For Sale at Auction: 1958 Packard Hawk in Williams, Iowa

1958 Packard Hawk. This was the very last year a car carried the Packard name and the Packard Hawk was at the high end of the price range for Studebaker-Packard. Daryl Hemken purchased this car in 1970 from a farmer in New Providence, Iowa who was the original owner. The car came equipped with a Paxton supercharger, but the family had it removed to "slow it down". It has been reinstalled and helps the engine produce 275 horsepower. A McCulloch supercharger was in the trunk. The Packard Hawk was produced for just one year and had leather upholstery and headliner. The only thing changed on this car is the foam cushioning in the seats has been replaced so it is an unrestored original or "survivor" in today's parlance. Restyled by Duncan McRae, Studebaker-Packard's finances dictated that the changes for 1958 be made as cheaply as possible. Quad headlights, as on Studebakers, were achieved by affixing pods to the previous year's front fenders designed for two headlights. In the rear, McRae attempted to follow the tailfin craze established by Chrysler's 1957 "Forward Look" by crafting outward-canted steel fin extensions that were mounted to the tops of the existing vertical rear fenders. 1956 Clipper taillight units continued to be used. Packards also adopted a low, wide "fishmouth" grille to further distinguish them from their Studebaker cousins. Other notable changes included the hardtop's astonishingly attractive rooflines, very similar to concurrent Chrysler/DeSoto designs. Also, the switch to a one-piece drive shaft allowed Studebaker engineers to flatten the floor, which also allowed flattening of the roof panels on sedan and hardtop models. Packard (and Studebaker) also switched to 14" wheels so most 1958 models are noticeably lower. The Packard Hawk had just 588 built and the last Packard rolled off the assembly line in South Bend, Indiana on July 25, 1958. And, it's still rolling today.