Last Of The Series: 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk
Studebaker introduced their Hawk series of autos back in 1956, with the car featuring four different available models and trim levels during its inaugural year, including the top-of-the-line Golden Hawk which not only offered elegant looks but also delivered when it came to performance. The series soldiered on through the rest of the fifties and into the sixties, but the company was in financial trouble, and their final Hawk offering was the Gran Turismo. Arriving in 1962, the GT Hawk received several styling modifications and a more modern interior than its predecessor, but it was a rather short-lived endeavor with less than 16,000 of them made during the car’s 3-year run. If you’ve been in the market for a well-preserved example, this 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk would definitely be worth a look. It’s located in Cartersville, Georgia, and can be seen here on eBay, with bidding currently at $19,950.
The seller says that the Studebaker is one of the straightest-bodied original-panel cars he has ever seen, and informs us that the car has spent more than the last 20 years in a climate-controlled private museum collection in Northern Georgia. He goes on to say that the body is like a time capsule from 1962 and mentions that there is zero rust, but no word on whether or not the paint is original. In any event, the exterior finish looks beautiful from every angle we can see.
Under the hood is the 289 cubic inch V8, which was a sound performer even with its factory 8.5:1 compression, and there’s good news in the shifting department as the car is equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission. The seller does not confirm that the motor and tranny are the original factory items but does say that the car has just been fully serviced, and things in the engine compartment are cosmetically looking really good.
Not much detail is given about the inside, but the photos depict either a well-preserved original interior or one that has had some high-quality refreshing at some point in the car’s past. An aftermarket A/C has been added, and there’s still a GSU faculty parking sticker affixed to the windshield from ’96, a pretty good indication that the car has been around GA for quite some time. A buy-it-now price has also been set, so if you want the car now for $25,000 it can be yours today. What are your thoughts on this 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk?
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Comments
Beautiful looking car, Studebaker design was amazing considering their limited resources. This one looks well sorted with A/C too. I like!
Best looking of the Hawks. Don’t know if picture taking on a curve of a two lane highway is the brightest move but this good looking car apparently survived it.
Bob, in the background of one photo can be seen a couple of barricades signifying the road is closed.
This is probably one of the nicest GT Hawks available right now, and it’s got a nice selection of options including the 4-barrel carb engine with dual exhausts [with the correct exhaust tips!], 4-speed, power steering and brakes, but surprisingly it doesn’t display the Twin Traction emblem on the gas door. I’m surprised in this financial climate that the bids have gone over $20k.
Right you are Bill.
This is one beautiful-looking car (to me, at least – Les, UK)
Too bad I live 10,000 miles away.
I have always loved the Studebaker Hawks even though this car is really based off of the 1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner coupe. But that shows how far ahead of its time that car was.
Both were unique cars and so low and sporty.
Far ahead of its time in 53, but by 62 it was do what we can with whatever we have. I think the GTs were the best looking of the bunch and this one is a real beauty, but after a 9 year run of a similar look and rumors of bankruptcy, few GTs were sold .
I always liked the style of these Studebakers. This is a gorgeous example. Ticks a lot of boxes for me. Four speed, V8,A/C, nice color, classy interior and great condition. Well worth the BIN ask. GLWTS.
I owned one just like this one. I always sorry that I got rid of it. It was a dream to drive.
Hopefully the interior has been redone as the original vinyl seating in the ’62 Hawks suffered from premature cracking and splitting. Studebaker dropped the vinyl and changed to Naugahyde for the ’63 and ’64 Hawks. I note that the steering wheel differs from the ’63 and ’64 models which have a flattened
bottom area of the wheel for easier entry and exit.
I purchased a new Hawk (White w/Red interior/4 barrel carb/dual exhaust) in the summer of 1963. As part of Studebaker’s sales promotion, each new 1963 Hawk was delivered with a metal plaque affixed to the glove compartment door proclaiming that the car was “Custom Built For (name of buyer)”.
For some reason, my Hawk had a propensity to eat mufflers and tailpipes. The tailpipes would actually delaminate and flake apart. The 1st pair were replaced under warranty. After the warranty expired, I relied on a muffler shop with a lifetime warranty. Never had any mechanical problems, always reliable.
My Hawk had optional front bumper guards located at the sides of the faux radiator shell. I welded a 10 gauge steel bracket to the inside of each bumper guard and mounted a pair of Lucas SLR576/SFT576 (long range pencil beam/low flat beam fog) auxiliary driving lights which complimented the front end Euro styling. Individual toggle switches replaced the console ashtray and
allowed the selection of either the fog or pencil beam or both together. The latter selection was ideal for night driving on twisty back country roads and may have saved the lives of several deer. My Hawk was passed on to other family members where it served reliably for several more years.
The seller’s car looks like its worth the full BIN price. A first time Studebaker buyer should consider joining the Studebaker Drivers Club to get full enjoyment of this car.
Naugahyde is simply a trade name for vinyl. Reynolds wrap vs aluminum foil, Kleenex vs facial tissue, Band-Aid vs adhesive bandage. Same thing, different name.
Chuck, While you are semi-correct, there is more to Naugahyde than the vinyl top coat.
Before Naugahyde came out, the vast majority of flexible vinyl fabrics were simply woven nylon fabric bases with an applied vinyl surface, and they had limited flexibility, especially in tight 3-D curves found in auto upholstery. The difference was the Nauga fabric base was a special weave that allowed the top coat to stretch almost like real leather, hence the suggestion it was like leather hides.
JGD,
Wow! Wish I had been old enough to order a new GT Hawk!
Did you actually order the car to be built? It’s my understanding that if you ordered the car, when it was assembled they would attach the name plate as you mentioned.
Buyers who bought a car already built and at the dealership, would have a black & white name plate order card included with the car’s paperwork, and the new owner had to mail the card back with their personal info and the car’s VIN, and the brass name plate would be engraved and sent to them by mail. I’m attaching a photo of the name plate order card [above].
In 1970 my best friend and I found a near mint & garage-kept green 1963 GT Hawk advertised in the Washington Post classifieds for $500, it was a 4 barrel carb/dual exhaust/Twin Traction car, with automatic trans, power steering and disc brakes. We added the factory tachometer and AM/FM radio after a visit to South Bend and Studebaker’s parts division. And like your car, it went thru exhaust systems like candy. The “green bomber” also had the ID plate for the original owner.
Just, WOW!!!
The car has some kind of steering wheel cover on the original wheel that blends in seamlessly. Anyone recognize it and know where to buy it? The wheel on my Hawk is worn and would benefit from this.
Classic good looks. I had a black one for about a year while in college, but lack of parts availability led me to dispose of it. Replaced w/ an MGB.
I’m drooling all over my keyboard on this one. The car just screams “drive me,” especially that incredible instrument panel. This is really a beautiful car in very near showroom condition.
This car was too European looking for most Americans. I love it though, although I usually like cars that are discontinued. Like this one.
I dont see anything resembling European styling, many European cars back then looked like 1940-1950 U.S. cars, only smaller.
I’d love to own a 53 coupe. To me that was the car of the 50’s