Studebaker Hawk History
Studebaker's family of sporty coupes (1956–1964) — from the supercharged Golden Hawk to the finned Gran Turismo Hawk.
Photo: “1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk (27172148034).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
The Hawk series launched for 1956, reworking the elegant 1953 Loewy coupe into a line of sporty 'family sports cars' with an upright classic grille. The 1956 range spanned the six-cylinder Flight Hawk, V8 Power Hawk, hardtop Sky Hawk, and the high-performance Golden Hawk.
The 1956 Golden Hawk used a big 352-cubic-inch Packard V8; for 1957–1958 it switched to Studebaker's own 289 V8 with a McCulloch/Paxton supercharger, making it one of the era's quickest American cars. The pillared Silver Hawk (1957–1959) became simply the Hawk for 1960–1961.
Designer Brooks Stevens restyled the car on a tight budget into the handsome, finned Gran Turismo Hawk for 1962, which carried the line through 1964 until Studebaker ended US production. The Hawk shape descended directly from the 1953 coupe, giving it an unusually long styling lineage.
Generations
First series · Flight / Power / Sky / Golden Hawk
Photo: “1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk (27172148034).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
The four-model launch range: six-cylinder Flight Hawk, V8 Power Hawk, hardtop Sky Hawk, and the 352 Packard-V8 Golden Hawk.
1956 Photo: “1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk (27172148034).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Silver Hawk era · Silver Hawk / Hawk
Photo: “1960 Studebaker Hawk (27920051023).jpg” by Jeremy from Sydney, Australia / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
The pillared Silver Hawk replaced the Power and Flight Hawks; from 1959 it was the only Hawk, badged simply 'Hawk' for 1960–1961, with tailfins.
1957 Photo: “1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk (26759631723).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1958 Photo: “1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk Coupe (33189246642).jpg” by Sicnag / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1960 Photo: “1960 Studebaker Hawk (27920051023).jpg” by Jeremy from Sydney, Australia / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1961 Photo: “1961 Studebaker Hawk Coupe (26813212002).jpg” by Sicnag / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Gran Turismo Hawk · GT Hawk
Photo: “1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (36340335983).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Brooks Stevens' clean, low-budget restyle into a crisp personal-luxury coupe — the final and most refined Hawk.
1962 Photo: “1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (36340335983).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1963 Photo: “1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (32975146565).jpg” by Sicnag / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1964 Photo: “1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (26759561113).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Body styles
- Coupe
- Hardtop
Notable special editions & performance variants
Golden Hawk
The hot-rod of the range — a 275-hp 352 Packard V8 in 1956, then a McCulloch/Paxton-supercharged 289 Studebaker V8 for 1957–1958.
Gran Turismo Hawk
Brooks Stevens' restyled finale, a handsome pillarless GT; the R-series Avanti powertrains were available on the final cars.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Studebaker Hawk
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.