In 1953, America was introduced to its sportscar – the Corvette From Chevrolet. Ford opened another uncharted territory two years later with the Thunderbird’s ‘personal luxury car’ mantra. And in 1956, yet another genre debuted – the family sports car. Surprisingly, it wasn’t from the other member of Detroit’s Big Triad; Chrysler was busy with letter cars from the 300 series, and Studebaker stepped up.
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Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Between 1956 and 1958, the reputable company built 9,305 Golden Hawks, a two-door, five-seater hardtop with enough power to sit at the muscle car table. However, it didn’t because 1) muscle cars weren’t a thing back then, and 2) it was marketed as a family car with a very sporty attitude.
The Corvette and the T-Bird were two-seaters, so there wasn’t much the two names could bring to the family game. Chrysler’s 300 car was luxury intertwined with performance and high price; on top of that, the Mopar was a low-number model, destined for only a select few who could afford it.
Studebaker saw the opportunity and jumped right in, offering a reasonably priced car with a beautiful design and a powerful engine. It was not on par with the aircraft-type V8 in the Chrysler – the hemispherical combustion chamber was just growing into the legend it became in the sixties – but it was still strong enough to make it worthwhile.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
The Studebaker Golden Hawk was the lovechild of beautiful styling and a sturdy eight-cylinder, but its success was cut short by the Eisenhower recession of 1958. The company was already in murky financial waters after the misfortunate merger with Packard. The economic setback axed the Golden Hawk after three short years, with 1957 being the most prolific (4,356 units assembled, a little over the 4,071 of the debut year).
Initially, the car came with a Packard V8 displacing 352 cubes (5.8 liters) and putting out 275 hp (278 PS), more than was needed to show the rear fins to the aforementioned ‘Vette, T-Bird, and 300B. In July 1956, Speed Age magazine pitted a Studebaker Golden Hawk against the other three. The underdog took the accolades in the 0–60 mph, with 7.5 seconds, and the standing quarter top speed sprint (125 mph – 202 kph).
One year later, the Packard engine was ditched in favor of a Studebaker 289 V8, which, despite its lesser bulk, scored an identical power output of 275 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque (448 Nm). Impressive figures for a small engine – but the Hawk had a secret weapon. The ‘no replacement for displacement’ quintessential motto of Detroit was shelved in favor of forced induction.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
The Studebaker came with a supercharger in 1957, helping the near-square V8 (3 9/16-inch bore and 3 5/8-inch stroke, or 90.4 × 92.2 mm) act even better than its predecessor due to the weight reduction. The Golden Hawk of ’57 offered an Aztec Gold livery among other exterior colors, and one model inspired a four-and-a-half-year restoration.
When I say ‘model,’ I mean the scaled-down toy version of the original. A happy couple played the car game, and the result can be seen in the video below, shot by Lou Costabile at the Arizona Concours d’Elegance in January.
The lady said she wanted a car; the husband bought her a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk scale model, to which the wife countered with, ‘We’ll get one like this then, but the real deal.’ That was before the economic recession of 2008, and the couple found not one but two examples. They bought and christened them Adam and Eve, and then Adam became a parts donor for the restoration.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Between 2011 and 2016, Eve underwent a meticulous rebuild process, which modified the car enough to snatch it out of the ‘factory-spec’ section and place it in the restomod category. From the outside, nothing is telling the story, but once the hood pops up, it’s clear that this is no regular Studebaker.
The engine is still the 289 V8 (4.7-liter) fitted on the assembly line, and the McCulloch supercharger is the original piece. Later Studebaker models would proclaim the same equipment as the Paxton blower; it’s the same thing – early production superchargers were marketed under the McCulloch name. It’s simply a commercial twist: the inventor’s full name was Robert Paxton McCulloch.
The engine bay on this particular Golden Hawk is the strong point of the classic automobile – even assembly-line cars would be jealous of this absolutely immaculate example. The owner, Cindy and Peter, did a fantastic job preserving the vehicle. For instance, cleaning one steel wire wheel takes over an hour and a half. Then again, this is the beauty of owning a classic – heads turn when one drives by.
The odometer reads 571 miles (919 km) since the restoration was finished, meaning just over 70 miles (110 km) per year, on average. With a car this rare, even when new, it’s incredible that this 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk gets driven at all.
