The 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk was the last of the breed.
In previous features here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, we’ve shared the story of the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, the ingenious creation of freelance designer Brooks Stevens. (Read about the birth of the 1962 GT Hawk here.) With a minimal budget, Stevens cleverly repackaged the company’s beautiful but dated Studebaker Hawk platform as an elegant Euro-flavored touring coupe. Unfortunately, 1964 proved to be the final model year for the Gran Turismo as the Studebaker factory in South Bend, Indiana was shut down for good in December of 1963. Production would continue at the company’s Canadian plant in Hamilton, Ontario through 1966, but the Hawk series was discontinued.
As the final Hawk in the Studebaker line, the ’64 version of the Gran Turismo featured a handful of minor but easily recognizable changes. First, the bright metal panel on the deck lid was eliminated, creating a smoother look. And there was a new optional fabric half top called the “Sport Roof” in white or black vinyl for $65, and some badging and trim changes. Other than that, production soldiered on pretty much as before, but due to the shortened model run, the volume amounted to a mere 1,767 units. (Stevens designed a stunning replacement for the Hawk GT called the Studebaker Sceptre, but there was no funding to produce it.) See and hear the final Grand Turismo in action in the video below.
Brooks Stevens is one of my favorite designers and this is one of his best works. The ’63 might be the best Hawk GT though.
55 years later and it is still considered a classic.
How many of today’s “Jelly Bean” cars will be remembered in 2074 ?
I love Stevens’ designs and have owned my ’62 GT Hawk for about a dozen years. It’s interesting in the ad where there’s an exaggerated exhaust sound when the car is driving on the dirt road but later is described as silent. You can tell the commercial was done on a tight budget.
That was my favorite part of the clip. When I heard that I had to run it. It’s so obviously dubbed in. I wonder if it was even a Studebaker or if they cruised the drive-ins of South Bend for a voice double.
Too bad Studebaker was so mismanaged and failed. Designs like this should have kept them a player in the market for years. I’d love to get my hands on anything from a 53 Loewy coupe to a 64 Hawk, all some of the most beautiful designs they ever did. Sadly, the good ones are out of my reach right now, and the bad ones are rust buckets.