1962 Studebaker GT Hawk news, pictures, and information

The Gran Turismo Hawk was unveiled in 1962 after the brilliant redesign by Brooks Stevens on a shoestring budget. By 1961 the original Hawk design began to look aged, and the public was not buying them. Brooks Stevens did a miracle reskin of the car by putting on a new grille, shaving off the fins, and adding a new, squarer roofline. The public immediately responded and sales nearly tripled. The design was continued with very little changed until 1964, but when the South Bend plant closed, so did the story of this short lived version of the long lived Hawk.

View more photos
Six Series Hardtop
Chassis Num: 62V9077

This 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk is a period custom by Vincent 'Beansie' Berbardo. It is believed to be the last example completed. It is a multiple award winning vehicle and has been highlighted in magazines. It has its original rebuilt 289 V8 engine that shows only 1,700 miles. There is a new automatic transmission, rebuilt Dana Posi-Traction rear end, new rear axle, bearings and seals. Many other items on this car are new or rebuilt.

In 2008 this car was brought to the 2nd Annual Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey presented by RM Auctions where it was estimated to sell for $15,000-$20,000. It was one of the last cars to roll across the stage. Bid was low. Since the car did not have a reserve, the high bid of $4,950 including buyer's premium was enough to secure new ownership. The lot was sold.

From 1962 through 1964 Studebaker produced the Gran Turismo Hawk, also known as the GT Hawk. The GT Hawk was an iteration of the Hawk series which had begun with the Golden Hawk in 1956. The styling was performed by Brooks Stevens using the prior Hawk cars as a starting point. The hood was retained while the radiator and grille borrowed inspiration from Mercedes-Benz. The GT Hawks was a marriage of both European and American styling and influences. The rear end was similar to that of a Lincoln while the roofline closely resembled a Ford Thunderbird. The result was a modern car that was both smooth and aerodynamic. It was sold in the US and other countries, such as Great Britain and Australia. In the US, sales were slow, with only 8,388 examples being produced in its inaugural year. 947 were produced for other countries during that year. This would be its strongest year, as sell fell to 4,009 for 1962, plus an additional 625 for export. Only 1,484 US examples were produced in 1964 and 283 for export.

Many areas of the vehicles were designed to be inexpensive to produce. The rear window was flat and recessed; the underpinnings and chassis of the car were nearly identical to prior Hawks. The engine bay could accept a variety of Studebaker engines which could be matted to a three-speed manual, four-speed or Flight-O-Matic automatic gearbox. The engines ranged from a 4.7-liter V8 engine that produced just over 210 horsepower to a supercharged 5-liter engine that produced over 330 horsepower. The cars low weight and front disc brakes made it a solid performance machine.

Minor styling improvements were made for 1963. The rectangular parking lights were replaced with round units. The side of the dash were wood grain which made it similar in appearance to the rest of the instruments. Changes followed in 1964 such as a 'Studebaker Hawk' nameplate appearing on the trunk lid. The grille was again updated, now having a Hawk emblem in the center of the grille. A circle-S ornament could also be found on the grille shell. The top was a half-vinyl-covered roof which had been part of Stevens original designs but never made it into production in prior models. Wheel covers, similar to the other Studebaker models, were added. A silver-threaded cloth upholstery was added to the list of options, and for the first time, AM/FM radio could be ordered on the GT Turismo.

Vehicle Spotlight

1962 Studebaker models
Studebaker Lark

Studebaker: 1961-1970

Similar Automakers

Studebaker History

Other models by Studebaker