Jun
11
The Studebaker Champ was the very first pickup to have a sliding rear window to enhance ventilation. An interesting factoid yet not enough to allocate a class to it at Pebble Beach. These Champs are probably the first car-like pickups. They were reasonably comfortable and had a range of options to choose from. Today’s find may be a very original, 69,900 mile V-8 in nice condition. Read More
Dec
2
The styling of the Gran Turismo was executed by the studio of Raymond Loewy. He went for a more Euro look but stole styling cues from some domestic competitors like the Thunderbird. The end result is a pretty handsome personal car that has endured the test of time. For 1962, a Hawk buyer could choose from either two or four-barrel carburetted versions of Studebaker’s 289-cubic-inch V8 engine (210 or 225 horsepower) teamed with standard three-speed manual, overdrive, four-speed or Flight-O-Matic automatic transmission. Today’s featured GT is a 289 4-barrel car with a 4-speed transmission. Read More
Oct
10
It is appropriate that one of the owners of this sweet little car felt compelled to enter it into the 1st Great American Race. You see back in the day the Champion was indeed a champion – in fuel economy. The mantra at Studebaker in 1938 was “weight is the enemy”. We wonder if Colin Chapman worked there? Because it was light and powered by a stingy 78hp inline 6, it was a consistent winner of the Mobilgas Economy Run. Read More
Sep
23
We missed getting this one up in time but it didn’t sell. We would watch for it to be relisted like many eBay auctions.
The styling of the Golden Hawk was executed by the studio of Raymond Loewy. They took the basic shape of the Commander and added a vertical eggcrate grille, a squared off trunk and fiberglass tailfins. OMG! We have to tell you, when we saw this car, submitted by Frank K., we were impressed by the unique styling of this early muscle car. We said muscle car because the Packard engine that powered it produced 275 hp making it one of the fastest cars of the period. Read More
Jun
10
The Studebaker Lark was ingeniously designed using the platform of the full-sized 1953–1958 Studebakers. Engineers reduced the front and rear overhangs and shortened the wheelbase ahead of the firewall. But the car could still seat six people comfortably and hold a surprising amount of luggage. It was hoped that the Lark would save America’s oldest vehicle manufacturer when it was launched as a 1959 model. Sales were brisk mainly because the Big 3 didn’t yet have a suitable compact car and dealers were allowed to represent Studebakers in addition to their Big 3 franchise. Read More
Apr
30
These are really neat cars and that is why they have been awarded Milestone Car status. The entire run of Studebaker’s personal cars was designed by Brook Stevens. And since the the last iteration of the line is the Gran Turismo, it should be considered the premier example of the Hawks. Read More
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