1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk

The Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (or GT Hawk), a sporty coupe-type car sold between 1962 and 1964, was the final development of the Studebaker company's Hawk series that began with the Golden Hawk of 1956.

The styling was a fairly radical facelift by designer Brooks Stevens of the older Hawk shape. The restyle was heavily inspired by the Ford Thunderbird, particularly in the shape of the formal roof with thick C-pillars. A chrome edge running from front to rear highlighted the top of the bodywork, very similarly to that on the Lincoln Continental, and the styling was cleaned up to make it in line with the times, removing the 1950s style fins and bodyside trim of previous models. The rear window was concave from side to side. Overall, the exterior look kept the smooth, aerodynamic style of previous Studebakers but moved up to date. Stevens also cleaned up the interior with a neatened, modern dash with large instruments. Seating featured bucket seats in the front, and was in pleated vinyl. The underpinnings of the car, however, remained very similar to previous Hawks, thanks to Studebaker's poor financial shape.

This styling, coupled with good performance and good press, should have made the GT Hawk a contender at the cheaper end of the personal luxury car marketplace, but sales were slow (1962: 8388, 1963: 4634, 1964: 1767), possibly reflecting the public's lack of confidence in Studebaker's future.

That these fears were well-founded was proven in 1964 when Studebaker closed their South Bend, Indiana plant, killing off most models including the GT Hawk, and moved all production to Canada, where manufacture of the Lark lasted only two more years with Chevrolet engines.

Rear view of the GT Hawk

At launch the engine available was Studebaker's 289 cubic inch (4.7 L) small-block V8 in two states of tune, giving 210 or 225 brake horsepower. From the 1963 model year, supercharged R-code engines from the Avanti could be ordered, the 289 giving 290 bhp (220 kW) and the larger 304.5 (5.0 L) cubic inch powerplant a full 335 bhp (250 kW). The GT Hawk was fairly light for an American car of its class and era, and any of these engines made it a fairly decent performer; the blown R-code engines were particularly good, of course. The use of a lightweight small-block rather than the heavy big-blocks of the competition gave the GT Hawk a sportscar-like edge in handling as well.

1963's model, as well as offering new engine options, was slightly restyled; round parking lights below the headlights instead of the rectangular previous ones, set into the corners of new side grilles with a squared pattern of lines over finer mesh. This same squared pattern was carried over onto the main grille, instead of the simple fine mesh of the 1962 models. A woodgrain-effect dash and pleated vinyl seat backs were the interior changes.

1963,left; 1964,right

1964's only change saw the chromed rear trunk lid area go away, for a slightly more modern appearance from the rear.

Studebaker considered the GT Hawk very much a European-style GT, and accordingly the car was sold in Europe and elsewhere, though not in great numbers.

Today, the GT Hawk is considered fairly collectable, although prices are affordable, reflecting the car's specialist interest. The GT Hawk is recognised as a Milestone car by the Milestone Car Society .

See also

• Golden Hawk, Silver Hawk, Hawk - predecessor Studebakers

External links

• http://www.ritzsite.net/63Stude/04_63stude.htm - catalog images plus photographs, showing a 1963 model

References

• Langworth, Richard M. (ed.) (2001). The Complete Book of Collectable Cars. Publications International (Lincolnwood, Illinois). ISBN 0-7853-4313-X.