1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk Hardtop

1964 was the final year of the Gran Turismo Hawk. Brooks Stevens had been tasked to modernize the highly acclaimed Raymond Loewy studio-designed Starliner hardtop coupe and the Starlight post coupe of 1953, which were the platforms for the first Hawks introduced as 1955 models.

Stevens re-styled the earlier Hawk line as the fin-less 1962 Gran Turismo, America's first 'GT' car that became defined by bucket seats, four-speed transmission and full complement of gauges with performance in mind. Stevens then updated each subsequent model year through the end of production in December 1963, the last of the Hawks. Studebaker built its own engines ranging from the R1 to R4.

The single 4-barrel, 289 cubic-inch R1 (240 HP) and R2 (290 HP) were the same, except the R2 was Paxton supercharged. The R3 and R4 were 1-year only engines, with the more powerful, single 4-bbl, supercharged Avant R3 of 304.5 cubic-inch producing 335 horsepower that gave a 'Super Hawk' the potential of over 150 mph.

The R4 was the 304.5 engine with dual 4-bbl carburetors. Studebaker closed its foundry and moved body production to Canada, ending over 100 years of vehicle production in South Bend, Indiana. Total Grand Turismo Hawk construction in 1964 was 1,767 at an average price of $2,966 in 1964 in all forms. This Grand Turismo Hawk was built in August 1963 and was fitted with an early AM/FM radio, unusual for the time.