1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk

The second-to-last vehicle to have its design influenced by infamous industrial designer, Raymond Loewy, the Golden Hawk began as a 1955 Studebaker Starliner, but was given a vertical eggcrate grille, raised hood line, pointed nose, raised and squared-off trunk lid, and fiberglass tailfins. The dimensions of the hood changed in order to fit a Packard V8, but today’s example, the Golden Hawk, has a different engine. This Golden Hawk comes equipped with a 289-cu in. 4.7L V8 mated to a McCulloch supercharger. This new powerplant created the same amount of power as the Packard engine, 275hp, but was significantly lighter.

This Studebaker is seriously gold. The metallic paint looks incredible whether it’s reflecting the light or hiding in the shade. The paint has been applied nicely, there were no noticeable rough areas or waves, and that is consistent for most of the exterior. However, the trunk does have several marks on it. It is unclear what left these marks, but something has left 3 separate stains in the paint on the trunk. Other than those marks, there are some small chips hidden in between the panel gaps. The chrome around the car is straight and in solid condition. All glass panes are clean and have no noticeable chips or cracks, and finally, the hubcaps are in excellent condition. The tires look to be in decent shape, but a new set is always recommended.

The inside of this Golden Hawk is just as gold as the outside. Open either door, and you will be greeted by - that’s right - gold leather seats. All four seats look to be in solid condition and have no signs of creases, holes, or tears. Black carpets are clean and all fit snugly into their respective positions. The steering wheel is clean but the enamel over the center logo appears to have failed over the years and now has several cracks. The pressed metal dashboard is clean and the gauges within it are easily readable. The driver’s door panel is clean, but the passenger’s door panel has a problem area. At the bottom of the passenger door, there are green stains in the leather from some kind of liquid. It is unclear if these stains will easily lift, or if the door panel must be replaced, but this is the only area with damage inside the car. The bone-white headliner is both clean and tight.

The underside of this Golden Hawk hides no major damage. The frame and floorboards appear to be solid, the exhaust shows minor discoloration, and all of the suspension components are in their proper place. We are happy to report that this trend continues under the hood. Nothing here appears to be out of place, and cleanliness seems to be above average.

Unfortunately, documentation on the car is limited. What we do know is that the seller acquired this car from Hyman Ltd. Classic Cars in St. Louis, Missouri in October of 2011. It was purchased by the seller with the mileage listed at 6,982 miles, photo attached. The odometer now says 6,985 miles. That’s quite a lot of restraint to only drive a car 3 miles over the last 11 years. Kudos to you, seller.

The Golden Hawk is just one of a number of automobiles from Studebaker that the public was not ready for. Its space-age design turned the public off, and most consumers decided to look for vehicles with more conventional styling. Studebaker took design risks, and they deserve to be posthumously commended for that. Furthermore, the concept of stuffing a massive engine into a commuter vehicle most certainly makes the Golden Hawk a forefather to the iconic muscle cars of the 1960s. Studebaker, we salute you. This Golden Hawk has very little damage to deal with and makes for a wonderful highlight car to any collection. We are confident that this flashy Studebaker will have little issue reaching its $24,000 - $30,000 estimate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS

It should be noted that this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.



Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.