The remarkable nine-year run of the Studebaker Hawk finally came to an end with the 1964 Gran Turismo Hawk.
Studebaker’s distinctive Hawk line began in 1956 with a clever repackaging of the landmark ’53 Starliner coupe by Robert Bourke, its original designer, which the South Bend carmaker rebranded as a “family sports car.” (See our feature here.) Then in 1962, independent designer Brooks Stevens reinvented the Studebaker coupe again with his classically styled Gran Turismo theme. For 1964, the Gran Turismo Hawk reached its most refined and unfortunately, its final form.
Exterior changes to the GT Hawk for ’64 were mostly minor, emblems and such, but a few were noteworthy. First, the embossed bright-metal panel on the deck lid was removed and the corrugated presswork underneath eliminated, giving the rear end a clean, smooth look that was closer to Bourke’s original 1953 design. Also, a vinyl half-top that covered the front portion of the roof became an extra-cost option. The Sport Roof, envisioned by Stevens in the original 1962 proposal but not implemented until 1964, was was offered in white or black for $65.
Mechanically, the Hawk was much the same car as in previous years, based on the aged 120-inch wheelbase chassis that dated back to 1953. However, there were a number of refinements over the years, including Bendix front disc brakes, recirculating-ball power steering, and an available Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmission.
Optional engines included the normally aspirated R1 V8 with 240 hp and the Paxton-supercharged R2 with 289 hp. (The hot R3 and R4 engines were available on paper, but no such GT Hawks were produced, reportedly.) In September of ’63 at Bonneville, Andy Granatelli topped 157 mph driving an R3-powered ’64 Hawk prepared by his company, Paxton Products.
Enthusiasts often cite the cockpits as their favorite aspect of the GT Hawks, and the ’64 version is arguably the finest of the bunch, with upgraded interior fabrics and a redesigned woodgrain dash with a smooth, padded cover above and an extra pad at knee level. A full complement of round Stewart-Warner instruments kept the driver fully informed, while providing a vibe more like an Italian GT than most Detroit offerings at the time.
With a base price just a few bucks short of $3,000, the GT Hawk was a fair value but a tough sell in the 1964 car market, dominated as it was by the Detroit three. Up and down the Studebaker product line, in fact, sales were falling far short of what was required to keep the company afloat. When the company’s auto assembly operations in the USA were halted permanently on December 20, 1963, midway through the model run, a mere 1,767 Hawks had been produced. Production would continue at Studebaker’s Hamilton, Ontario plant, but without the Gan Turismo Hawk as the automaker concentrated on Lark-based products.
Great styling for 1964, but played out, along with the Studebaker name. Most soon to be orphans had lousy trade in value as well.
I’ve owned quite a few Hawks starting with a 1956 Silver Hawk hardtop, several ’57 – ’58 Golden hawks, 1961 Hawk coupe with the rare 4-speed, and a couple of 1962-63 GT Hawks, but never a ’64 GT Hawk. [Even had a horrible pee green 1955 Speedster, the predecessor to the Hawk.
In 1972 I was in NW Washington DC, driving north on 14th street, when at the corner of 14th & Park St, I spied the back end of a 1964 GT Hawk in a driveway next to an end townhouse unit. I parked behind the Hawk and rang the doorbell at the townhouse. An older lady answered the door, and when I explained I was enquiring about the Hawk, her face lit up!
She and her husband bought the Hawk new from the Studebaker dealer in Arlington, VA; The American Service Center, now a M-B dealership. Her husband joined us and we went out to look at the car. The first thing I noticed was the color and texture of the paint; it was light gray, and FUZZY, reminding me of a couple of days worth of stubble on an gray-haired man’s face.
The husband explained that they had been the owners of a company that pioneered [and invented] the ability to cover the outside of a car in waterproof FLOCKING, often found inside a glove box on older cars. He said he developed the special waterproof glue for outside use. Sadly, he said that the flocking vinyl material was not color fast, and within a few years the color dye bleached out, leaving the gray flocking color, as seen on the Hawk. They ended up closing the business.
They had bought the car as a way to show what a flocked car looked like at auto shows, and ordered the car fully loaded with options including the Avanti R-2 supercharged engine and 4-speed, power steering and Dunlop discs, etc. The car was originally white with black interior, and black vinyl half top. They had flocked it in a Maroon color, and when shown color photos I thought it looked beautiful.
A few months later I was inducted into the Army, and after a 3-year term, I went looking for the GT Hawk again. I found the townhouse boarded up and vacant, the Hawk long gone. A neighbor said the couple had died, probably not long after my 1st visit. I’ve looked for the car all these years, and never found evidence of it’s survival.
If anyone has heard of a surviving gray flocked ’64 GT Hawk, let me know here, I’ve got some photos of it somewhere in my photo books.
“1961 Hawk coupe”. All Hawks, all years, were coupes. Thank you.
Friends of mine started into Studebakers in 2009 with a ’64 GT. Had the privilege of driving that car a number of times. Would have bought it when they sold it but, at that time, couldn’t afford to; I now have a ’64 Daytona myself…