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Pick of the Day: ’62 Hawk GT could be ideal entry to collector car hobby

The elegant and V8-powered Studebaker coupe was designed by Brooks Stevens

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The Pick of the Day is a classic that would seem to be an ideal vehicle for a newcomer to the collector car hobby. It is priced at less than $25,000, reportedly is ready to be driven, is a vehicle styled by one of the most famous of American industrial designers, and would qualify its new owner to join an active national car club. 

In other words, this 1962 Studebaker Hawk GT advertised on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, seems a plug-and-play option for the newcomer.

“The 1962 Studebaker Hawk GT must be counted as one of the greatest under-the-gun automotive styling achievements of all time,” the advertisement notes. “By 1962, Studebaker’s corporate meltdown was reaching critical mass. In the midst of much uncertainty, Brooks Stevens Design was handed the unenviable task of restyling the Hawk on a shoestring budget. He created such an elegant design, as the 1962 Gran Turismo Hawk was nothing short of miraculous.

“The ’62 Studebaker Hawks had their wings clipped in back, a rounded rectangular rear fender line replaced the former canted fins. A sharp Thunderbird-style roof replaced Raymond Loewy’s softly curved roofline. Side brightwork gave way to understated ribbed rocker-panel guards and side trim running the length of the beltline atop the fenders.”

The Hawk GT on offer is black with lots of aluminum trim inside and out. The car is just as spectacular looking inside with its red vinyl seating surfaces.

The car is powered by a 289cid V8 (with golden yellow valve covers and orange oil filler cap) linked to a 3-speed Flight-O-Matic transmission. Power drum brakes stop the car, which has independent coil-spring suspension up front and leaf springs at the rear. It wears Studebaker’s “TT” badge, indicating “Twin Traction,” the automaker’s name for posi-traction.

The dealer notes that the muffler needs to be replaced — “it has a sizable hole in it (a photo is included in the ad). All else is really good!” — but the seller also reports that it has given the car a test drive. 

“A quick starter for this classic, smooth idling, and with a flip of the column automatic shifter we were off to the test track. Here it accelerated from a standstill respectfully and got up to speed quickly with no complaints. Handling was good, and brakes were nice and quick to react. A good cruiser and head turner for sure. Noted is the horn and heater blower are inoperable.”

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Replace this car’s muffler and you might even consider a post-pandemic road trip including a drive to South Bend, Indiana, to visit the National Studebaker Museum. 

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

17 COMMENTS

  1. Your selling a car for over $20,000. and you don’t change a muffler ($100+-)
    It doesn’t make sense to me.

    • I agree. Hole in the muffler, heater, horn don’t work. I see this type of ad, video, many times. Fix the damn thing before putting it on the market. It’s not ready to cruise. It needs work. Take 5k off and I’ll fix it myself.

      • Who is the dealer in Morgantown that’s handling this auto
        Any info would help as I have original typed Designers Notes pertaining to the redesign of the 62 Hawk Gran Tourisamo Written by Mr Stevens of whom I worked for
        Very interesting reading and should be a great compliment to this auto
        They are now Up for Sale sling with Glamour photos of Brooks

        • Click on either of the reddish Pick of the Day links and it will take you to the advertisement with contact information for the dealer.

  2. If you’re going to correct someone else Nabil, you better be damn sure of the correction.

    That would be “you’re,” NOT “your”!

  3. Contacted broker dealer with the Designer Notes that Brooks was sending back and forth to Studebaker as he was redesigning the roof of the Hawk GT
    Keep in mind, Studebaker was Broke
    Brooks was doing this on a minimal budget and at the speed of light do traveling back and forth only cost previous design time
    His notes detail what his focus was and other accent details he was including without creating
    a hefty tooling cost and delayed turnaround
    Time that neither had
    These notes are allowing a buyer of this auto the opportunity to have it talk to you
    Broker had no interest and basically blew me off
    Should someone purchase I can be reached at 414-732/eight two zero 1
    They should be teamed up with the car and can be had very reasonably along with photos if Brooks
    He was a character

  4. I have to agree with just doing the repairs that need to be done. Already asking 10k over value.fix everything add the other 5I. I mean it is you’re car anyway…

  5. If you can substitute the words you are for your then y o u apostrophe r e would be correct. In this case your seems to be incorrect.

  6. I agree over priced and u have to fix the muffler I don’t know why guys do these things in the first place like putting up a drith car with a crazy price tag or a nice paint job and dirty engine bay but we meet all kinds in this hobby for sure

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