Studebaker Silver Hawk

The Studebaker Silver Hawk was an automobile produced between 1957 and 1959 by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. Essentially the same car was produced for two further years (1960 and 1961) as simply the Studebaker Hawk, since from 1959 onward no other Hawk models were being sold.

The Silver Hawk was the replacement for the two lower models in the four-model Hawk range in 1956, the Flight Hawk with six-cylinder Champion power and the Power Hawk with the Commander's 259 in³ (4.2 L) V8. Both of these models were two-door pillared coupes in the US market, and therefore, so was the Silver Hawk, which came in two differently-engined models with the 289 President engine 210 HP 2 barrel, 225 HP 4 barrel dual exhaust version optional or the Champion 185 cu.in. "6" cyl. convert|101|HP|abbr=on powerplant.

In appearance, the Silver Hawk was a pillared coupe version of the Golden Hawk, the upper of the two Hawk models in 1957-58. There was a little bit less chrome, no supercharger or bulge in the hood, and a simpler two-tone paint scheme was adopted - simply one color below the chrome belt line and another above, but unlike the example, the lower color included the fin. Many were ordered by the dealers in solid White and the fin only, and sometimes the deck lid recess and or the left and right "side grills" were painted in a contrasting Studebaker color. These usually matched the interior, some were Blue, Gold, Red or Black and were actually better looking according to many owners than the factory two-tone paint scheme.

In the midst of a financial crisis at Studebaker after a disastrous recession-year performance in 1958, the Golden Hawk was dropped. 1959's Silver Hawk was to be the only Hawk model in production; it was itself kept on largely because Studebaker dealers wanted a glamorous flagship model as a dealership draw. Those customers would more likely walk out with Studebaker's last-ditch hope, the new Lark compact. In fact, the Silver Hawk was the only non-Lark model kept. 1959's Silver Hawk actually was something of a combination of Golden Hawk and Silver Hawk features. The "Silver Hawk" script moved to the fins instead of the trunk lid, with a new Hawk badge in between the two words. The parking lights moved to the side grilles from the front fenders, chrome moldings around the windows (from the '53-'54 models) similar to the Golden Hawk were added, and the interior was somewhere in between the two former models' levels of luxury. Two-tone paint was discontinued for all US orders, though it was still available for export.

Studebaker's 1959 model year was their first profitable year for six years, thanks to the Lark, and thus the Silver Hawk, which sold 7,788 examples, got to live another day as well. 1960's models were just named Hawk, since there were no other Hawk models in the range, but were otherwise largely unchanged externally from the '59. Internally, the main change was the return of the 289 cubic inch (4.7 L) V8, as used on the Golden Hawk, but without the supercharger. This was the only engine available for US orders in both 1960 and 1961, the last year of the finned Coupe Hawk model. Some 6-cylinder and 259 in³ (4.2 L) V8 models were built for export markets. 1961 models saw the limited return of a second paint color, beige in a stripe along the base of the fin between the two lower moldings.

1962 model year saw a new Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk replacement.

Almost the end of the line?

When the 1960 model year began, U.S. automakers were in the throes of a steel strike, and the shortage of steel hit Studebaker, which was a much smaller company than AMC or the Big Three, particularly hard.

Studebaker had a proven sales winner in the 1959 Lark, which was continued into 1960 with little change. With steel in short supply, the company chose to focus on building as many Larks as possible to ensure an adequate supply for the company's dealers. This meant that Silver Hawk production for 1960, which had been scheduled to begin in November or December 1959, was delayed.

Unfortunately for Studebaker -- but fortunately for Hawk buyers -- sales of the Lark began to fall off in the closing months of 1959. By the beginning of February 1960, Hawks finally began to roll from the South Bend assembly line.

It isn't known what might have happened had Lark sales continued at their 1959 levels, but speculation has been advanced that the company might not have produced any Hawks. The lengthy delay between new-model announcement time and the start of Hawk production in 1960 shows just how close Studebaker came to not producing a model that they had at least halfheartedly promoted in print advertising and showroom brochures.

Fortunately, though, the Hawk lived on, and later that year a stock production model won its class in the 1960 Mobil Economy Run, delivering 22.9 miles per gallon.

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