Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America’s Hilton Head event, November 5, 2016.
Chassis No.
6101001
Estimate:
$ 60,000 - $ 70,000 US
Studebaker emerged from the Second World War with strong financial prospects. Quickly approaching its centennial, the company that was born in South Bend, Indiana was determined to continue its success into the 1950s. Profits soon began to fall off, however, as Studebaker experienced a gradual decline. Nevertheless, the company introduced the low-slung and very attractive Loewy coupes in 1953, available in Starliner and Starlight variants. Raymond Loewy oversaw development while Robert Bourke executed the actual design. A Speedster version was introduced in 1955 in the top-of-the-line President Series, and was continued in essence the following year in the Hawk series.
For the 1957 model year Studebaker’s most expensive models were the President, the Silver Hawk and the Golden Hawk. While the Presidents were built with a variety of body styles, the Silver and Golden Hawks were only produced as two-door coupes. Productions numbers for the Golden Hawks this year totaled 4,356.
The Golden Hawks were capable of sprinting to 60-mph in just 7.8 seconds, with a top speed of 125-mph. These figures show that it could contend with most other like-models of the day; such as the Corvette and Thunderbird.
This top-of-the-line Golden Hawk is presented superbly with the traditional gold paint with white fins; and chrome bumpers, whitewall tires and polished wheel covers. A fiberglass section of the hood was added to the Golden Hawks to accommodate the supercharger. Under the hood is a factory McCulloch supercharged, 289-cid “Sweepstakes” V-8 engine. The factory added supercharger allows the engine to produce 275-hp. The chassis is equipped with power steering, four-wheel hydraulic power brakes, independent front suspension and a live rear axle.
The interior is well-presented with gold pleated upholstery, a padded dashboard, seat belts, machine turned dash, heater, in-dash radio and an electric clock. The complete instrumentation includes a tachometer and a vacuum gauge for precise engine monitoring. The car has 23,000 miles which are believed to be original.
With just 4,356 Studebaker Golden Hawks built in 1957; this particular example presents itself as one of the finest examples available for purchase.
