Vehicle Description
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.
