1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk

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4750
The near-vertical tailfins make the Studebaker look ready to fly
This gem of a Studebaker Golden Hawk makes the 1950s look alive
This gem of a Studebaker Golden Hawk makes the 1950s look alive

The Studebaker Golden Hawk was the original performance car for the South Bend, Indiana, automaker, the most muscular version of the regular hardtop that was developed from the sleek 1953 Starliner coupe created by the great industrial designer Raymond Loewy.

This Pick of the Day is a terrific-looking 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk powered by Studebaker’s then-new 289 V8 (not to be confused with Ford’s later 289) enhanced with a Jet Stream McCullough supercharger that made the engine good for 275 horsepower, which was highly competitive in its day.

“The Golden Hawk set a new standard for automakers including Chevrolet’s Corvette and Chrysler’s NASCAR-inspired 300 Series,” the St. Louis, Missouri, classic car dealer says in the listing on ClassicCars.com.

The stock appearance of the Golden Hawk, including original paint color, trim and hubcaps, makes this sporty Studebaker very appealing, even if purists shudder at the adulteration of Loewy’s clean landmark design. The elaborate tailfins, which are made of fiberglass, look pretty cool in retrospect as today’s collectors and hobbyists better appreciate the styling excesses of the late 1950s.

A major supercharger is mounted on the 289 cid V8
A major supercharger is mounted on the 289 cid V8

This is a low-mileage car with just over 50,000 miles showing on its odometer, the seller says, with a body that is “exceptionally straight, with no signs of accident history above or below.”

Among the extensive collection of pictures are some that show a very clean undercarriage and engine compartment.

“The car is finished in Tiara Gold Metallic and Arctic White two-tone exterior with matching gold-and-white two-tone interior vinyl upholstery,” the seller says. “Under the hood is the original Sweepstakes 289ci V8 (stamped PS3366 – 1957 Golden Hawk supercharged) and date-coded McCulloch supercharger (stamped VS575101406) mated to a three-speed automatic transmission and transferring power to the ground via a 4.27:1 Twin-Traction rear end.”

The car was cosmetically restored a while back, the listing says, but still looks fresh with some patina.

“The paint and chrome were likely done some time ago but still appear as very good,” according to the seller. “Similarly, the interior is also in great shape, with no rips or tears in the beautiful white-and-gold vinyl, which we believe to have also been done with the paint.”

The dealer is asking $49,500, which is a pretty strong number for anything less than a pristine example, according to the price guides, though this one certainly should light up the interest of any Studebaker enthusiast.

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

1 COMMENT

  1. my first studebaker was a commander broke the autobox in this no 2 was a golden hawk but it had a flat 6 side valve engine cant find one in studebaker listings was this a rare one no 3 was a grand turisamo these i had in early 1960s still miss my golden hawk now 74 hah loads of american cars over the years last one 7 years ago ford mustang but still prevered the studebakers

  2. The Golden Hawk was a performance car that was over looked back then due to the big 3 and bad ratings, but if truth be known nothing, yes nothing stock then would have crossed the line in from over the super charged Studebaker. in 1992 I took a 1960 Studebaker Hawk and rebuild the motor as an r/1 except 30 over due to wear,flat top pistons. I ran a new corvette from 30 mphrolling start and jumped it by 3 cars. ran him twice to give him a chance, both times he lost by 3 to 5 car lengths

  3. The 1956 golden hawks tail fins were fiber glass but the 1957’s and 1958’s were steel, i have a 58 and its steel.

    • my first golden hawk had a flat 6 engine in it with auto box the old car went very well i then bougt a silver hawk with a v 8 superb drive this started me having a lot of different american cars in the 60s

  4. I did not think Studebaker put a 6cyl engine in a Golden Hawk. I believe the only two engines used were the 289 an the Packard 352. In 1962 I purchased a 1956 Studebaker Flight Hawk for the great sum of $200 It was a great car. It used a bit of oil and smoked. It was a 6cyl flat head. I had the engine rebuilt and the interior was also redone. I drove it while in college and kept it for about 7 years. I did not care for the fins in the Golden hawk as it tended to break up the sleek look of the body which started in 1953.
    This year I purchased a 1956 Power Hawk with a 259 V8 engine for a bit more than $200. It has 54815 miles on it and I have the service records. This was a barn find and had been on storage for a total of 25 years. the engine runs good, the body needs rust repair and repainted. It had been repainted some time prior to 1995 With an orangeish color which does not match a 1956 Studebaker paint chart. A poor paint job, Did not paint inside the door frame or the engine compartment and I plan to match the color from those places. The interior needs work since it was modified by the mouse works. I plan to go with an original style interior. I also plan three changes, electronic ignition, air conditioning, air conditioning was an option in 1956, and replace the original 1956 spare tire

    • I had a 1957 Silver Hawk with the gold & white paint scheme of the Golden Hawk.

      I loved the fins cause they were outrageous…Lord knows how many years would have to pass before anything that outrageous again appeared,

      I had no option but to sell it when in college…what a pity.