Vehicle Description
1957 STUDEBAKER GOLDEN HAWK This car has been restored to it's
original condition and is in amazing condition. The only thing it
needs is a new garage! The Studebaker Hawk series appeared in 1956
and represented a drastic departure from the norm of the era. It
was svelte, athletic, powerful, and had wholly unique Raymond
Loewy-inspired styling. But despite its unique qualities, the Hawk
was no match for the financial woes which concurrently plagued
Studebaker. Upon its debut, available Hawk models included the
Flight Hawk, Power Hawk, Sky Hawk, and top-of-the-line Golden Hawk.
The cars had a long, low stance and upright, aggressive radiator,
with subtle fiberglass rear fins. Flight and Power models were
pillared coupes, while the Sky and Golden Hawks were pillarless
hardtops. Initially, engines in the lower ranks included a 185-ci
L-head six-cylinder, a 259-ci V8, and a 289-ci V8. Power in the
Golden Hawk came from Packard's 352-ci iron V8, which delivered 275
hp and an almost-garish 380 ft-lb of torque. It was enough to
propel the car quickly, and get it to 120 mph, though the heavy
engine could overwhelm the light chassis at times, and period
performance reviews were mixed. Over time, the variants were
reduced to the Golden Hawk and Silver Hawk. Exterior styling also
modestly evolved. Most notable, however were changes underhood. The
Packard engine was dropped in favor of a lighter, belt-driven,
supercharged 289-ci V8 in 1957. In 1958 the 185-ci engine was
replaced by a 170-ci six, and in 1960 the 225-hp 289-ci V8 returned
as standard. For 1961, Studebaker outfitted the Hawk with a 4-speed
floorshift manual transmission, and if nothing else, it completed
the Hawk's sporting nature. Production was fewer than 4,000. The
Studebaker Hawk name would continue into the 1960s as the Gran
Turismo Hawk, which was quite similar to the early cars, though by
then was also quite long in the tooth. But the early series
cars-the attractive Loewy coupes that emerged on the scene in
1956-will always be regarded as trend-setters for American cars
that followed.
