For 1962, Studebaker and designer Brooks Stevens pulled off a near-miracle, repackaging the ancient Hawk model as an elegant European-style GT. Here’s a closer look at the Gran Turismo Hawk, including an original factory film.
How the Gran Turismo Hawk came to be is one of the great underdog stories of the American auto industry. Handed a nearly non-existent budget and a fire-drill schedule by his old friend, Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert, freelance designer Brooks Stevens cleverly reskinned the crusty old 1956-1961 Hawk, which was itself based on the 1953 Studebaker platform, as a sleek continental GT for 1962. Of course, as we know now, the new/old model wasn’t nearly enough to save the company, as Studebaker ceased U.S. production late in 1963. But the Gran Turismo Hawk did give the South Bend automaker another memorable line of cars to close out its final years.
Courtesy of the Studebaker National Museum, we’ve got an original three-minute factory promotional film featuring the ’62 Gran Turismo, and it does a very nice job of showcasing the clever new sheet metal Stevens created for the Hawk. While they’re at it, the Studebaker marketing people also manage to get in a few amusing digs at the Cadillac and Thunderbird.
So clean and devoid of exterior ornamentation that it actually saved the company $28 a car over the previous model, the ingenious makeover package for the Hawk (above) from Brooks Stevens Associates also included a classy new cockpit with a wraparound instrument panel and bucket seats. Today the Gran Turismo Hawk is regarded—along with its stablemate, the Avanti—as one of the most sporting Studebakers ever created in South Bend. Video below.
A real testament to Brooks Stevens talent and knowledge, and to the classic 1953 car on which the GT Hawk was based. Thanks for sharing!
They are still a very distinctive car, and for mine the best looking car of that sector on the market. But the dated 259 Stude engine and even the few with 283 Chevs were underpowered in what was a heavy car. That and the dreaded axle and key set up which had a tendency to throw wheels off as well.
Hawks didn’t have factory installed McKinnon 283 engines. When US production stopped in December 63 at South Bend, Hamilton used Stude engines to finish 64MY cars. However Hawks, Avanti’s and trucks were dropped from production as Hamilton didn’t have production lines to accommodate them. In MY65 engines and transmissions were purchased from GM Canada (McKinnon) for the remaining Lark series line.
A Grand Turismo comparison? Against a 61 Coupe de Ville? A 61 Lincoln Continental? These cars are in a completely different class and segment of the auto world. The Personal Luxury coupe Thunderbird you could possibly compare to the poor Hawk GT.
As far as the Hawk goes; It’s a shame what they did to the 1953 design. That big old radiator grill really did wonders for the wind tunnel.