine, which made 275
hp! Twin Ultramatic two-speed automatic transmission Romany Red
exterior White over black interior American Racing five-spoke
wheels With its robust V-8 power and low-slung, lightweight body,
Studebaker's series of Hawk coupes is one of the ancestors to the
muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s. MotoeXotica Classic Cars is
proud to present this 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk. This particular
example was made in Studebaker's South Bend, Indiana factory and is
one of 4,071 Golden Hawks made for 1956. Finished in Romany Red,
the car's paint and trim are in overall very good order. This is
one of 14 Golden Hawks painted this color for 1956, 12 of which
came from South Bend. The windows are clear and intact while the
lights are clear and haze-free. One of the things that stands out
styling-wise about the hawk is the upright and formal grille, which
may or may not be a nod to Mercedes-Benz. This car's bodywork is
straight and solid, the engine bay is very tidy, the trunk is in
good shape, complete with full-sized spare tire and cover and the
bumpers are in excellent order. Rolling on Goodyear Viva 2 radials,
size 215/75R15 at all four corners, this Hawk also has five-spoke,
chrome wheels from American Racing. The tires are in very good
order while the wheels appear in excellent shape. Under the big
hood is Studebaker's 352 CID V-8, wearing an Edelbrock air cleaner
and breathing via dual exhausts. It was overhauled in 2013 at
approximately 70,800 miles. This comparatively large, powerful
engine in such a light car gave the Golden Hawk an
excellent�power-to-weight ratio�(and performance) for the time; of
1956 American production cars, the Golden Hawk, with its 275
horsepower, was second only to�Chrysler's 300B�by that measure.
Paired with the motor is Packard's Twin Ultramatic two-speed
automatic transmission. Inside, the car's white over black interior
is in overall very good condition. The front and rear seats look
great, as does the black carpeting. While the contrasting white
headliner is in satisfactory shape, the three-spoke off-white
steering wheel looks fantastic, as does the black instrument panel
with its silver insert around the full array of gauges. The inner
door panels mimic the interior's overall theme and are in very good
order. Rounding off the interior is a factory AM radio. The last
Studebaker until the�Avanti�to have styling influenced by
industrial designer�Raymond Loewy's studio, the Golden Hawk took
the basic shape of the 1953-55�Champion/Commander�Starliner hardtop
coupe and added a large, almost vertical eggcrate grille and raised
hoodline in place of the earlier car's swooping, pointed nose. At
the rear, a raised, squared-off trunklid replaced the earlier
sloped lid, and vertical fiberglass tailfins�were added to the rear
quarters. The Golden Hawk was two inches shorter than the standard
Hawk at 53.6�inches. The heavy engine gave the car a reputation for
being nose-heavy; the supercharged Studebaker engine that replaced
the Packard engine in 1957 was heavier. Road tests of the time,
many of which were conducted by racing drivers, seldom mentioned
any handling issues in spite of the heavy front end.�Speed
Age�magazine of July 1956 tested the Golden Hawk against the
Chrysler 300B,�Ford Thunderbird and�Chevrolet Corvette, finding
that the Golden Hawk could out-perform the others comfortably in
both 0-60�mph acceleration and quarter mile times.�The fastest 0-60
reported in magazine testing was 7.8 seconds, while top speeds were
quoted as 125�mph plus. An increased options list and reduced
standard equipment were used to keep base price down compared to
the previous year's�Studebaker Speedster, which the Golden Hawk
replaced. Even�turn signals were an option. The Golden Hawk was
matched with three other Hawk models for 1956 and was the only Hawk
not technically considered a sub-model within one of Studebaker's
regular passenger car lines; the�Flight Hawk�coupe was a�Champion;
the�Power Hawk�coupe was a�Commander and the�Sky Hawk�hardtop was
a�President. Competition to this Studebaker in 1956 included
Buick's Century two-door coupe, Chevrolet's Corvette, Chrysler's
300B Coupe and Ford's Thunderbird. This car is currently located at
our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the
odometer shows 72,828 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean
and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!! PLEASE CLICK
HERE TO VIEW OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO!!!!!! VIN: 6033045 Note: Please see
full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase
of any said vehicle, thank you.
