Studebaker Hawk Series (1956 to 1964)

The Studebaker Hawk Series was a family of cars introduced for the 1956 model year. Inspired by the success of the Studebaker Speedster, the company decided to create a new line of sporty cars that were available in pillared coupe or hardtop body styles. Over the course of its production, the Hawk was powered by a range of V8 engines, as well as one inline six unit. In 1956, the Hawk Series was released with four different trim levels, with each trim level given its own model name. The Flight Hawk was the entry-level offering, The Power Hawk represented the intermediate model, and the Sky Hawk being the premium model. Sitting above these variants was Studebaker's flagship, the Golden Hawk. For the 1957 model year, only the Golden Hawk remained from the initial models, while the new Silver Hawk took over the entry-level position. A Packard-branded version appeared for 1958 known as the Packard Hawk. For 1960, the Hawk Series was only offered as the Studebaker Hawk, until 1962, when the final version, the Gran Turismo Hawk, debuted. In late 1963, the South Bend, IN, Studebaker factory closed, ending production of the Hawk Series, although remaining examples were sold as 1964 models.